A quarter of landlords report problem tenant possession concerns

12:01 AM, 26th August 2026, 7 hours ago

One in four landlords say they have struggled to regain possession from problem tenants, according to a Goodlord snap poll of nearly 250 landlords.

The survey found 25% had faced possession challenges following the abolition of Section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions under the Renters’ Rights Act on 1 May.

Landlords seeking possession must now use Section 8 and establish one of the defined grounds.

However, tenant referencing firm Goodlord found 39% had adopted more cautious tenant vetting, while 9% were investing more in tenant retention to reduce turnover.

Tenant checks tighten

The firm’s director of referencing, Nishma Parekh, said: “These findings point to a market were getting tenant selection right the first time is more critical than ever, given how much harder it has become to reverse a bad match once a tenancy begins.

“Our fraud report made it clear that landlords were already facing a costly problem before the Renters’ Rights Act came in.”

She added: “Now that possession is harder to secure when things go awry, the cost of signing the wrong tenants has only gone up.

“It’s little wonder thorough vetting has become the priority for landlords.”

Possession process takes longer

Separate Goodlord research estimated fraudulent tenancy applications are costing the private rented sector £4.1bn in financial losses every year.

Between July 2025 and June, 41 tenancy applications per 1,000 were flagged for suspected fraud.

Landlords using rent arrears grounds must wait four weeks after serving a Section 8 notice before proceedings can begin, twice the previous notice period.

Goodlord said court delays were extending that timeline further, with Section 8 claims still waiting to be heard.

Compliance costs increase

Half (50%) of landlords surveyed said the Act had increased their compliance burden.

A further 29% reported higher compliance and insurance costs.

Since 1 May, 23% said letting agent fees had increased and 10% reported longer void periods between tenancies.

Goodlord also surveyed 2,001 tenants, of whom 5% said they had been served or threatened with ‘Section 21-style’ evictions since the ban.

The firm said this indicated that most landlords were complying with the legislation and such cases remained rare.