What is a possession order?
A possession order is an order from a court.
Your landlord needs to ask a court for a possession order if they want you to leave your home.
A judge can make an order at a possession hearing.
What orders can a court make?
There are 2 types of possession order:
an outright order - this sets a date for you to leave
a suspended order - this lets you stay in your home if you keep to agreements like repaying rent you owe
Your landlord can ask the court to send bailiffs to evict you if you:
do not leave by the date on your outright order
break your suspended order - for example, if you do not stick to a rent repayment plan
This advice is for tenants. Read this if you have mortgage arrears.
Section 21 notices and possession orders
The court must make an outright order if your landlord gave you a valid section 21 notice.
Private tenants can only be evicted with a section 21 notice if your landlord gave you a valid notice before 1 May 2026.
Housing associations can still give valid section 21 notices to some tenants. For example, starter tenants.
There might not be a hearing if your landlord uses the section 21 accelerated procedure.
Find out if you can challenge the section 21 notice in court.
Possession orders for rent arrears
Sometimes the court has to make an outright order if you have rent arrears.
But the court can sometimes make a suspended order.
It depends on your tenancy and the reason or 'ground' that your landlord is evicting you.
Find out more about possession orders if you're a:
Outright possession orders
An outright order sets a date for possession. It's not the same as an eviction date.
The possession date is often 2 weeks after the order is made.
You can ask the court to delay the possession date for up to 6 weeks if leaving earlier would cause you hardship. For example, if you're ill or have young children.
If you stay past the possession date, your landlord can ask the court to send bailiffs to evict you.
Suspended possession orders
A suspended order lets you to stay in your home as long as you keep to conditions.
The conditions are explained on the order.
For example, the conditions might say your must pay your rent plus a set amount towards rent you owe each month.
The court can only make a suspended order if your landlord uses a discretionary ground.
A discretionary ground means the judge can:
decide if it's reasonable to make a possession order
choose to suspend the possession order as long as you stick to the conditions
When you can be evicted
Your landlord can ask the court to send bailiffs to evict you if you:
stay past the date on an outright order
break the conditions in your suspended order
The bailiffs must give you at least 2 weeks' notice of the eviction date.
Can an eviction be stopped?
Sometimes you can stop an eviction. This is usually only possible if your landlord used a discretionary ground.
The court cannot usually stop an eviction if your landlord uses the section 21 process and:
the notice is valid
court action started by 31 July 2026
Find out what happens on the day of an eviction.
Is a possession order a CCJ?
A possession order does not count as a county court judgment (CCJ).
It does not affect your credit rating.
If you owe rent, your landlord might also apply for a money order or judgment:
when they apply for a possession order
after you've left or been evicted
A money order is a CCJ. It will appear on your credit report and could affect your credit rating.
Find out about CCJs and your credit score from Citizens Advice.
Getting a possession order changed
You could get a possession order changed if:
your landlord used a discretionary ground
you have new information for the court to consider
Discretionary grounds are reasons for eviction where a judge can decide if they should make a possession order or not.
You might get the possession order set aside if:
the judge made a mistake or did not have all the information
Get legal advice before you apply to set aside a possession order.
Last updated: 1 May 2026
