Wales Possession Claim Court Fees 2026: What Landlords Pay at Every Stage
Filing a possession claim in Wales is not cheap. Since the HMCTS fee increase in July 2026, the County Court issue fee alone sits at £415 — and that is just the first payment in a process that can stretch across months.
Knowing the exact costs upfront lets you budget properly and avoid the worst outcome: spending hundreds of pounds on a claim that gets thrown out because the notice was defective.
What You Pay to File the Claim
Every possession claim in Wales — whether you use the standard procedure (Form N5 Wales) or the accelerated procedure (Form N5B Wales) — costs £415 to issue. This is the HMCTS civil court issue fee set in the July 2026 fee schedule (EX50A).
You pay this when you file your claim at the County Court. The fee is non-refundable if the court dismisses the claim because your notice was invalid or your Schedule 9A compliance was incomplete.
For standard procedure claims (breach of contract, rent arrears, or estate management grounds), you also file Form N119 Wales alongside the N5. There is no separate filing fee for the particulars of claim — it is included in the £415.
Warrant of Possession Fee
If the court grants a possession order and the contract-holder does not leave by the specified date, you need a warrant of possession to have a County Court bailiff enforce the order.
The warrant fee is £152, payable when you submit Form N325 (Request for Warrant of Possession). The bailiff delivers a Form N54 Notice of Eviction at least 14 days before the eviction date, unless the court dispenses with or shortens that period.
Other Fees You May Encounter
A few additional court costs can arise during the process:
- General application fee (Form N244): £321 for applications on notice, or £126 for applications by consent or without notice. This applies if you need a separate court order — for example, permission to transfer enforcement to the High Court.
- Fee remission: If you have a low income, Form EX160 allows you to apply for full or partial fee remission. The court assesses eligibility based on means.
- High Court transfer: Landlords who want faster enforcement can apply to transfer the possession order to the High Court under Section 42 of the County Courts Act 1984. High Court Enforcement Officers (HCEOs) typically act faster than County Court bailiffs, but the transfer application carries its own N244 fee.
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How the Costs Stack Up
| Stage | Form | Fee (from July 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| File possession claim | N5 Wales or N5B Wales | £415 |
| Request warrant of possession | N325 | £152 |
| General application (on notice) | N244 | £321 |
| General application (by consent) | N244 | £126 |
The minimum cost from filing to enforcement is £567 (£415 issue + £152 warrant). Add average County Court wait times of six to eight months and you can see why getting the notice right first time matters so much.
Protecting Your Investment in the Claim
The £415 issue fee is gone the moment you file. If the court finds a defect — a missing written statement, an expired EICR, a lapsed Rent Smart Wales licence — it dismisses the claim and you start the entire notice period again from scratch, with another £415 to file a fresh claim.
Running through a pre-service compliance audit before you serve notice is the single most effective way to protect that investment. Our Ending an Occupation Contract in Wales guide walks through the full Schedule 9A checklist, form selection, and notice counting rules so your claim stands up when it reaches the court.
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