Filings Month Ending 2020 December 31

Residential summary process: Filings Report This report examines cases filed recently before reading, for which outcomes were largely unknown. Search Period Start: 2020-12-01 Search Period End: 2020-12-31 Earliest Case: 2020-12-01 Latest Case: 2020-12-31 Total Cases: 3588 Total Transfers: 29 -- High-level take-aways: Percentage of landlords for whom attorney is optional: 31.4% Of those, percentage pro se: 53.3% Most common cause: Non-payment Least stable municipality/neighborhood: Gilbertville Least stable with 10+ filings: Fall River Least stable with 100+ filings: Fall River Least stable county: Bristol Cases per day: 119 Housing crisis baseline max cases per day (UCL): 130 Housing crisis baseline min cases per day (LCL): 44 The number of filings this period is not statistically different from the pre-pandemic housing crisis baseline. -- Courts (n) Count Percent central 735 20.5% northeast 697 19.4% southeast 583 16.2% western 420 11.7% eastern 360 10.0% metro_south 313 8.7% quincy district 38 1.1% lynn district 37 1.0% fall river district 32 0.9% somerville district 31 0.9% chelsea district 30 0.8% malden district 23 0.6% woburn district 22 0.6% northern berkshire district 19 0.5% framingham district 18 0.5% waltham district 18 0.5% pittsfield district 17 0.5% bmc east boston 13 0.4% cambridge district 13 0.4% bmc south boston 12 0.3% lowell district 12 0.3% fallmouth district 11 0.3% peabody district 10 0.3% barnstable district 9 0.3% newburyport district 8 0.2% orleans district 8 0.2% lawrence district 7 0.2% wrentham district 7 0.2% dedham district 6 0.2% ayer district 5 0.1% concord district 5 0.1% newton district 5 0.1% bmc west roxbury 4 0.1% chicopee district 4 0.1% clinton district 4 0.1% plymouth district 4 0.1% springfield district 4 0.1% stoughton district 4 0.1% westfield district 4 0.1% attleboro district 3 0.1% brockton district 3 0.1% haverhill district 3 0.1% southern berkshire district 3 0.1% taunton district 3 0.1% bmc roxbury 2 0.1% gloucester district 2 0.1% nantucket district 2 0.1% new bedford district 2 0.1% palmer district 2 0.1% salem district 2 0.1% uxbridge district 2 0.1% wareham district 2 0.1% bmc brighton 1 0.0% bmc charlestown 1 0.0% bmc dorchester 1 0.0% milford district 1 0.0% orange district 1 0.0% Party Type (n) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 2461 20 Natural Person 1127 3568 Total 3588 3588 (%) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 68.6% 0.6% Natural Person 31.4% 99.4% Total 100.0% 100.0% Plaintiff Representation (n) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 2390 71 2461 Optional 526 601 1127 Total 2916 672 3588 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 66.6% 2.0% 68.6% Optional 14.7% 16.8% 31.4% Total 81.3% 18.7% 100.0% Defendant Representation Important: Defendants will not have an attorney known to the plaintiff at time of filing unless this is an ongoing matter. 100% pro se is to be expected in all filing reports except to the extent time passes between filing and staff review. See outcomes report for final assessment. (n) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 0 20 20 Optional 55 3513 3568 Total 55 3533 3588 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 0.0% 0.6% 0.6% Optional 1.5% 97.9% 99.4% Total 1.5% 98.5% 100.0% Number of Adults in Households Count Percent 0 188 5.2% 1 2437 67.9% 2 786 21.9% 3 116 3.2% 4 37 1.0% 5 10 0.3% 6 9 0.3% 7 2 0.1% 8 1 0.0% 9 2 0.1% Total 3588 100.0% Note: Households may appear with zero adults due to clerical delay entering known defendants, identity protection obscuring known defendants (e.g., 42 USC Sections 13701 through 1404 Violence Against Women Act), or no adult defendants (e.g., abandonment of minors). Initiating Action Count Percent Non-payment 2548 71.0% Unknown/Other 480 13.4% Cause 278 7.7% No Fault 261 7.3% Foreclosure 21 0.6% Rate per 100,000 Municipality Residents Count Gilbertville 521 6 Chestnut Hill 235 5 Fall River 212 189 New Bedford 187 178 Gardner 158 32 West Stockbridge 153 2 Worcester 151 275 Savoy 144 1 Fitchburg 143 58 Athol 138 16 Mansfield 138 32 Southbridge 137 23 Housatonic 132 1 