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County court possession claims now cost £415 to issue — and an invalid notice means starting again, with another 8-month wait.
Fee Changes from 13 July 2026
- County court possession claim fee: rises from £404 to £415.
- Warrant of possession (bailiff enforcement): rises from £148 to £152.
- Total court fees for a standard possession claim through to enforcement: £567.
- Average county court wait time for possession claims: approximately 8 months.
- An invalid Section 8 notice means starting again — losing your court fee and adding another 8 months.
- PDA Law's fixed-fee Section 8 notice service starts from £600 (inc. VAT) — a fraction of the cost of getting it wrong.
On 13 July 2026, the Ministry of Justice increased county court fees for possession claims. The possession claim fee rises from £404 to £415; the warrant of possession fee rises from £148 to £152. These increases are modest in isolation. But in the context of the Renters' Rights Act — which abolished Section 21, introduced mandatory hearings for every possession claim, and extended average court wait times to approximately 8 months — the financial exposure for landlords who get their Section 8 notice wrong has never been higher.
The Full Financial Picture
When landlords calculate the cost of a possession claim, they typically focus on the court fee. The true financial exposure is significantly greater.
Consider a landlord who serves a DIY Section 8 notice using Form 3a. The notice contains a procedural error — perhaps the wrong notice period, insufficient particulars of the ground relied upon, or defective service. The tenant's solicitor identifies the error at the first hearing. The court adjourns or dismisses the claim. The landlord loses the £415 court fee. They must serve a fresh notice and wait for the new notice period to expire before issuing a new claim. They then wait another 8 months for a hearing date.
During that additional 8-month period, the landlord continues to pay mortgage interest, buildings insurance, and maintenance costs. If the tenant is not paying rent, the arrears accumulate. The total financial loss from a single procedural error can easily exceed £10,000 — for a court fee saving of £415.
Why Every Claim Now Goes to a Hearing
Under the old Section 21 regime, straightforward possession claims could be dealt with on the papers — without a hearing — through the accelerated possession procedure. That procedure no longer exists.
Under the Renters' Rights Act, every Section 8 possession claim requires a court hearing. The court must be satisfied that the ground is made out and that the notice is valid. This means that even mandatory grounds — where the court must grant possession if the criteria are met — require a hearing. And it means that any defect in the notice or the evidence will be identified and challenged at that hearing.
The average wait time for a county court possession hearing is currently approximately 8 months from the date of issue. In some court centres, the wait is longer. This is not a temporary backlog — it reflects the structural increase in possession claim volumes following the abolition of Section 21.
The Domino Effect of an Invalid Notice
The consequences of an invalid Section 8 notice do not stop at losing the court fee and starting again. Under the Renters' Rights Act, the reletting restriction means that if you serve a notice under Grounds 1 or 1a and the claim fails, you cannot advertise or re-let the property for 12 months from the notice date or the date of the possession claim, whichever is later.
This means that a failed possession claim does not simply reset the clock — it locks you out of re-letting for a significant period. The financial and practical consequences of getting the notice wrong extend far beyond the immediate court proceedings.
The Penalty Exposure
Beyond the direct financial costs, landlords who misuse possession grounds face regulatory penalties. The Renters' Rights Act introduced civil penalties of up to £7,000 for misuse of mandatory grounds — for example, serving a Ground 1a notice with no genuine intention to sell, or a Ground 1 notice where the stated occupier never moves in.
In serious cases, criminal prosecution is possible, with fines of up to £40,000. Rent Repayment Orders can also be made, requiring the landlord to repay up to 12 months' rent to the tenant.
The Case for Instructing a Specialist Solicitor
PDA Law's fixed-fee Section 8 notice service starts from £600 (inc. VAT). Our full possession claim service — from notice to court order — is available from £1,964 (inc. VAT and court fee). These are not premium prices for a premium service. They are the cost of getting it right first time.
We draft notices that are procedurally correct, served by the right method, with the right particulars, and with a clear evidence trail. We advise on the correct grounds before you commit to a course of action. We manage the court proceedings and represent you at the hearing. And we give you a realistic assessment of the likely outcome before you spend a penny.
For landlords with multiple properties, we offer ongoing instruction arrangements with letting agents and portfolio landlords. If you use a managing agent, our associated firm PDA Estates can work alongside PDA Law to ensure that legal and property management obligations are coordinated from the outset.