The quarterly statistics for quarter 4 2008 on possession claims and orders are out [pdf]. Unsurprisingly, it is the mortgage repossession figures from the CML that got the headlines, being up significantly on 2007 – albeit by less than initially forecast by the CML. The mortgage possession claims issued actually dropped in quarter 4 2008 (although they had been at 38-39,000 for each of the previous three quarters of 2008, as opposed to 33-36,000 per quarter in 2007).
Meanwhile, landlord possessions are pretty static, or even slightly down. On the seasonally adjusted figures:
Mortgage possession
Claims brought
4.2007 – 36,444
4.2008 – 26,008
Order made
4.2007 – 25,555
4.2008 – 29,095
46% of orders suspended.
Possession taken (according to CML on first charge claims)
2007 – 26,200
2008 – 40,000 (Est)
Landlord possessions
Claims brought
4.2007 – 36,343 (6,344 via Accelerated Procedure)
4.2008 – 35,162 (5,049 via Accelerated Procedure)
Possession orders
4.2007 – 27,752 (5,006 via Accelerated Procedure)
4.2008 – 27,344 (4,068 via Accelerated Procedure)
41% of possession orders were suspended
The figures for the individual courts are immensely variable, but noticeably, the inner city courts generally saw rises.