A form in a clear plastic envelope has come through the letterbox, or been fixed to your front door. It says Notice of eviction, with a date and a time underneath. Maybe you lost the possession hearing a few weeks ago. Maybe you did not know there had been one.
You usually have at least 14 days from that notice, and in some cases the court can move the date or stop the eviction altogether. That depends on the ground the court used to make the order. This post covers renters in England. Wales runs a different system under the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016.
How long after a possession order do bailiffs come?
An outright order gives you a date to leave. If the court made it on a mandatory ground, where it did not have to decide whether possession was reasonable, section 89 of the Housing Act 1980 limits how far that date can be put back. The limit is 14 days after the order, or up to 6 weeks if leaving sooner would cause exceptional hardship. A common mandatory ground is Ground 8, the 3 months' arrears rule. Grounds 1 and 1A, for a landlord moving in or selling, are mandatory too.
On a discretionary ground, such as Ground 10 or 11 for rent arrears, the court can instead make a suspended order under section 9 of the Housing Act 1988. You keep your home as long as you stick to its terms, usually your rent plus a regular sum off the arrears.
Neither order puts you out by itself. If you are still there after the date in an outright order, or you break the terms of a suspended one, your landlord has to ask the court for a warrant of possession. Only a county court bailiff acting under that warrant, or a High Court enforcement officer acting under a writ, can remove you. A landlord who changes the locks instead is committing an offence, which our guide to eviction without a court order covers.
Section 21 was abolished for new notices on 1 May 2026. A claim on an older Section 21 notice that was started in time can still end in an order enforced the same way. The court cannot suspend it on conditions the way it can on a discretionary ground. It can only put the date back, and never beyond 6 weeks.
An N54 notice of eviction usually gives at least 14 days' warning
Once a warrant is issued, the court rules require a notice of eviction on form N54 to be delivered to your home at least 14 days before the eviction, under Civil Procedure Rule 83.8A. It is addressed to everyone named on the order "and any other occupiers".
The 14 days can change. The court can shorten that time or do without the notice, usually because the landlord asked. If the eviction does not go ahead on the date given, you should get a further notice on form N54A at least 7 days before the new date, unless the court shortens or does without that one too.
Read the N54 closely. It names the court that issued the warrant, which is where any application goes.
Can you stop bailiffs evicting you?
Sometimes. You apply on form N244, the general application form, and send it to the court named on the N54. Apply as soon as you can and well before the eviction date, because the court needs time to set a hearing date. There is usually a fee, so check the current court fees and whether you qualify for Help with Fees.
What the court can do depends on the ground your order was made on.
Can the court suspend a warrant of possession?
On a discretionary ground, yes. Section 9 lets the court suspend the warrant on conditions, most often your rent plus an affordable weekly sum off the arrears. Offer terms you can keep. The N54 itself warns that saying you have not found anywhere else to live is not enough, so explain what has changed and how you will pay.
What an N244 can do on a mandatory ground like Ground 8
Section 9(6) switches that power off on a mandatory ground. Being able to afford the rent now is not a reason the court can use to suspend the warrant. An N244 helps in three narrow cases:
- Putting the date back, in a narrow window. The court can never put the eviction later than 6 weeks after the order. If your N54 date falls before that point, you can ask for more time on exceptional hardship, up to that 6-week limit. If the date is already past 6 weeks, this option is closed.
- Setting the order aside or appealing it. If you missed the hearing, you can ask the court to set the order aside, which means cancelling it so the claim is heard again. You have to show all three tests in Civil Procedure Rule 39.3: you acted promptly once you found out about the order, you had a good reason for missing the hearing, and you have a real chance of a different result. Send evidence with the application. An appeal needs permission and usually has to be started within 21 days of the order. If the order goes, the warrant falls with it.
- Setting the warrant aside. A defective warrant, or enforcement that broke the court's own rules, can be challenged. A missing or late N54 is a strong example, though the judge still has a choice. Even then, the landlord can apply for a fresh warrant.
If your landlord relied on Ground 8 alongside Ground 10 or 11, what counts is the ground the court found. Check the order, or ask the court for a note of the hearing if it does not say.
What happens on the day bailiffs arrive?
The bailiff comes at the time on the notice, with someone acting for your landlord who changes the locks. Anyone still inside has to leave. If your belongings are still there, you only get time to move them if the landlord's representative agrees, so pack beforehand and take pets, documents and medication with you.
Do not resist or block the door. It will not stop the eviction. Only the court, or the landlord agreeing to call it off, can. Photograph anything you have to leave behind and ask the landlord in writing when you can collect it. Your things are still yours, and lost or damaged belongings can form part of a claim if a landlord gets rid of them unlawfully.
When to ask the council for homelessness help before eviction day
Contact your council's homelessness team the day the N54 arrives, not the day before the bailiffs. You count as threatened with homelessness once you are likely to lose your home within 56 days, under section 175(4) of the Housing Act 1996. If you are eligible for help, section 195 then requires the council to take reasonable steps to help you keep your home or find another.
Take the possession order and the N54 with you. You can find your council's homelessness team on GOV.UK.
If an N54 has arrived, Remedy can read your possession order, tell you whether to ask for more time, a suspension or a set-aside, and help you draft the N244 before the eviction date.
