Filings Quarter Ending 2021 June 30

Residential summary process: Filings Report This report examines cases filed recently before reading, for which outcomes were largely unknown. Search Period Start: 2021-04-01 Search Period End: 2021-06-30 Earliest Case: 2021-04-01 Latest Case: 2021-06-30 Total Cases: 4713 Total Transfers: 145 -- High-level take-aways: Percentage of landlords for whom attorney is optional: 35.1% Of those, percentage pro se: 50.0% Most common cause: Non-payment Least stable municipality/neighborhood: Woronoco Least stable with 10+ filings: West Yarmouth Least stable with 100+ filings: Fall River Least stable county: Barnstable Cases per day: 52 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 846 18.0% central 783 16.6% southeast 702 14.9% western 699 14.8% eastern 643 13.6% metro_south 403 8.6% quincy district 53 1.1% lynn district 40 0.8% malden district 39 0.8% framingham district 33 0.7% fall river district 31 0.7% cambridge district 30 0.6% pittsfield district 29 0.6% chelsea district 27 0.6% northern berkshire district 25 0.5% orleans district 22 0.5% brockton district 21 0.4% barnstable district 18 0.4% springfield district 18 0.4% woburn district 17 0.4% fallmouth district 16 0.3% haverhill district 16 0.3% lowell district 15 0.3% newburyport district 14 0.3% somerville district 14 0.3% bmc east boston 12 0.3% bmc west roxbury 11 0.2% dedham district 11 0.2% milford district 10 0.2% waltham district 10 0.2% attleboro district 8 0.2% salem district 8 0.2% peabody district 7 0.1% ayer district 6 0.1% nantucket district 6 0.1% taunton district 6 0.1% wrentham district 6 0.1% palmer district 5 0.1% plymouth district 5 0.1% concord district 4 0.1% hingham district 4 0.1% lawrence district 4 0.1% bmc brighton 3 0.1% new bedford district 3 0.1% worcester district 3 0.1% bmc central 2 0.0% bmc roxbury 2 0.0% holyoke district 2 0.0% leominster district 2 0.0% newton district 2 0.0% northampton district 2 0.0% stoughton district 2 0.0% uxbridge district 2 0.0% wareham district 2 0.0% westfield district 2 0.0% bmc charlestown 1 0.0% brookline district 1 0.0% chicopee district 1 0.0% gloucester district 1 0.0% natick district 1 0.0% southern berkshire district 1 0.0% westborough district 1 0.0% Party Type (n) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 3060 21 Natural Person 1653 4692 Total 4713 4713 (%) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 64.9% 0.4% Natural Person 35.1% 99.6% Total 100.0% 100.0% Plaintiff Representation (n) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 2957 103 3060 Optional 826 827 1653 Total 3783 930 4713 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 62.7% 2.2% 64.9% Optional 17.5% 17.5% 35.1% Total 80.3% 19.7% 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 2 19 21 Optional 103 4589 4692 Total 105 4608 4713 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 0.0% 0.4% 0.4% Optional 2.2% 97.4% 99.6% Total 2.2% 97.8% 100.0% Number of Adults in Households Count Percent 0 307 6.5% 1 3324 70.5% 2 860 18.2% 3 159 3.4% 4 45 1.0% 5 13 0.3% 6 3 0.1% 8 1 0.0% 9 1 0.0% Total 4713 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 2782 59.0% Cause 950 20.2% No Fault 821 17.4% Unknown/Other 127 2.7% Foreclosure 33 0.7% Rate per 100,000 Municipality Residents Count Woronoco 900 1 West Hyannisport 555 1 Thorndike 433 3 Florence 421 4 West Yarmouth 227 12 Fall River 217 193 East Falmouth 207 12 North Adams 196 27 Dennis Port 189 6 Framingham 184 126 New Bedford 179 171 Randolph 177 57 Fitchburg 168 68 Hyannis 163 23 Worcester 162 295 Baldwinville 158 3 Gardner 158 32 Millers Falls 155 2 West Wareham 138 3 West Dennis 137 3 South Dennis 135 5 Oxford 131 18 Athol 129 15 Amesbury 128 21 Warwick 128 1 Marstons Mills 123 6 Lowell 117 125 Bellingham 116 19 Haverhill 116 71 Southbridge 113 19 Webster 113 19 South Yarmouth 111 13 Brockton 107 101 Provincetown 101 3 Dorchester 100 92 Chelsea 99 35 Fiskdale 97 3 Rockland 97 17 Marlborough 96 37 Ayer 94 7 Hull 87 9 Norwood 87 25 Winchendon 87 9 Braintree 86 31 East Sandwich 86 3 Gilbertville 86 1 North