New research suggests that London landlords are bearing the heaviest financial burden from severe court backlogs, with long delays in possession cases costing them thousands more than the national average.

Analysis by Legal for Lettings found that the cost of unpaid rent in a possession case with continuous arrears has reached an average of £22,968 for London-based landlords so far in 2025. This figure is primarily driven by the capital’s high average rents (£2,197) combined with the country’s longest court delays.

In stark contrast, the UK-wide average loss sits at £8,700, illustrating the significant additional risk of renting a property in London.

Unpredictable Court Wait Times

The data highlights a major inconsistency in court delays across the country, making planning difficult for property professionals:

• Longest Delays (11 Months): Central London, Willesden, Edmonton, and Clerkenwell & Shoreditch County Courts saw the longest average delay.

• Significant Delays (8 Months): Courts in Teesside, Leeds, Brighton, and Sheffield followed closely behind.

• National Average: The average wait for a possession case to be concluded across the UK is currently five months.

The Looming Threat of Renters’ Rights Act

Will Eastman, director of Legal for Lettings, stressed the critical need for court reform ahead of the upcoming abolition of Section 21 evictions, which is now less than five months away.

He warned: “These delays are already placing huge pressure on landlords… Every extra month a case spends in the system is another month of rent that may never be recovered. Without meaningful court reform, the Renters’ Rights Act risks driving these numbers even higher.”

Eastman noted that many landlords are already accelerating their use of Section 21 while it is still available, which is likely to put further strain on the court system and exacerbate the financial and emotional impacts across the rental sector.