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Courts with longest wait times for eviction cases named and shamed

February 20, 2026 5 min read views
Courts with longest wait times for eviction cases named and shamed
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Landlords have to wait up to 16 weeks in some cases, especially in London and Birmingham, and it's likely to get worse under the Renters' Rights Act.

20th Feb 20260 802 1 minute read David Callaghan

Eviction notice

Courts with the longest wait times for landlords with eviction cases have been exposed with the vast majority in London.

Birmingham is among the most clogged with all the other slowest courts either in the Capital or nearby, evictions specialist firm LegalforLandlords reveals.

Up to 16 weeks

Delays of up to 16 weeks are experienced by landlords in the worst locations, with Barnet topping the list.

Meanwhile, LegalforLandlords has also published a list of the best-performing courts, where wait times are between six and 10 weeks.

And courts in Aldershot and Blackpool are producing the shortest wait times for evictions.

Time increase

There are fears that the time it takes for landlords to get a court hearing is likely to increase when the Renters’ Rights Act comes into force in May, abolishing Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions.

Once Section 21 is removed, landlords will need to rely on Section 8 grounds, which are typically more complex and more likely to require court hearings, and tenants are able to challenge their attempted evictions.

Heavily contested Sim Sekhon Legal for Landords imageSim Sekhon, Group CEO, Legal for Landords

Sim Sekhon, Group CEO at LegalforLandlords, says: “The fact that landlords are already waiting up to four months or more to regain possession of their properties highlights the significant strain our court system is under.

“Even if you’re lucky enough to fall into one of the areas with shorter wait times, you’re still looking at a potential delay of more than two months,” he says.

“With the abolition of Section 21 under the Renters Rights Act due to be enforced from May 2026, this is set to get even worse as cases become more complex and more heavily contested.”

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