Notices and Possession Proceedings in Wales
At PCB Solicitors we have a specialist team of lawyers who will provide you with advice and assistance to recover possession of your tenanted residential property as swiftly as possible and at a pre-determined cost.
There are a number of routes available depending on the type of agreement in place and our aim is to help you gain possession as quickly as possible for the lowest cost possible. Under the new Renting Homes (Wales) Act (2016), there are 2 main types of eviction notices being either ‘no fault’ notices or ‘with grounds’ notices.
The most cost effective and quickest procedure is through the ‘no fault’ procedure under section 173(1) of the Renting Homes (Wales) Act (2016), although there are strict rules surrounding this procedure. You will be required to provide your Tenant with 6 months’ notice under this ground.
If a ‘no fault’ notice is not the best or available option to you as a Landlord, then generally we can assist in the recovery of possession of the residential property under the ‘with grounds’ procedure set out within sections 159(1), 161(1), 166(1), 171(1), 182(1), 188(1) or 192(1) of the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016. Depending on the ground in which you are seeking to remove the Tenant from the Property, the notice period will range from 14 days to 1 month.
We will therefore need to consider your case carefully to advise you on the best options available for you.
Tenants often move out upon expiry of the date set in the Notice period but sometimes this is not the case and therefore court proceedings will need to be issued to obtain a Possession Order. Below is a guide on our costs to issue a Notice to the tenant and to issue court proceedings. Without a Possession Order, it is a criminal offence to remove a tenant or occupier and failure to follow the appropriate procedure can result in claims for damages being brought against the Landlord even if there are significant rent arrears.
| Initial Review | |||
| Letter of Advice | includes a review of the documents to decide on the correct procedure and grounds applicable. | £500.00 – £900.00 (depending on the extent of the review taken) | £500.00 – £900.00 (depending on the extent of the review taken) |
| Pre-Issue | |||
| Options | Stage | ‘No Fault’ Accelerated Procedure | ‘With Grounds’ Standard Procedure |
| Option A Where we are instructed to issue a Notice to the tenant | Notice to tenant | £300.00 | £300.00 |
| Issuing proceedings | £500.00 (there will be a court fee to pay of £404.00) | £600.00 (there will be a court fee to pay of £404.00) | |
| Option B Where we are instructed to only issue proceedings | Issuing proceedings | £600.00 (there will be a court fee to pay of £404.00) | £750.00 (there will be a court fee to pay of £404.00) |
| Post Issue – ‘No Fault’ Accelerated Procedure | ||
| Outcome | Stage | Costs |
| Outcome A Where No Defence is filed by the tenant | Applying for a Possession Order (Where the tenant does not move out or file a defence within 14 days of receiving the court papers) | £300.00 |
| Applying for a Warrant of Execution (Where the tenant does not move out by the date ordered in the Possession Order and we are instructed to evict the tenant) | £500.00 (there will be a court fee to pay of £148.00) | |
| Outcome B Where a Defence is filed | Further work will depend on the Directions provided by the court | Hourly rates shall apply. Estimate to be provided at this stage but costs are unlikely to exceed £2,250.00 to eviction |
| Post Issue – ‘With Grounds’ Standard Procedure | ||
| Outcome A Where No Defence is filed by the tenant | Preparation for hearing A court date will be provided so witness statements and a rent statement (where applicable) must be filed at court along with any further relevant evidence. A hearing bundle will be prepared | £1,100.00 |
| Attendance at hearing | £500.00 – £1,500.00 (price may increase depending on location of hearing) | |
| Applying for a Warrant of Execution (Where the tenant does not move out by the date ordered in the Possession Order and we are instructed to evict the tenant) | £500.00 (there will be a court fee to pay of £148.00) | |
| Outcome B Where a Defence is filed by the tenant | Further work will depend on the Directions provided by the court | Hourly rates shall apply. costs are likely to range from £1,250.00 to £6,000.00 to eviction |
Example scenarios
- You instruct us to review the documents, provide you with a letter of advice and serve a Notice (under any of the Procedures) which is served on the tenant and the tenant moves out – total cost between £800.00 – £1,200.00 plus VAT, depending on the review of the documents and time spent on the advice and next steps.
- You have served the Notice yourself under the ‘With Grounds’ procedure, the tenant has not moved out, so we provide you with an advice letter and issue proceedings and then the tenant moves out – total cost between £1,250.00 – £1,650 plus VAT as well as a court fee of £404.00
- You instruct us to carry out all the work under the ‘No Fault’ Procedure to include the advice within an advice letter, serving the Notice, issuing proceedings and where no Defence is filed but the tenant does not move out and is eventually removed by Bailiffs – between £2,100.00 – £2,500.00 plus VAT as well as £552.00 in court fees (£404.00 and £148.00)
- You instruct us to provide you with an advice letter, issue court proceedings under the ‘With Grounds’ Procedure, the tenant files a Defence, and the matter proceeds to a contested hearing. The tenant moves out after the hearing – total costs between £2,500.00 to £7,650.00 plus VAT as well as the court fee of £404.00.
Please be aware that the fixed fees provided within the Table above are based on matters that are straightforward. Should matters become complex and fall out of the straightforward scope where further works are required, then our hourly rate charges shall apply.
We would be happy to have a free telephone discussion with you about your options so please don’t hesitate to call us on 01743 248148 and ask to speak with our Litigation Department or contact us here. We can meet with you at any of our offices across Shropshire and Mid-Wales including Shrewsbury, Telford, Church Stretton, Ludlow, Knighton, Welshpool, Bishops Castle and Clun.
Terms and conditions
- Costs and court fees are accurate as of 8 April 2025.
- Costs are quoted on the basis that the correct documents have been provided to carry out each procedure – a checklist will be sent to you or your agent at the outset to ensure we have the correct documents
- Our costs are exclusive of and are subject to VAT (please note that there is no VAT on court fees)
- All costs quoted are for County Court possessions brought in Wales
- We reserve the right to amend our costs quoted should additional work be required. We will inform you in advance of any increase in charges