How much does it cost to evict a tenant?

Eviction costs in the UK depend on the country you're in. In England, a private landlord's unavoidable court fees are £415 to issue a possession claim and £152 for a warrant if bailiffs are needed, on the fees in force from 13 July 2026. What else goes into the cost to evict a tenant depends on who prepares the paperwork: nothing if you use the official forms yourself, £39 for our Section 8 notice and £79 for our court pack, or typically £1,400 to £1,800 for a solicitor or eviction firm to take you to a possession order.

Eviction costs in the UK: court fees in England

Fee	Amount from 13 July 2026	Notes
Possession claim on paper (N5 and N119)	£415	Adding a rent arrears claim costs nothing extra
Possession claim online (PCOL)	£415	Same fee; arrears-only claims
Warrant of possession (N325 or N325A)	£152	Some GOV.UK guide pages still show £148
Warrant re-attempt at a new address	£38
Transfer to the High Court for enforcement (N244)	£126 without notice or by consent; £321 on notice	Needed before a writ of possession
Writ of possession (sealing fee)	£82	High Court enforcement officers then charge their own fees

All of these are paid to the court by you, not by us. If you're eligible, you can apply for Help with Fees with form EX160 on a paper claim, but not through PCOL. For the full fee list and how to pay, see possession claim court fees.

What the notice costs

• Do it yourself: Form 3A is free from GOV.UK. You fill it in, copy the legal wording for each ground and work out the dates.
• ValidNotice: £39 for a completed Form 3A, with every notice period and date calculated, the official wording inserted, an evidence checklist and a certificate of service.
• Solicitor or eviction firm: typically £120 to £360 including VAT for a notice, in the prices we found on firms' published price lists in October 2026.

DIY, ValidNotice or a solicitor: what each route costs

	Do it yourself	ValidNotice	Solicitor or eviction firm
Section 8 notice	£0	£39	Typically £120–£360 inc VAT
Court papers (N5 and N119)	£0	£79 court pack	Part of a fixed fee to the possession order
Court fee to issue	£415	£415	Often included; check the quote
Typical total to a possession order	£415	£533	Typically £1,400–£1,800 all-in
Warrant for county court bailiffs	£152	£152	Bailiff stage typically £350–£480
Total to repossession by county court bailiffs	£567	£685	Add the two figures above
Who checks dates and wording	You	We check against the rules	The firm
Who signs, files and attends	You	You	The firm can act for you

If you expect to need both documents, our notice and court pack bundle costs £109 instead of £118, which brings the ValidNotice total to repossession down to £676.

The solicitor figures are typical prices we found in October 2026 on eviction firms' and solicitors' published price lists, and they vary a lot. Check what each quote includes: VAT, the £415 court fee, an advocate's fee for the hearing, and whether the notice is extra.

Which route suits you? Doing it yourself suits a confident landlord with a simple case. Our documents suit straightforward cases where you know the facts and can prove them. A solicitor is the safer choice if the tenant defends the claim, raises disrepair, or the letting is unusual, such as a company let or a mixed-use property.

Other costs to budget for

• Lost rent. For a typical Ground 8 case, notice plus the court stage takes around 7 months at the median. On £1,200 a month, that's about £8,400 of rent at risk if the tenant pays nothing. See how long eviction takes.
• High Court enforcement. Typical prices we found in October 2026 were £1,070 to £2,000 for the enforcement itself, plus £288 to £583 for the transfer application. Check whether a quote includes the court fees.
• A dismissed claim. If the claim is dismissed, for example because the process wasn't followed or you didn't attend, the court may order you to pay the tenant's costs.
• An unprotected deposit. A tenant can claim between one and three times the deposit, and the court can't make a possession order on most grounds until you comply.
• A gap in letting after Grounds 1 and 1A. You can't re-let for 12 months after the date in the notice, roughly 16 months of no letting income from service.

Getting your money back from the tenant

Form N119 lets you ask for unpaid rent and use and occupation charges up to the order, ongoing charges until possession, and your costs. If the court makes a money order and the tenant doesn't pay, you can enforce it:

Enforcement step	Court fee
Order to obtain information (questioning the debtor)	£69
Warrant of control (county court bailiffs)	£96
Attachment of earnings order	£139
Charging order	£139
Third-party debt order	£139

If the tenant has already left, you can bring a separate money claim. The issue fee depends on the amount: for example £205 for a claim between £3,000.01 and £5,000, or £455 between £5,000.01 and £10,000. See money claims for rent arrears.

Ways to keep eviction costs down

1. Get the notice right first time. A dismissed claim means a second notice, a second fee and months of extra lost rent.
2. Plead Grounds 8, 10 and 11 together on arrears cases, so a part-payment before the hearing doesn't sink the claim.
3. Add the arrears to the possession claim rather than bringing a separate money claim later.
4. Protect the deposit and give the prescribed information before you claim.
5. Attend the hearing with updated arrears figures.

Watch out: changing the locks to avoid court costs is a false saving. Illegal eviction can bring a council penalty of up to £40,000 or prosecution, and a rent repayment order of up to 2 years' rent. See illegal eviction.

This guide covers England only. Wales (Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016), Scotland and Northern Ireland have different law and different procedures.

What to do next

Start with a Section 8 notice for £39, and when it expires, our possession claim court pack prepares your N5 and N119 for £79, ready for you to sign and file. For the full process, see how to evict a tenant.