Areas in UK where homes are most likely to be repossessed

New data has revealed the areas in England and Wales most likely to have their homes repossessed.

The research, carried out by moving platform Getamover.co.uk, collected data from GOV.UK regarding the total number of repossessions across local authorities in England and Wales from 2003 to 2024.

The analysis included the total repossession figures for accelerated landlord, mortgage, private landlord, and social landlord, which were then compared to the population of each local authority to determine the repossession rate per 100,000 households.

Haringey ranks as the area most likely to face repossession, with a staggering 4,707 repossessions per 100,000 properties since 2003 (12,323 total repossessions).

The largest contributor to the city’s total is the 6,511 accelerated landlord repossessions. An accelerated landlord repossession is a quicker legal process landlords can use to reclaim their property. It typically applies when a tenant has broken the terms of their agreement, such as not paying rent, and there’s no dispute about the situation.

Newham comes second with 4,255 repossessions per 100,000 residences (14,935 total repossessions). This includes 2,925 social landlord repossessions, which is the second largest contributor to total repossessions. Social landlord repossessions occur when a housing association or local council, which provides affordable housing, takes legal action to reclaim a property.

This typically happens when tenants fail to meet their obligations, such as not paying rent, damaging the property or engaging in anti-social behaviour.

Lewisham ranks third, experiencing 4,172 repossessions per 100,000 households (12,461 total repossessions). The borough’s third largest contributor to this figure is private landlord repossessions, which is currently at 1,963. Private landlord repossessions happen when a private landlord reclaims their property from a tenant.

This typically involves legal processes to evict a tenant for reasons such as non-payment of rent, damage to the property, or the landlord needing the property back for personal use, like moving in or selling it.

Barking and Dagenham sees 4,012 repossessions per 100,000 homes (8,825 total repossessions), driven primarily by accelerated landlord cases. Its private rental market appears particularly vulnerable, with 3,057 accelerated landlord repossessions.

Brent takes the fifth spot, with 3,720 repossessions per 100,000 dwellings (12,693 total repossessions). The borough faces a balanced mix of challenges across private and social landlord repossessions, with 7,015 accelerated landlord repossessions and 2,864 social landlord repossessions.

Enfield is sixth, with 3,702 repossessions per 100,000 residences (12,361 total repossessions), and Southwark is seventh, with 3,525 repossessions per 100,000 properties (10,994 total repossessions).

Greenwich is in eighth place, with 3,517 repossessions per 100,000 homes (10,238 total repossessions), and Hackney is ninth, with 3,478 repossessions per 100,000 households (9,095 total repossessions).

Rounding out the top ten is Lambeth, with 3,429 repossessions per 100,000 residences (10,865 total repossessions).

David Burrows, head of Getamover.co.uk, said, “The disparity in repossession rates across England and Wales highlights systemic challenges in the housing market.

“Recent findings from Shelter and HSBC UK, carried out by YouGov, further underscore this crisis, revealing that 21% of individuals struggled with mortgage or rent payments in 2023, and 3.1 million people feared the possibility of eviction.

“Addressing these issues requires a multi-faceted approach, combining affordable housing initiatives with robust tenant protections to safeguard households.”