The number of mortgage possession claims rose 34% year-on-year to 5,343 in Q2, data from the government showed.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said mortgage possession claims had been “steadily increasing” since the second quarter of 2021.
Its data revealed mortgage orders for possession were also 34% higher than a year ago, increasing to a total of 3,395.
At the same time, 9% more warrants were issued, totalling 2,918, and repossessions rose by 29% to 854.
Despite these annual increases, the MoJ said claims, warrants and repossession volumes were 14%, 38% and 32% lower than in the second quarter of 2019.
The median time from claim to repossession has decreased to 45.9 weeks, down from 48.7 weeks in the same period in 2023.
Landlord possessions also rise
Annually, landlord possession claims rose by 9% to 24,495, while there was a 15% uplift in orders for possession, which totalled 18,436.
The number of warrants increased by 12% to 11,172, and there was a 16% rise in repossessions to 6,927.
During the period, 34% or 8,379 of all landlord possession claims were social landlord claims, while private landlords accounted for 31% or 7,668. This compares to before the Covid pandemic, when social landlord possession claims accounted for 60% of activity.
Accelerated claims made up 34% or 8,448 of all landlord possession claims in Q2.
The MoJ said landlord possession actions had also shown a “general increase” since Q2 2021.
Regionally, the highest volumes of landlords claims and orders were seen in London, with 8,488 claims and 5,782 orders at London courts in Q2 accounting for 35% and 31% of the respective totals.
All regions saw a year-on-year rise in landlord warrants except for Wales.
Again, the largest regional number of landlord warrants was found in London, which accounted for 39% of the total.
The median time from claim to repossession has increased to 25.4 weeks, up from 22.1 weeks in the same period of 2023.
Shekina is the deputy editor at Mortgage Solutions and commercial editor at Mortgage Solutions and Specialist Lending Solutions. She has nearly eight years of experience in the B2B publishing market, having previously covered the hospitality, retail, pet, accounting and jewellery sectors.
Shekina has worked for Mortgage Solutions and Specialist Lending Solutions for almost five years. Here, she covers the market’s breaking news stories, engages with professionals in the sector, and oversees any commercially agreed content in partnership with mortgage-related companies.
This includes presenting webinars and hosting roundtable discussions on developing themes in the mortgage sector.
She is an NCTJ-trained journalist and was nominated for the Headline Money Awards Mortgage Journalist of the Year in 2021.
In her spare time, Shekina likes to read, travel, listen to music and socialise with friends.
She currently reports on current events in the mortgage market and liaises with financial clients to produce sponsored content.
Follow her on Twitter at @ShekinaMS