Marlborough 132 51 Framingham 131 90 North Adams 131 18 Dorchester 120 111 Webster 119 20 Oxford 109 15 Monterey 104 1 Turners Falls 97 4 Chelsea 96 34 Rockland 91 16 North Oxford 88 2 Buzzards Bay 87 3 Charlemont 78 1 Warren 77 4 Springfield 75 116 Leominster 73 30 Salisbury 72 6 Mashpee 71 10 Indian Orchard 69 7 Milford 67 19 Richmond 67 1 Norwood 66 19 West Springfield 66 19 Seekonk 65 9 Hyannis 63 9 Orange 63 5 Hyde Park 62 21 Pittsfield 62 28 Feeding Hills 59 7 Randolph 59 19 Winchendon 58 6 Mattapan 57 21 Norton 57 11 Whitinsville 57 4 Russell 56 1 West Yarmouth 56 3 Holyoke 55 22 Somerville 54 41 Lynn 53 48 Baldwinville 52 1 Oakham 52 1 East Falmouth 51 3 Newton Center 51 2 Winthrop 51 9 Revere 50 26 Brockton 49 46 Hull 48 5 Foxborough 47 8 Middleborough 47 11 Avon 45 2 Boylston 45 2 Forestdale 45 2 West Dennis 45 1 Carver 43 5 Westborough 43 8 Northborough 42 6 Quincy 42 39 Bridgewater 41 11 Whitman 41 6 Bolton 40 2 Eastham 40 2 Plymouth 40 23 Stoughton 40 11 Ware 40 4 Kingston 39 5 South Easton 39 4 West Boylston 39 3 Hadley 38 2 Holbrook 37 4 Millbury 37 5 North Falmouth 37 1 Clinton 36 5 East Wareham 36 8 Hanover 36 5 Swampscott 36 5 Wellfleet 36 1 Woburn 36 14 Adams 35 3 Attleborough 34 15 Dorchester Center 34 32 Greenfield 34 6 Taunton 34 19 Three Rivers 34 1 Blackstone 33 3 Hardwick 33 1 Hopedale 33 2 Provincetown 33 1 Ashburnham 32 2 Burlington 32 8 Northfield 32 1 Abington 31 5 Dennis Port 31 1 Franklin 31 10 Millville 31 1 Charlton 30 4 Chicopee 30 17 Brookfield 29 1 Lunenburg 29 3 Uxbridge 29 4 Lakeville 28 3 Osterville 28 1 Sudbury 28 5 Canton 27 6 Sagamore Beach 27 1 South Dennis 27 1 Stoneham 27 6 West Brookfield 27 1 Westwood 27 4 East Weymouth 26 14 Malden 26 16 Saugus 26 7 Peabody 25 13 South Yarmouth 25 3 Spencer 25 3 Williamstown 25 2 Plainville 24 2 Salem 24 10 Charlestown 23 4 Lawrence 23 18 Marshfield 23 6 Roxbury 23 14 Braintree 22 8 South Grafton 22 1 South Hadley 22 4 East Freetown 20 1 Hopkinton 20 3 Hudson 20 4 Marstons Mills 20 1 Paxton 20 1 East Longmeadow 19 3 Hanson 19 2 Nantucket 19 2 Newtonville 19 1 Shrewsbury 19 7 Westfield 19 8 Yarmouth Port 19 1 Auburn 18 3 Fairhaven 18 3 Hingham 18 4 Jamaica Plain 18 7 Swansea 18 3 Allston 17 5 Dover 17 1 Dudley 17 2 East Boston 17 7 Medford 17 10 Mendon 17 1 Newburyport 17 3 North Attleborough 17 5 Pepperell 17 2 Tyngsborough 17 2 Mattapoisett 16 1 Medfield 16 2 Newton Upper Falls 16 1 North Dartmouth 16 4 Orleans 16 1 East Taunton 15 1 Harvard 15 1 North Easton 15 2 Watertown 15 5 Centerville 14 2 Dalton 14 1 Dighton 14 1 E. Boston 14 6 Everett 14 6 Great Barrington 14 1 Haverhill 14 9 Methuen 14 7 Raynham 14 2 Acton 13 3 Ayer 13 1 Brookline 13 8 Cambridge 13 14 Cohasset 13 1 Halifax 13 1 Lowell 13 14 Needham 13 4 Roslindale 13 4 Wareham 13 3 Amesbury 12 2 Bellingham 12 2 Beverly 12 5 Boxford 12 1 Dedham 12 3 Lancaster 12 1 North Grafton 12 1 Northbridge 12 2 Rutland 12 1 Westport 12 2 Assonet 11 1 Brighton 11 5 Danvers 11 3 Douglas 11 1 Monson 11 1 South Boston 11 4 Townsend 11 1 Brewster 10 1 Southwick 10 1 Acushnet 9 1 Andover 9 3 Falmouth 9 3 Leicester 9 1 Ludlow 9 2 Maynard 9 1 Natick 9 3 Rochdale 9 1 Westford 9 2 Boston 8 52 Harwich 8 1 Palmer 8 1 South Dartmouth 8 3 West Harwich 8 1 Agawam 7 2 Bedford 7 1 East Bridgewater 7 1 Holliston 7 1 Ipswich 7 1 North Andover 7 2 North Uxbridge 7 1 Wayland 7 1 West Newton 7 1 Ashland 6 1 Duxbury 6 1 Easthampton 6 1 Gloucester 6 2 West Roxbury 6 2 Concord 5 1 Grafton 5 1 Holden 5 1 Marblehead 5 1 Pembroke 5 1 South Weymouth 5 3 Weymouth 5 3 Arlington 4 2 Belmont 4 1 Reading 4 1 Walpole 4 1 Wilmington 4 1 Winchester 4 1 Dracut 3 1 Lexington 3 1 Melrose 3 1 Milton 3 1 Northampton 3 1 Amherst 2 1 Barnstable 2 1 Newton 2 2 Roxbury Crossing 1 1 Waltham 1 1 (not given) 0 959 span 0 6 Rate per 100,000 residents based on 2010 census. Municipalities do not appear if no evictions filed. Where neighborhoods are commonly recognized as municipalities, data appears under the neighborhood rather than the legal entity (e.g., "Roxbury" is separate from "Boston".) Where municipalities have alternate spellings (e.g., Marlboro for Marlborough), totals appear under the long form. Efforts are made