You've got a possession order. What happens next?

Updated July 2026 · Based on official gov.uk guidance · General information, not legal advice

Getting the order feels like the finish line. It is not — it is the point at which most landlords discover that a possession order does not, by itself, remove anybody. If the date passes and the tenant is still there, you need to enforce it, and you must not take matters into your own hands.

Step 1: Check what kind of order you have

Outright order — possession on a stated date, usually 14 days, occasionally up to six weeks in cases of exceptional hardship. Suspended order — the tenant stays as long as they comply with terms, typically the current rent plus an amount off the arrears. If they breach the terms, you can apply to enforce without going back for a fresh order.

Step 2: Apply for a warrant of possession

If the date passes and they have not gone, apply to the county court for a warrant:

• Form N325 for an outright order, or N325A where the order was suspended and has been breached.
• Court fee currently £148.
• The court issues Form EX96 with the bailiff appointment details. You must return the risk assessment forms EX96 and EX97A at least three working days before the appointment — miss this and the appointment is cancelled and you go back to the queue.
• The tenant gets at least 14 days' notice of the eviction date.

Be realistic about timing. County court bailiff waiting times vary enormously by area and have been running to several weeks or months in busier courts. Ask your local court what they are currently running at rather than assuming.

Step 3: Consider transferring to the High Court

Where the county court queue is long, you can apply to transfer enforcement to the High Court and use a High Court Enforcement Officer instead, who is generally much faster.

• Apply on Form N244, currently £123, plus around £80 to seal the writ of possession, plus the enforcement officer's own fees.
• You need permission to transfer, and the court does not grant it automatically — you have to justify it.
• Total cost is materially higher than the bailiff route. It buys speed, not certainty.

Getting the money, not just the property

A possession order is not a money judgment. If you want the arrears as an enforceable debt, you need to have claimed them — either as part of the possession claim or separately. Once you have a money judgment, you can ask the court to take the money from the tenant's wages (an attachment of earnings), secure the debt against property they own (a charging order), or instruct enforcement agents.

Be honest with yourself about recovery. If the tenant had no money to pay the rent, they will usually have no money to pay the judgment either. A judgment costs you a fee and effort; sometimes the right commercial decision is to get the property back, re-let it, and write the rest off. Do not spend £900 chasing £3,000 you will never see.

On the day and afterwards

Have a locksmith booked to attend at the eviction appointment. Take dated photographs of every room the moment you get in, and a full meter reading. If belongings are left behind you cannot simply bin them — the law makes you responsible for looking after them. Store them, write to the tenant at any address you have giving a reasonable deadline to collect, and keep the record.

More guides

The timeline after a possession order · Warrant vs writ of possession · Does a possession order expire? · Can it be set aside? · Does it affect credit? · Section 8 rent arrears