To complete Form N325, download the one-page PDF from GOV.UK, fill in the claim number, the full names and addresses of claimant and defendant exactly as they appear on the possession order, the date of the order, the address of the property, and any money owed with interest added. Send the completed form to the County Court hearing centre that made the original possession order, along with the £148 court fee, and the court will issue a warrant instructing a county court bailiff to attend the property. Here is how to complete Form N325 step by step, together with the checks you need to make before you file and what happens after you do.
Before You File: Check You’re Using the Right Form
You can only request a warrant once a judge has granted a possession order and the date the tenant was told to leave has passed. If the tenant handed back the keys by that date, no warrant is needed.
N325 covers standard possession orders, meaning orders made after a hearing or where a fixed date for possession was set. If the tenant has instead broken the terms of a suspended possession order relating to rent arrears or another payment obligation, you need Form N325A.1GOV.UK. Evicting Tenants in England: If Tenants Do Not Follow a Possession Order Both standard orders and accelerated Section 21 possession orders that haven’t been suspended use the regular N325; some online guides get this wrong.
Check the age of your order. Under CCR Order 26 Rule 5, a warrant cannot be issued without the court’s permission once six years or more have passed since the date of the possession order.2Justice UK. CCR Order 26 – Warrants of Execution, Delivery and Possession You also need permission if the parties have changed, for example where the original claimant has died and an executor is now enforcing. Outside the six-year window you’ll have to make a separate application supported by a witness statement.
Filling In the Form
Download Form N325 from GOV.UK.3GOV.UK. Form N325: Request a Warrant for Possession of Land It’s a single page and can be completed digitally or by hand. Every detail you enter must match the court’s existing records exactly. Small discrepancies in names or addresses will cause the court to return the form unprocessed.
Start with the claim number assigned when possession proceedings were first issued. It appears on every document the court sent during the case, and without it the court cannot locate your file.
Enter the full names and addresses of the claimant (you or your company) and the defendant (the tenant), exactly as they appear on the possession order. If the order names more than one defendant, list them all. Shortened names, nicknames, or updated addresses that don’t match the order will create delays.
Enter the date the possession order was made, then the address of the property to be recovered. This is where the bailiff will go, so include flat numbers, building names, and the full postcode. Any access complications, such as a communal entrance, go on the risk assessment form rather than N325 itself.
Working Out the Financial Section
The lower portion of N325 deals with money. If the possession order also required the tenant to pay a sum, whether unpaid rent, mesne profits, or costs, break it down here. The bailiff is authorised to collect these amounts during the eviction, so accuracy matters.
List the original judgment debt first: the total the court ordered the tenant to pay. Add any fixed costs the judge awarded at the hearing. Deduct any payments the tenant has made since the order was granted to arrive at the current balance.
Then calculate interest. Judgment debts carry interest at 8% per year under the Judgments Act 1838 as amended, running from the date prescribed by the court rules until the debt is paid.4Legislation.gov.uk. Judgments Act 1838 – Section 17 Multiply the outstanding balance by 0.08 for the yearly figure, divide by 365 for the daily rate, then multiply by the number of days between the order date and the date you’re submitting the warrant request.5GOV.UK. Make a Court Claim for Money – Claim the Interest The form has a dedicated space to show the calculation. Add the interest to the balance and fixed costs for your total claim figure.
If the possession order was only about recovering the property and no money was awarded, you can leave the financial section blank or enter zeros.
The Bailiff Risk Assessment (EX97A)
Submit Form EX97A alongside N325. It warns the bailiff about potential dangers at the property. The form asks whether the tenant has ever been violent, made threats, or been verbally abusive to you or your representatives, whether police or social services are involved, whether dangerous animals are kept at the property, and whether the tenant has known mental health or substance use issues that could affect behaviour. Answer each item honestly, and give details wherever you answer yes.
For possession warrants, EX97A also asks about access difficulties, such as a communal entrance, and whether you’ve arranged access. There is space for other practical information, like the tenant’s likely working hours or vehicle registration. A thorough answer helps the bailiff plan the visit safely and reduces the risk of a failed attendance.
Where to Send It and What to Pay
Send the completed N325 and EX97A to the County Court hearing centre that made the original possession order. The court’s address is printed on the possession order. Most courts accept postal submissions; include a stamped, self-addressed envelope if you want written confirmation returned. Some courts also accept in-person filings.
If the original claim was issued through Possession Claim Online (PCOL), you can request the warrant electronically. Practice Direction 55B allows you to complete the request on the PCOL website and pay the fee online, provided you don’t need the court’s permission to issue the warrant.6Justice UK. Practice Direction 55B – Possession Claims Online
The court fee for a warrant of possession is £148. Pay by cheque or postal order made out to HM Courts and Tribunals Service. Some courts take card payments by phone. For PCOL claims you pay electronically when submitting. If you send the wrong amount or an unaccepted payment method, the court returns everything unprocessed, so check the current fee on the HMCTS EX50 schedule before posting.
What Happens After You File
A court clerk reviews N325 against the existing case file. If everything matches, the warrant is issued and the file passes to the bailiff’s office. Both you and the tenant receive notice confirming the warrant has been granted; for the tenant this is effectively a final warning.
The bailiff’s office then schedules an eviction date based on their caseload and the property’s location. County court bailiff appointments typically run four to seven weeks after the warrant is issued, though London and other high-demand areas often take longer. You’ll be told the date and time.
On the day, attend the property yourself or send a representative with a spare set of keys. The bailiff arrives, asks anyone present to leave, and hands possession to you. If the tenant refuses to go, the bailiff has the authority to remove them. Once possession is handed over you can change the locks immediately, so arrange a locksmith in advance.
If the Tenant Applies to Suspend the Warrant
Tenants can apply using Form N244 to suspend or delay the warrant. The application should be made with at least three days’ notice before the eviction date, though the court can agree to a shorter period in urgent cases. The court sends you a copy so you can respond.
How much power the court has to suspend depends on the type of possession order. If the order was based on discretionary grounds, such as rent arrears under Ground 10 or 11 for assured tenancies, the court can suspend the warrant on terms, often requiring the tenant to pay current rent plus a contribution toward arrears. Tenants in these cases commonly point to a change in circumstances, like a new job or a delayed benefit payment.
If the order was made on mandatory grounds, under a Section 21 notice, or against an occupier with basic protection, the court’s discretion is much narrower. It can delay the eviction by up to 14 days from the date the order was made, or up to six weeks if the tenant can show exceptional hardship. Outside those windows there is little a tenant can do to stop a mandatory-ground warrant.
Tenants in a formal breathing space moratorium or mental health crisis moratorium may also apply to pause enforcement where the possession order relates to rent arrears, because the court must ensure proceedings tied to a moratorium debt do not progress during the moratorium.
A Faster Alternative: Transferring to the High Court
If the county court bailiff timeline is too slow, you can transfer the possession order to the High Court for enforcement by a High Court Enforcement Officer. HCEOs tend to attend within two to four weeks and have a reputation for more decisive execution.
The transfer uses Form N293A, which combines the certificate of judgment with the request for a writ of possession.7GOV.UK. Combined Certificate of Judgment and Request for Writ of Fieri Facias or Writ of Possession Submit it to a District Registry of the High Court with the £80 fee for sealing the writ, then instruct an HCEO directly. Their fees are separate and vary by firm, but are generally recoverable from the tenant as enforcement costs. You can apply to transfer up at any point before the county court bailiff executes the warrant, so filing N325 first does not lock you in.