Every landlord underestimates the cost of eviction. The "£415 court fee" they read on GOV.UK is the tiny visible tip of a much larger cost stack — solicitor fees, bailiff appointments, void periods, damage remediation, and above all the lost rent while the process runs.
This guide gives the honest line-item cost of a UK eviction in 2026, based on Ministry of Justice data, court fee schedules, current specialist solicitor rates, and typical rental voids. Use these numbers to price your risk, decide whether to buy rent guarantee insurance, and to understand why arrears intervention on day 1 matters more than any other rent-collection activity.
Not legal advice. Case-specific costs vary widely.
Court fees (the visible costs)
Possession claim issue fee — £415 (from the July 2026 HMCTS fee uplift). Paid to the county court when you file the N5 claim form.
Warrant of possession — £152. Paid after the possession order expires to instruct a county court bailiff.
Application to transfer to High Court (if you want a High Court Enforcement Officer instead of a county court bailiff) — £313. Faster enforcement but adds legal cost.
Writ of possession (High Court equivalent to a warrant) — £82 court fee + £300–£800 HCEO enforcement fee.
Total court fees (standard route): £567 (£415 issue + £152 warrant).
Total court fees (High Court route): £810 in court fees (£415 + £313 + £82) plus £300–£800 HCEO — roughly £1,100–£1,600 all-in.
Solicitor fees (the biggest choice you make)
Three tiers of representation:
DIY — landlord self-litigates. Cost: £0 legal fees, court fees only. Realistic for uncontested Ground 8 with clear arrears evidence, and for landlords with time to read Civil Procedure Rules Part 55. Time cost: 15–25 hours across the case.
Fixed-fee possession specialist (Landlord Action, Redwood Litigation, Landlord Solicitors, etc.) — £1,000–£1,800 + VAT for uncontested Ground 8. Includes notice drafting, claim filing, hearing attendance, warrant application. Best value for landlords with 1–5 properties.
Full-service housing solicitor — £2,500–£6,000 + VAT for contested cases. Hourly rate £200–£400. Necessary when:
Lost rent (the invisible cost)
Rent goes unpaid from month 1 of arrears through to the day the tenant leaves. Realistic durations:
Total rent-loss window: usually 16–36 weeks, sometimes 52+ weeks in contested cases.
Lost rent on a £1,200/month property:
| Case duration | Lost rent |
|---|---|
| 16 weeks | £4,431 |
| 24 weeks | £6,646 |
| 36 weeks | £9,969 |
| 52 weeks | £14,400 |
Most Section 8 arrears cases in 2026 fall in the 24–36 week range once you count from trigger to re-let.
Add potential judgment loss: only 30–40% of possession judgments are ever fully recovered. Rent judgments obtained but not paid become effectively lost.
Property remediation cost
Tenants facing eviction rarely leave the property pristine. Realistic remediation for a departing arrears tenant:
Typical remediation budget: £800–£2,500 on top of everything else.
Some of this can be recovered from the deposit — if the deposit was properly protected and the deductions are properly evidenced. Landlords who lost track of deposit compliance during the tenancy usually lose the deduction dispute at TDS/DPS/mydeposits.
Enforcement costs (the tenant who won’t leave)
If the tenant does not leave after the possession order:
County court bailiff — £152 warrant fee (included above). Slow — 2–10 weeks to appointment depending on region.
High Court enforcement — £313 transfer + £82 writ fee + £300–£800 HCEO fee = £695–£1,195. Faster (usually 2–4 weeks), and psychologically more effective (some tenants leave when HCEOs are instructed but not when county court bailiffs are).
Costs the landlord adds to the case:
Recovery rates in practice: poor for departed arrears tenants. Most landlords write off the arrears judgment as a loss and treat any subsequent recovery as a bonus.
The full worked example — Section 8 Ground 8, £1,200/month
Uncontested Ground 8 case, fixed-fee solicitor, 24-week timeline:
| Cost line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Court fees (issue + warrant) | £567 |
| Fixed-fee solicitor + VAT | £1,680 |
| Lost rent (24 weeks) | £6,646 |
| Remediation | £1,200 |
| Property re-marketing | £250 |
| Total | £10,343 |
Minus deposit deductions (say £1,500 recovered from a 5-week deposit): net loss £8,843.
Contested case with disrepair counterclaim, 40-week timeline, £4,000 legal fees:
| Cost line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Court fees (issue + warrant + interim applications) | £850 |
| Full-service solicitor + VAT | £4,800 |
| Lost rent (40 weeks) | £11,077 |
| Damages counterclaim award to tenant | £2,500 |
| Remediation | £2,000 |
| Property re-marketing | £250 |
| Total loss | £21,477 |
This is why prevention is the primary cost strategy: robust referencing, first-day-of-arrears intervention, rent guarantee insurance, and a fully documented compliance stack (deposit, GSC, EICR, EPC, How to Rent).
The two cost hedges landlords buy
Rent guarantee insurance (RGI) — £150–£350/year per property, covers lost rent + legal costs during possession. Only pays if you followed proper referencing and RGI-approved onboarding. See Rent Guarantee Insurance UK 2026: Worth It?.
Deposit protection with clear inventory and check-in report — max 5 weeks’ rent under Tenant Fees Act 2019. Recovers a small portion of the loss but the process (adjudication, evidence gathering) is 6–12 weeks after tenant departure.
Neither insures fully. Both together dramatically reduce the exposure.
Sources
Section 21 → Section 8 Transition Map (2026)
Section 21 was abolished on 1 May 2026. Map every active S21 / Form 6A scenario onto a valid Section 8 ground with this 2-page transition guide.
- Pre-1 May 2026 Form 6A — still valid? Decision tree
- Map every S21 trigger to a Section 8 mandatory / discretionary ground
- Ground 8 (rent arrears) — 13-week threshold under RRA 2025
- Top 5 evidence packs courts now expect for possession
Frequently asked questions
What are the court fees for eviction in 2026?
£415 to issue the possession claim (N5) and £152 for a warrant of possession. £313 for transfer to High Court plus £300–£800 HCEO enforcement fee if going the fast-enforcement route. Total court fees for a standard case: £567.
How much does a solicitor charge for eviction?
Fixed-fee possession specialist £1,000–£1,800 + VAT for uncontested Ground 8. Full-service housing solicitor £2,500–£6,000 + VAT for contested cases (hourly £200–£400). DIY is viable for uncontested Ground 8 with clear arrears evidence — court fees only.
What is the biggest cost in an eviction?
Lost rent. A typical 24-week case on a £1,200/month property = £6,646 lost. Contested cases running 40+ weeks lose £11,000+. Add remediation £800–£2,500 and re-letting costs, and total loss usually exceeds £8,000 in an uncontested case, £15,000+ in a contested case.
How much can I recover from the tenant afterwards?
Realistically, very little. Only 30–40% of possession judgments are ever fully paid. Treat lost rent as gone. The two main hedges are rent guarantee insurance (£150–£350/year) and a properly protected deposit with clear inventory evidence to recover the maximum permitted deduction.