What It Costs to Evict a Tenant in 2026: Every Court Fee

Evicting a tenant through the courts in England costs specific, published fees at each stage — issuing the claim, applying for a warrant, and any applications in between. Civil court fees rose on 13 July 2026, so figures a landlord remembers from even a year ago are now out of date. This page sets out the current fees, verified against the official EX50 guide and the underlying statutory instrument, for every stage a straightforward possession case is likely to need.

Starting the claim

The fee to issue a possession claim depends on which court you use. Almost all residential landlord possession claims are issued in the county court.

Issue a possession claim	Fee
County court	£415
High Court	£559

This is the fee for Form N5, the standard claim form used for Section 8 possession proceedings and most other residential possession claims. It's paid when the claim is issued, alongside Form N119 (particulars of claim).

Enforcing a possession order

Getting a possession order doesn't end the process if the tenant doesn't leave voluntarily. The court has to be asked, separately and for a separate fee, to enforce it.

Enforcement step	Fee
Warrant of possession (county court)	£152
Sealing a writ of possession (High Court only)	£82
Further attempt to execute a warrant at a new address (except where the warrant has been suspended)	£38

The warrant of possession is requested using Form N325 once a possession order has been made and its date for giving up possession has passed. Where a warrant or writ also covers a money judgment (for example, rent arrears awarded at the same hearing), there is no additional fee for the money element.

Applications along the way

Most straightforward Section 8 claims don't need any of these, but they come up often enough to budget for — particularly on a contested or discretionary-ground claim.

Application	Fee
Application on notice, no other fee specified	£321
Application by consent or without notice	£126
Vary or suspend enforcement, or suspend a warrant of possession	£16

The £321 figure applies to most contested applications made during a claim — for example, an application to strike out a defence. The £16 fee is the one a tenant, not the landlord, is most likely to use: applying to suspend a warrant of possession that has already been granted.

A realistic total

For an uncontested Section 8 claim that goes all the way to enforcement — notice served, claim issued, possession order made, warrant requested — the court fees alone typically come to:

• £415 — issuing the claim (Form N5)
• £152 — warrant of possession (Form N325)
• £567 — total court fees

This does not include solicitor or agent fees, process server costs, or the Section 8 notice itself, and it assumes no contested hearing, no adjournment, and no application fees. A contested claim, or one requiring an application to strike out a hopeless defence, adds the relevant application fee on top.

Help with fees

Landlords who meet the income and savings criteria for the standard Help with Fees scheme may have some court fees reduced or waived. This isn't a landlord-specific scheme — it's the general civil court fee remission scheme — and eligibility depends on personal financial circumstances at the time of the application, not on being a landlord. Check current eligibility and thresholds on gov.uk before assuming a fee will be waived.

Fees change — check before you budget

These figures were verified against the EX50 civil court fees guide, last updated 13 July 2026, and the underlying Court and Tribunal Fees (Miscellaneous Amendments) Order 2026 (SI 2026/642). Court fees are reviewed periodically rather than on a fixed schedule. Before issuing a claim, check the current EX50 guide directly — a fee that's a few pounds out can mean a rejected claim form and a delayed start to the notice-to-possession timeline.