It was a brisk November morning when the doors to county courts across England and Wales opened to a steady stream of anxious faces—some clutching sheaves of paperwork, others simply holding their breath. On November 19, 2025, BBC reporters fanned out across the East of England and London, witnessing firsthand a growing crisis: home repossessions have surged to a five-year high, with thousands of families and individuals teetering on the brink of homelessness.
The statistics are stark. According to data obtained by the BBC’s investigations team, mortgage repossession orders in England and Wales soared to 10,853 in 2024-2025—the highest number recorded in five years. The reasons behind this spike are complex but all too familiar: rising unemployment, climbing interest rates, and a cost-of-living squeeze that’s left both tenants and homeowners struggling to keep up with payments. Senior economist Andrew Goodwin of Oxford Economics explained that these economic headwinds have been pivotal in driving the trend upward.
Inside the courts, the stories are as varied as they are heartbreaking. In Norwich, an elderly Bangladeshi couple stood quietly as a judge confirmed their eviction. Their arrears had ballooned to £35,000, a sum that had become insurmountable. Nearby, a tenant’s desperate plea for a final chance to pay off £5,377 in arrears was turned down, sealing her fate. These are not isolated incidents. Solicitors, already stretched thin, described being “overrun” by the sheer volume of people seeking help. As one housing solicitor from Southwark Law Centre, Angus King, put it, “When I began my career, up until a few years ago, I would think to myself 'that person won't actually end up homeless.' I knew we would find some way to keep them from it, but now that simply isn't the case.”
The BBC’s coverage from courts in Northampton, Peterborough, Norwich, Stratford, Wandsworth, and Croydon painted a vivid picture of the pressures facing both mortgage-holders and renters. In Croydon, a former management consultant and his wife—both of whom lost their jobs in 2024—found themselves deep in mortgage arrears. The prospect of their son losing his childhood home weighed heavily on them. “It was the perfect place for us,” he told the BBC, his voice thick with emotion. The family now has until March to pay the outstanding debt, a deadline that looms like a storm cloud.
Others faced even more daunting sums. At Stratford Magistrates’ Court, three homes were repossessed in less than an hour. One case involved a woman who had not lived in her property for 15 years after a marriage breakdown; she now owed £87,000 in mortgage arrears and lost the home for good. In another courtroom, a 75-year-old man in Peterborough, living in social housing, explained to the judge that he had fallen nearly £3,000 into arrears after falling victim to a scam. And in Wandsworth, a tenant of 30 years faced eviction because the landlord needed to raise the rent, a scenario echoed in countless other cases.
It’s not just the tenants and homeowners who are feeling the pinch. Landlords, too, are grappling with financial pressures. One landlord at Norwich County Court described her anxiety about coming to court to collect £2,200 in unpaid rent from a tenant—a carpenter who had offered, unsuccessfully, to repair the property’s windows in lieu of payment. Speaking on behalf of landlords, a solicitor explained that they “also have bills to pay or financial issues themselves and couldn't be expected to subsidise their tenants.” This sentiment was echoed by Karina Hutchins of UK Finance, the body representing lenders, who emphasized that seeking to repossess a home is “always a last resort.”
For some, there were glimmers of hope amid the gloom. In Northampton, a man facing eviction was granted an unexpected reprieve when his cousin stepped in at the last minute to pay £2,700 toward his arrears. But these moments were rare. More often, the stories ended with keys handed over to bailiffs and families scrambling to find shelter.
The surge in repossessions isn’t just a legal crisis—it’s a social one. Figures from 244 councils responding to BBC Freedom of Information requests revealed that three-quarters reported a rise in people asking for help to prevent homelessness. The borough of Broxbourne in Hertfordshire topped the list, with 95 out of every 100,000 residents seeking assistance in 2024-25. Billy Harding, a case worker at Southwark Law Centre, described people “turning up at crisis point,” often with little understanding of their rights or options.
The situation has been exacerbated by the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the height of lockdowns, bailiff repossessions dipped as emergency measures kept many in their homes. Now, with those measures gone, the numbers are climbing once again. Solicitors and case workers are doing their best to keep up, but the demand for help is outstripping supply. “We’re seeing people we never expected to see in this position,” said one solicitor, noting that the faces in courtrooms are increasingly diverse—young families, the elderly, long-term tenants, and recent homeowners alike.
The crisis has also highlighted the sometimes fraught relationship between landlords and tenants. While some landlords are painted as unsympathetic, others are themselves struggling to cover mortgages and maintenance costs. One landlord, visibly anxious, told the judge she had “never done this before,” underscoring the discomfort many feel at having to take legal action against tenants. In some cases, tenants have attempted to negotiate—offering repairs or partial payments—but these arrangements often fall through, leaving both parties frustrated and out of pocket.
Amid the turmoil, there are calls for systemic change. Housing advocates argue that more robust support is needed for those at risk of losing their homes, including increased funding for legal aid, emergency grants, and better access to affordable housing. Others point to the need for economic policies that address the root causes: wage stagnation, job insecurity, and rising living costs.
For now, though, the reality is that the courts remain busy. As the day drew to a close, BBC reporters reflected on the sheer range of stories they had encountered—each one a reminder that behind every statistic is a person, a family, a home. The numbers may be at a five-year high, but for those facing eviction or repossession, the crisis is deeply personal and devastatingly real.
As winter sets in and the pressure mounts, the question remains: will enough be done to stem the tide, or are these courtrooms destined to stay crowded for the foreseeable future?
