Statistical Publications
Civil Justice
Mortgage possession statistics
Company winding up & bankruptcy petition statistics
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Mortgage and Landlord possession statistics
Figures on mortgage and landlord possession actions are published on a quarterly basis. The most recent figures are provisional and therefore liable to revision to take account of any late amendments. Further information.
2007 Quarter 1 statistics
2006 Quarter 4 statistics
2006 Quarter 3 statistics
2006 Quarter 2 statistics
Further information
The data provided relate to mortgage and landlord possession claims issued and orders made in county courts in England and Wales. Figures for suspended orders are also provided. The data cover both local authority and private (e.g. banks and building societies) mortgage actions, and social and private landlord actions.
The figures do not indicate how many houses have been repossessed through the courts; not all the orders will have resulted in the issue and execution of warrants of possession. Figures on properties being taken into possession are published twice a year by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML).
- Claims issued
A claimant begins an action for an order for possession of residential
property by issuing a claim in a county court.
- Orders made
The court, following a judicial hearing, may grant an order for possession
immediately. This entitles the claimant to apply for a warrant to have
the defendant evicted. However, even where a warrant for possession is
issued, the parties can still negotiate a compromise to prevent eviction.
- Suspended orders
Frequently, the court grants the mortgage lender possession but suspends
the operation of the order. Provided the defendant complies with the terms
of the suspension, which usually requires the defendant to pay the current
mortgage instalments plus some of the accrued arrears, the possession
order cannot be enforced.
Company winding up & Bankruptcy petition statistics
Figures on Company Winding up and Bankruptcy Petition Statistics are published
on a quarterly basis. The most recent figures are provisional and liable
to revision to take account of any late amendments. No assumption can be
made from these statistics about the number of companies that go into liquidation,
or the number of individuals made bankrupt. This information is published
quarterly by the Department
of Trade and Industry. Further information.
2006 Quarter 4 statistics
2006 Quarter 3 statistics
2006 Quarter 2 statistics
2006 Quarter 1 statistics
Further information
- Insolvency
A company or individual with debts that they are unable to pay is said
to be 'insolvent'.
- Company winding up
When it becomes necessary to terminate a company's existence, whether
owing to insolvency or for some other reason, the process is called 'winding
up'. There is a restriction on proceeding that may be commenced in county
courts which is based on the paid-up capital of the company. Well over
half of winding up proceedings are commenced and handled in the Chancery
Division of the High Court at the Royal Courts of Justice in London and
at the eight provincial High Court centres. Company winding up proceedings
will normally be commenced at the court centre local to the registered
office of the company, which will not necessarily be situated in the same
geographical area as the company's base or operational area.
- Individual bankruptcy
For individuals the term bankrupt is used to indicate insolvency. Proceedings
for bankruptcy can be commenced at county courts with the appropriate
jurisdiction, or in the Chancery Division of the High Court, either by
a creditor (the person to whom the debt is owed) or by a debtor (the person
who owes the debt).
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