Higgs LLP is sounding the alarm over the deepening cost-of-living crisis, as landlord possession claims surge across London, even while property prices decline. Legal experts warn that soaring rental costs, wage stagnation, and inflation are driving renters beyond their financial limits and forcing landlords into action.
Landlord possession actions up 5% since 2023, amounting 98,797 in 2024
Landlord possession claims have risen by 5% since 2023, reaching 98,797 in 2024, according to Higgs LLP’s analysis of government data. Increases are reflected across all categories:
Claims: up 5% from 94,211 to 98,797
Orders: up 7% from 69,654 to 74,260
Warrants: up 11% from 40,674 to 45,219
Repossessions: up +10% from 25,282 to 27,753
Higgs LLP stresses that these figures reflect economic hardship, not misconduct, as both renters and landlords grapple with unsustainable financial pressures.
Nyree Applegarth, Partner and Head of Property Litigation at Higgs LLP, comments, “The sharp rise in landlord possession actions highlights how a growing number of tenants are falling into arrears or breaching tenancy terms. But this isn’t simply bad behaviour; it’s systemic pressure forcing renters to be backed into a corner — an expensive one at that.”
Barking and Dagenham ranks as the area where most renters are struggling
Barking and Dagenham has emerged as one of the hardest-hit areas for renters facing eviction, consistently topping the rankings for landlord possession claims in 2024.
Despite a 7% decline in London’s average sold property price over the past year, (now £683,821 according to Rightmove [1]), rent costs have not followed suit. In fact, Zoopla reports that the average rent in the capital has climbed by 4.2% to £2,121 per month, making London the most expensive place to rent in the UK [2].
In Barking and Dagenham specifically, property prices rose by 7.8% in 2025 to an average of £363,000, while average monthly rent reached £1,568 [3]. With a local average salary of £34,430 [4] (1.9% below the national average), residents are being squeezed between rising living costs and below-average incomes.
