Filings Quarter Ending 2021 March 31

Residential summary process: Filings Report This report examines cases filed recently before reading, for which outcomes were largely unknown. Search Period Start: 2021-01-01 Search Period End: 2021-03-31 Earliest Case: 2021-01-04 Latest Case: 2021-03-31 Total Cases: 6375 Total Transfers: 209 -- High-level take-aways: Percentage of landlords for whom attorney is optional: 29.1% Of those, percentage pro se: 49.5% Most common cause: Non-payment Least stable municipality/neighborhood: East Falmouth Least stable with 10+ filings: East Falmouth Least stable with 100+ filings: New Bedford Least stable county: Plymouth Cases per day: 71 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 northeast 1243 19.5% central 1082 17.0% western 1071 16.8% eastern 914 14.3% southeast 792 12.4% metro_south 541 8.5% quincy district 88 1.4% somerville district 51 0.8% lynn district 45 0.7% chelsea district 37 0.6% pittsfield district 37 0.6% malden district 32 0.5% cambridge district 31 0.5% fall river district 28 0.4% waltham district 24 0.4% barnstable district 20 0.3% lowell district 20 0.3% peabody district 20 0.3% bmc west roxbury 19 0.3% brockton district 18 0.3% northern berkshire district 17 0.3% fallmouth district 16 0.3% orleans district 16 0.3% bmc east boston 15 0.2% lawrence district 12 0.2% dedham district 11 0.2% framingham district 11 0.2% new bedford district 10 0.2% wareham district 10 0.2% woburn district 10 0.2% haverhill district 9 0.1% southern berkshire district 9 0.1% palmer district 8 0.1% salem district 8 0.1% stoughton district 7 0.1% wrentham district 7 0.1% holyoke district 6 0.1% springfield district 6 0.1% ayer district 5 0.1% hingham district 5 0.1% plymouth district 5 0.1% westfield district 5 0.1% edgartown district 4 0.1% nantucket district 4 0.1% newton district 4 0.1% orange district 4 0.1% taunton district 4 0.1% attleboro district 3 0.0% bmc brighton 3 0.0% bmc roxbury 3 0.0% clinton district 3 0.0% milford district 3 0.0% uxbridge district 3 0.0% eastern hampshire district 2 0.0% gloucester district 2 0.0% marlborough district 2 0.0% bmc charlestown 1 0.0% bmc dorchester 1 0.0% brookline district 1 0.0% chicopee district 1 0.0% concord district 1 0.0% greenfield district 1 0.0% leominster district 1 0.0% newburyport district 1 0.0% northampton district 1 0.0% worcester district 1 0.0% Party Type (n) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 4518 29 Natural Person 1857 6346 Total 6375 6375 (%) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 70.9% 0.5% Natural Person 29.1% 99.5% Total 100.0% 100.0% Plaintiff Representation (n) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 4340 178 4518 Optional 937 920 1857 Total 5277 1098 6375 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 68.1% 2.8% 70.9% Optional 14.7% 14.4% 29.1% Total 82.8% 17.2% 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 3 26 29 Optional 113 6233 6346 Total 116 6259 6375 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 0.0% 0.4% 0.5% Optional 1.8% 97.8% 99.5% Total 1.8% 98.2% 100.0% Number of Adults in Households Count Percent 0 433 6.8% 1 4621 72.5% 2 1083 17.0% 3 164 2.6% 4 44 0.7% 5 19 0.3% 6 8 0.1% 8 1 0.0% 9 1 0.0% 10 1 0.0% Total 6375 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 4492 70.5% Cause 760 11.9% No Fault 649 10.2% Unknown/Other 417 6.5% Foreclosure 57 0.9% Rate per 100,000 Municipality Residents Count East Falmouth 345 20 Harwich Port 287 5 Hardwick 267 8 New Bedford 242 231 Chestnut Hill 235 5 Fall River 227 202 Marlborough 215 83 Fitchburg 203 82 Framingham 191 131 Worcester 182 330 West Warren 176 2 Buzzards Bay 174 6 Gilbertville 173 2 Whitinsville 172 12 Hyannis 163 23 Dennis Port 158 5 North Falmouth 148 4 Athol 129 15 Southbridge 125 21 Brockton 124 117 Randolph 124 40 Gardner 118 24 Peru 118 1 Milford 114 32 Lakeville 113 12 Sagamore Beach 110 4 Lunenburg 109 11 Ashland 108 18 Leominster 105 43 Vineyard Haven 105 2 Taunton 102 57 Allston 99 29 Chelsea 99 35 Lanesborough 97 3 North Adams 94 13 West Yarmouth 94 