The court will generally award the costs of the application for possession against the tenant, but they may allow them time to pay if they are on a limited income. A landlord may feel that it is not worth seeking to claim the costs once the property has been recovered if it will be challenging to administer the instalments.
Landlords will often say how the law has been changed recently to favour the tenant over the landlord. Although that is no doubt true, the following extract from a judgment in 1925 puts things into context
Deputy district judges can suggest that once they have made an order, they can no longer vary that order and that the matter must be dealt with by appeal.
A common problem with seeking a possession order from the court is not only establishing the validity of notices but also the many adjournments that can occur.
This article is guidance about adjournments and postponement of possession.