Eviction Risk Monitor 2012

Between 1 October 2011 and 30 September 2012 a total of 198,475 possession claims were issued in county courts in England: 57,745 on behalf of mortgage lenders, and 140,730 on behalf of landlords.

Rates of possession claims vary widely across the country: the highest rate (Barking and Dagenham, with 1 possession claim for every 37 homes) is nearly 13 times the lowest rate (Ryedale, with 1 claim per 480 homes).

The local authorities with the fifteen highest rates of possession claims are all in London, where the rate of claims (1 in every 62 homes) is nearly double the average for England (1 in every 115 homes).

Local authorities in the top 20 per cent of eviction risk areas are spread right across the country.  These include Wolverhampton (1 per 65 homes), Manchester (1 per 66 homes), Slough (1 per 66 homes), Peterborough (1 per 68 homes), Nottingham (1 per 69 homes) and Newcastle (1 per 90 homes).

The risk of repossession or eviction is most extreme in urban areas.  Almost all (95%) of those areas with rates of possession claims in the highest 20 per cent are classified as urban.  Only 12% of those in the lower fifth, by contrast, are urban.

Areas with the highest rates of possession claims also tend to have higher rates of unemployment, and vice versa.  The fifth of local authorities with the highest possession claim rates have a median unemployment rate of 10.1%, while the lowest fifth have a rate of 5.2%.  The national average is 8.2%.

While the number of possession claims issued in England and Wales by mortgage lenders has fallen over the last year (by 24%), the number issued by landlords has risen (by 4%), with a 20% increase in the number of possession claims issued by landlords using the accelerated procedure.