Brookfield 85 4 Taunton 85 48 Everett 83 35 Revere 83 43 Eastham 80 4 Roslindale 79 23 Milford 78 22 Lawrence 77 59 East Boston 76 31 Millis 76 6 Middleborough 73 17 Salisbury 72 6 Pittsfield 71 32 Lynn 70 64 Dedham 68 17 Hardwick 66 2 Leominster 66 27 Stoughton 66 18 Mashpee 64 9 Orange 63 5 Sheffield 61 2 Malden 60 36 Quincy 60 56 Attleborough 59 26 Indian Orchard 59 6 Lunenburg 59 6 Buzzards Bay 58 2 Dorchester Center 58 54 Seekonk 58 8 South Easton 58 6 Springfield 58 90 Bridgewater 56 15 Chicopee 56 31 Fairhaven 56 9 Westborough 54 10 Bondsville 53 1 Carver 52 6 Marshfield 51 13 Newton Center 51 2 Stockbridge 51 1 Hinsdale 49 1 Whitman 48 7 Adams 47 4 Brighton 47 21 Chestnut Hill 47 1 Hudson 47 9 Norton 47 9 West Townsend 47 1 Westwood 47 7 Holbrook 46 5 Avon 45 2 Cambridge 45 48 East Brookfield 45 1 Holyoke 45 18 Huntington 45 1 Westport 45 7 Winthrop 45 8 Raynham 44 6 South Grafton 44 2 Swansea 44 7 West Bridgewater 43 3 Whitinsville 43 3 Ashland 42 7 Allston 41 12 Mattapan 41 15 Boxborough 40 2 East Freetown 40 2 Jamaica Plain 40 15 Cohasset 39 3 Halifax 39 3 Medford 39 22 Sudbury 39 7 Yarmouth Port 39 2 Hyde Park 38 13 Mansfield 38 9 Salem 38 16 Canton 37 8 East Weymouth 37 20 North Billerica 37 4 North Falmouth 37 1 Clinton 36 5 Plainville 36 3 Roxbury 36 22 Dudley 35 4 Foxborough 35 6 Berlin 34 1 Falmouth 34 11 North Attleborough 34 10 Pocasset 34 1 Orleans 33 2 Plymouth 33 19 Walpole 33 8 Ashby 32 1 Chatham 32 2 Lanesborough 32 1 Northfield 32 1 Abington 31 5 East Taunton 31 2 Hingham 31 7 Lincoln 31 2 Tewksbury 31 9 Bedford 30 4 Cheshire 30 1 Danvers 30 8 Groveland 30 2 Hatfield 30 1 Millbury 30 4 Saugus 30 8 Ware 30 3 Bradford 29 4 Nantucket 29 3 Uxbridge 29 4 Dennis 28 4 Franklin 28 9 Greenfield 28 5 North Andover 28 8 Northborough 28 4 Osterville 28 1 Cherry Valley 27 3 East Wareham 27 6 Leicester 27 3 Needham 27 8 Sagamore Beach 27 1 Somerville 27 21 Weymouth 27 15 Amherst 26 10 Tyngsborough 26 3 Woburn 26 10 Methuen 25 12 Milton 25 7 Northbridge 25 4 Roxbury Crossing 25 15 Rutland 25 2 Belmont 24 6 Georgetown 24 2 Harwich 24 3 Lancaster 24 2 Palmer 24 3 Arlington 23 10 Acton 22 5 Beverly 22 9 Blackstone 22 2 Centerville 22 3 Forestdale 22 1 Hubbardston 22 1 Middleton 22 2 Onset 22 5 Somerset 22 4 Wareham 22 5 East Bridgewater 21 3 Natick 21 7 North Dartmouth 21 5 Belchertown 20 3 Brookline 20 12 Hopkinton 20 3 Marion 20 1 South Boston 20 7 Southborough 20 2 Wakefield 20 5 Hadley 19 1 Hanson 19 2 Maynard 19 2 Newtonville 19 1 Shrewsbury 19 7 West Roxbury 19 6 Auburn 18 3 Barre 18 1 Easthampton 18 3 Stoneham 18 4 Wrentham 18 2 Feeding Hills 17 2 Mendon 17 1 Pepperell 17 2 Rowley 17 1 Spencer 17 2 Ashburnham 16 1 Concord 16 3 Newton Upper Falls 16 1 Pembroke 16 3 Waltham 16 10 Berkley 15 1 Bourne 15 3 Charlton 15 2 Kingston 15 2 Medway 15 2 Watertown 15 5 Chelmsford 14 5 Dalton 14 1 Great Barrington 14 1 Hanover 14 2 Holliston 14 2 Northampton 14 4 South Weymouth 14 8 Swampscott 14 2 Wilbraham 14 2 Duxbury 13 2 North Reading 13 2 Peabody 13 7 Shirley 13 1 West Boylston 13 1 Westminster 13 1 Billerica 12 5 Burlington 12 3 E. Boston 12 5 Templeton 12 1 Assonet 11 1 Boston 11 74 Charlestown 11 2 Holden 11 2 Monson 11 1 Newburyport 11 2 Sharon 11 2 South Dartmouth 11 4 South Hadley 11 2 Sutton 11 1 Townsend 11 1 Auburndale 10 1 Brewster 10 1 Dracut 10 3 Wellesley 10 3 Groton 9 1 Rochdale 9 1 Sandwich 9 2 Westford 9 2 Norfolk 8 1 Rehoboth 8 1 West Harwich 8 1 Ipswich 7 1 Melrose 7 2 North Easton 7 1 Wayland 7 1 West Springfield 7 2 Westfield 7 3 Andover 6 2 Gloucester 6 2 Lexington 6 2 Longmeadow 6 1 Dartmouth 5 2 Grafton 5 1 Scituate 5 1 Ludlow 4 1 Winchester 4 1 East Walpole 3 1 Needham Heights 3 1 Newton 2 2 Newton Highlands 2 2 Manomet 1 1 North Weymouth 1 1 (not given) 0 1083 span 0 5 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 Barnstable 730 141 Bristol 646 532 Plymouth 597 258 Worcester 561 625 Berkshire 439 71 Norfolk 427 364 Essex 281 309 Middlesex 264 618 Suffolk 249 493 Hampden 232 165 Hampshire 173 32 Franklin 132 14 Nantucket 85 3 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/.