to correct clerical errors in the court database, but clerical errors may appear. Rate per 100,000 County Renter Households Count Bristol 590 486 Worcester 534 595 Plymouth 391 169 Berkshire 365 59 Hampden 292 208 Barnstable 284 55 Norfolk 215 184 Suffolk 184 365 Franklin 161 17 Middlesex 138 324 Essex 132 146 Hampshire 70 13 Nantucket 56 2 Dukes 0 0 Rate per 100,000 renter households based on 2019 ACS. Counties appear even if no evictions filed. -- Data Sources (report errors to hello@masslandlords.net): County Data Households Percent Renters Barnstable 96,509 20.0% Berkshire 53,792 30.0% Bristol 220,528 37.3% Dukes 18,146 22.6% Essex 297,898 36.9% Franklin 30,927 34.1% Hampden 179,970 39.5% Hampshire 60,002 30.7% Middlesex 612,366 38.1% Nantucket 11,399 30.8% Norfolk 269,717 31.6% Plymouth 191,041 22.6% Suffolk 309,945 63.7% Worcester 316,162 35.2% County Households: 2019 ACS TableID S1101 County Households and Renters, Dukes and Nantucket: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/dukescountymassachusetts County Households and Renters, Large Counties: https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=S11&g=0400000US25.050000&d=ACS%201-Year%20Estimates%20Subject%20Tables&tid=ACSST1Y2019.S1101&hidePreview=true Dukes County Renters: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/dukescountymassachusetts Nantucket County Renters: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/nantucketcountymassachusetts -- Methodology Publicly available records at MassCourts.org are read fully manually at two intervals: 1.) For a filings report, once within approximately one week of filing; 2.) For an outcomes report, once again approximately 12 to 18 months after filing. Cases are searched by 'case type' = 'summary process', party type = 'plaintiff' within date ranges, typically weekly. MassCourts.org displays matches, not cases. X plaintiffs on a single case result in X separate matches. Cases are manually de-duplicated. Where the number of matches exceeds the number displayed (e.g., 'Displaying 100 of 257 total matches.'), date ranges are reduced until all cases may be viewed. If the date range cannot be reduced (i.e., is one day) but matches still exceed the display limit of 100, then two additional passes are taken. First, municipalities are filtered in stages. Second, to capture cases with no municipality entered, the search switches from 'case type' to 'case number', guessing the missing numbers assuming serialized entry. This method results in 'matches' reconciled to case counts. This effort costs more than 1 FTE. Summary spreadsheets are produced by copying exactly what is read. The spreadsheets are processed using proprietary software. Repeated analyses of local spreadsheets does not burden the MassCourts servers. The software is developed using best practices for revision control and regression testing. Limitations: Data are snapshots. As such, we cannot track individual cases over time or produce real-time reports. MassLandlords does not have access to court databases beyond what is published in human readable form at MassCourts.org. As of this report, MassLandlords staff were not considering information available to attorneys (e.g., the contents of notices, discovery, evidence, etc.) but not available to the general public. All data presented here are readily verifiable at MassCourts.org without special permission. Information is not independently verified outside of the court record. For instance, clerical errors in address, omissions of a defendant, etc. are not readily verifiable. As this process matures, reporting algorithms may change. Transfers are counted as new cases. Clerical differences between original case and transfer (e.g., middle initial included then dropped; defendant dropped on transfer; street address spelling changed) as well as the potential for indefinite circular transferring (e.g., foreclosure cases moving between housing, land, and/or superior courts) make it very difficult to programmatically identify continuing matters. -- When Citing This Work, Please Credit: MassLandlords, Inc. Available online at https://masslandlords.net/policy/eviction-data/.