Summary

  • We're reporting from six county courts across England to tell the stories of people who face losing their homes to repossession, which reached a five-year high in 2024-25

  • In east London, an elderly couple owing £35,000 in rent is evicted - "it is a tale of woe - but I am stuck with the law," the judge says

  • In Norwich, one renter facing eviction loses her "last chance" to stop her council property being repossessed at a court in Norwich

  • A representative for the banking industry says seeking to repossess a home is "always a last resort" for lenders, while one solicitor says private landlords cannot subsidise people living in their houses for free

  • Are you facing losing your home? Send us your stories and questions and access support via BBC Action Line

Live Reporting

Edited by Laurence Cawley and Tim Stokes, with BBC reporters inside six courts

  1. 'I worked, I paid taxes - then the bank took my home'

    Laurence Cawley
    BBC News

    Jose Da Costa Diogo has brown-green eyes and short silver hair and stubble

    We spoke to 65-year-old Jose Da Costa Diogo who had his home repossessed earlier this year.

    Jose took out an interest-only mortgage on a three-bedroom house in Thetford, Norfolk, more than 20 years ago. He and his then wife hoped they would be able to save up enough to eventually cover the capital sum.

    But the couple divorced and Jose suffered a work-place injury which has left him disabled and unable to work.

    He was left unable to pay the £80,000 owed to the bank.

    And because his ex-wife was still on both the mortgage documents and the property deeds, he couldn't sell the property to cover the outstanding amount.

    "I tried to do the right thing and carried on paying all the bills.

    "After 25 years, I have nothing to show," he says.

  2. How high are current repossession levels?

    There were 10,853 mortgage repossession orders in English and Welsh courts in 2024-25 - the highest number in five years.

    Experts say the rise is down to a variety of factors including interest rate increases and the rise in the general cost of living.

    The number of people seeking help from English councils for homelessness as a result of repossession has also doubled in three years, BBC research finds

    However, the number of repossessions is still low compared with levels in the 1990s and in the wake of the 2007-08 financial crash, a global crisis triggered by the collapse of the US housing market.

  3. Stories from the courts as repossessions rise

    Laurence Cawley
    BBC News

    Good morning and welcome to our live coverage.

    Today we're dispatching journalists to six county courts to tell the stories of people facing the prospect of losing their homes to repossession.

    We're doing this after the BBC's investigations team obtained data showing mortgage repossession orders in England and Wales reached 10,853 in 2024-5 – the highest number in five years.

    We'll be looking at the issue from all angles – from those who face losing their homes, to lenders seeking money owed and the legal advisers trying to help those facing repossession.

    So stay with us as we take you through the stories of the day.