Evicting tenants in England
Accelerated possession orders
If you gave your tenant a valid section 21 notice before 1 May 2026, you may be able to apply to court for an accelerated possession order if:
- your tenant has not left by the date specified in the notice
- you’re not claiming rent arrears
- you apply by 31 July or the expiry date of the notice, whichever date comes first
There’s usually no court hearing if you apply for an accelerated possession order. It costs £404 to apply.
The rules about private renting changed on 1 May 2026. Find out how this affects applying to the court for possession if you gave your tenant a section 21 notice before 1 May 2026.
If you want to claim rent arrears, you can use either the:
- standard possession procedure
- accelerated procedure to get your property back, then make a separate court claim for the rent arrears
How to apply
Download and fill in the form for properties in England.
Send the completed form to the nearest court that deals with housing possession.
What happens next
Once your application has been issued, the court will send your tenant a copy of the application.
Your tenant has 14 days to challenge the application, from the date they receive it.
A judge will decide either to:
- issue a possession order that states your tenant must leave the property (this is normally the case)
- have a court hearing (this usually only happens if the paperwork is not in order or your tenant raises an important issue)
Even if there’s a hearing, the court can still decide to issue a possession order.
If the judge makes a possession order, your tenant will normally have 14 days to leave the property. If this will cause ‘exceptional hardship’, the judge may give the tenant up to 42 days to leave.
If your tenant does not leave, you can apply to the court for a warrant of possession. This will allow the court bailiffs to evict your tenant.