The financial toll of court delays on UK landlords is mounting, with those in London bearing the heaviest burden, new research shows.

In 2025, the average possession case involving continual rent arrears left London landlords facing losses of £22,968 in unpaid rent – far above the UK-wide average of £8,700, according to data from property law specialists Legal for Lettings.

This wide disparity is driven by the capital’s uniquely high rental costs, averaging £2,197 per month, coupled with the longest court delays in the country. Combined, these pressures make renting out property in London considerably riskier than anywhere else in the UK.

The data also highlights a significant inconsistency in court delays across the country.

The Central London, Willesden, Edmonton, Clerkenwell & Shoreditch County courts saw the longest average delay in the country at eleven months, while others such as Teesside, Leeds, Brighton and Sheffield followed with average court delays of eight months.

Across the UK, the average wait for a possession case to be concluded now stands at five months.

Will Eastman, director of Legal for Lettings, is calling for court reform, with the abolition of Section 21 evictions now less than five months away.

He said: “These delays are already placing huge pressure on landlords, particularly in the regions where courts are most backlogged.

“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.

“We are already seeing more landlords relying on Section 21 while it is still available, which is likely to translate into further increases in possession claims and evictions, with knock-on financial and emotional impacts across the sector.”