5 Avon 91 4 Middleborough 90 21 Revere 90 47 Webster 89 15 Brookfield 88 3 Clinton 88 12 Quincy 87 81 Medfield 83 10 Norwood 80 23 Oxford 80 11 Pittsfield 80 36 Halifax 79 6 West Stockbridge 76 1 Brighton 75 33 Braintree 72 26 Marshfield 71 18 Mashpee 71 10 Carver 69 8 Dorchester 69 64 Nantucket 68 7 Spencer 68 8 Winthrop 68 12 Orleans 67 4 Winchendon 67 7 Chatham 65 4 Westborough 65 12 Wareham 64 14 Rockland 62 11 Roslindale 62 18 Somerville 62 47 Dudley 61 7 South Lancaster 61 1 Foxborough 59 10 Yarmouth Port 59 3 Lawrence 58 45 South Easton 58 6 East Sandwich 57 2 Hanover 57 8 Abington 56 9 Bridgewater 56 15 Great Barrington 56 4 Jamaica Plain 56 21 Shrewsbury 56 20 Sudbury 56 10 Holbrook 55 6 Stoughton 55 15 Lynn 54 49 South Dennis 54 2 West Brookfield 54 2 Wrentham 54 6 Baldwinville 52 1 Millbury 52 7 Canton 51 11 East Boston 51 21 Newton Center 51 2 Stockbridge 51 1 Edgartown 49 2 South Deerfield 48 1 Adams 47 4 Douglas 47 4 Lowell 47 51 North Easton 46 6 East Wareham 45 10 Forestdale 45 2 West Dennis 45 1 Blackstone 44 4 Oak Bluffs 44 2 Raynham 44 6 Dighton 42 3 Dorchester Center 41 38 Hyde Park 41 14 Mattapan 41 15 Brewster 40 4 Eastham 40 2 Medford 40 23 Cambridge 39 42 Duxbury 39 6 Medway 39 5 North Attleborough 38 11 Norwell 38 4 Orange 38 3 Plymouth 38 22 Scituate 38 7 Westport 38 6 Centerville 37 5 Cherry Valley 36 4 Haverhill 36 22 Hingham 36 8 Hudson 36 7 Plainville 36 3 Wellfleet 36 1 West Tisbury 36 1 Bourne 35 7 Everett 35 15 Northborough 35 5 Plympton 35 1 Berlin 34 1 Franklin 34 11 Mansfield 34 8 Mendon 34 2 Pocasset 34 1 Westwood 34 5 Natick 33 11 Provincetown 33 1 Roxbury 33 20 Attleborough 32 14 Fiskdale 32 1 Granby 32 2 Newton Upper Falls 32 2 Millville 31 1 Northbridge 31 5 Waltham 31 19 Cheshire 30 1 Sheffield 30 1 Hull 29 3 West Roxbury 29 9 Weymouth 29 16 East Bridgewater 28 4 Jefferson 28 1 Westminster 27 2 Cohasset 26 2 Malden 26 16 Newton Centre 26 1 Pepperell 26 3 Salem 26 11 Millis 25 2 Milton 25 7 North Dartmouth 25 6 Auburn 24 4 E. Boston 24 10 Lancaster 24 2 Needham 24 7 Salisbury 24 2 Kingston 23 3 Stoneham 23 5 Wayland 23 3 Boylston 22 1 Holliston 22 3 Hubbardston 22 1 Uxbridge 22 3 Auburndale 21 2 Norton 21 4 Holyoke 20 8 Hopkinton 20 3 Marstons Mills 20 1 Whitman 20 3 Lenox 19 1 Manchester 19 1 Maynard 19 2 Rochester 19 1 Warren 19 1 Barre 18 1 East Weymouth 18 10 Fairhaven 18 3 Leicester 18 2 South Barre 18 1 Watertown 18 6 Greenfield 17 3 North Andover 17 5 South Yarmouth 17 2 Arlington 16 7 Ashburnham 16 1 Belmont 16 4 Hopedale 16 1 Lee 16 1 Mattapoisett 16 1 Pembroke 16 3 Somerset 16 3 Wakefield 16 4 Charlton 15 2 Groveland 15 1 Merrimac 15 1 Woburn 15 6 Chicopee 14 8 Dalton 14 1 Dartmouth 14 5 Methuen 14 7 Rockport 14 1 Sandwich 14 3 Seekonk 14 2 Springfield 14 22 Ayer 13 1 Peabody 13 7 Shirley 13 1 West Boylston 13 1 Andover 12 4 Bellingham 12 2 Beverly 12 5 Dedham 12 3 Falmouth 12 4 North Grafton 12 1 Williamstown 12 1 Charlestown 11 2 Danvers 11 3 Littleton 11 1 Middleton 11 1 Sharon 11 2 Sutton 11 1 Dracut 10 3 Gloucester 10 3 Southborough 10 1 Sturbridge 10 1 Tewksbury 10 3 Ware 10 1 Wellesley 10 3 Acushnet 9 1 Boston 9 60 Groton 9 1 Hanson 9 1 Ludlow 9 2 North Billerica 9 1 Westfield 9 4 Feeding Hills 8 1 Harwich 8 1 Palmer 8 1 Rehoboth 8 1 Bradford 7 1 Dennis 7 1 Ipswich 7 1 West Newton 7 1 Amesbury 6 1 Brookline 6 4 Easthampton 6 1 Needham Heights 6 2 Swansea 6 1 Grafton 5 1 Holden 5 1 South Boston 5 2 South Dartmouth 5 2 South Hadley 5 1 Acton 4 1 Easton 4 1 Newton 4 4 Onset 4 1 Walpole 4 1 Westford 4 1 East Walpole 3 1 Melrose 3 1 Newton Highlands 3 3 North Weymouth 3 2 Roxbury Crossing 3 2 Saugus 3 1 South Weymouth 3 2 Wellesley Hills 3 1 West Springfield 3 1 Barnstable 2 1 Chelmsford 2 1 (not given) 0 2945 span 0 11 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 Plymouth 734 317 Bristol 703 579 Barnstable 694 134 Worcester 669 745 Berkshire 427 69 Norfolk 386 329 Middlesex 235 549 Suffolk 228 452 Nantucket 199 7 Dukes 170 7 Essex 156 172 Franklin 66 7 Hampden 66 47 Hampshire 27 5 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/.