Filings Month Ending 2023 March 31

Residential summary process: Filings Report This report examines cases filed recently before reading, for which outcomes were largely unknown. Search Period Start: 2023-03-01 Search Period End: 2023-03-31 Earliest Case: 2023-03-01 Latest Case: 2023-03-31 Total Cases: 3341 Total Transfers: 71 -- High-level take-aways: Percentage of landlords for whom attorney is optional: 24.3% Of those, percentage pro se: 52.7% Most common cause: Non-payment Least stable municipality/neighborhood: Fall River Least stable with 10+ filings: Fall River Least stable with 100+ filings: Fall River Least stable county: Bristol Cases per day: 111 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 551 16.5% eastern 545 16.3% central 484 14.5% western 469 14.0% southeast 462 13.8% metro_south 284 8.5% lowell district 41 1.2% malden district 41 1.2% lynn district 38 1.1% quincy district 36 1.1% pittsfield district 32 1.0% fall river district 26 0.8% somerville district 21 0.6% brockton district 20 0.6% lawrence district 20 0.6% bmc east boston 19 0.6% cambridge district 19 0.6% chelsea district 18 0.5% haverhill district 16 0.5% wrentham district 15 0.4% northern berkshire district 14 0.4% woburn district 13 0.4% attleboro district 12 0.4% waltham district 12 0.4% salem district 11 0.3% bmc west roxbury 9 0.3% chicopee district 8 0.2% springfield district 8 0.2% taunton district 8 0.2% barnstable district 7 0.2% bmc brighton 6 0.2% bmc dorchester 6 0.2% dedham district 6 0.2% new bedford district 6 0.2% gloucester district 4 0.1% hingham district 4 0.1% holyoke district 4 0.1% orleans district 4 0.1% concord district 3 0.1% eastern hampshire district 3 0.1% fallmouth district 3 0.1% nantucket district 3 0.1% newburyport district 3 0.1% northampton district 3 0.1% peabody district 3 0.1% plymouth district 3 0.1% westfield district 3 0.1% ayer district 2 0.1% framingham district 2 0.1% ipswich district 2 0.1% stoughton district 2 0.1% worcester district 2 0.1% clinton district 1 0.0% milford district 1 0.0% newton district 1 0.0% palmer district 1 0.0% wareham district 1 0.0% Party Type (n) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 2530 14 Natural Person 811 3327 Total 3341 3341 (%) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 75.7% 0.4% Natural Person 24.3% 99.6% Total 100.0% 100.0% Plaintiff Representation (n) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 2495 35 2530 Optional 384 427 811 Total 2879 462 3341 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 74.7% 1.0% 75.7% Optional 11.5% 12.8% 24.3% Total 86.2% 13.8% 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 1 13 14 Optional 17 3310 3327 Total 18 3323 3341 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 0.0% 0.4% 0.4% Optional 0.5% 99.1% 99.6% Total 0.5% 99.5% 100.0% Number of Adults in Households Count Percent 0 164 4.9% 1 2531 75.8% 2 540 16.2% 3 72 2.2% 4 29 0.9% 5 3 0.1% 6 1 0.0% 10 1 0.0% Total 3341 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 2405 72.0% Cause 501 15.0% No Fault 393 11.8% Foreclosure 40 1.2% Unknown/Other 2 0.1% Rate per 100,000 Municipality Residents Count Fall River 202 180 East Falmouth 155 9 Southbridge 143 24 New Bedford 116 111 Worcester 112 203 Berlin 104 3 Randolph 99 32 Marlborough 96 37 Dorchester 95 88 Chestnut Hill 94 2 West Wareham 92 2 Fitchburg 89 36 Westborough 87 16 East Sandwich 86 3 Revere 86 45 Whitinsville 86 6 Lynn 84 76 Bridgewater 82 22 Chelsea 82 29 West Chatham 78 1 Salem 77 32 North Falmouth 74 2 Pittsfield 71 32 Brighton 70 31 Brockton 70 66 Gardner 69 14 Norwood 69 20 Quincy 69 64 Abington 68 11 Roxbury 68 41 Hyde Park 65 22 Fiskdale 64 2 Dennis Port 63 2 Cheshire 61 2 Athol 60 7 East Boston 59 24 Raynham 59 8 Stoughton 59 16 North Adams 58 8 South Easton 58 6 Warren 58 3 Rockport 57 4 Dedham 56 14 Canton 55 12 North Dartmouth 55 13 Framingham 54 37 Foxborough 53 9 Halifax 53 4 Taunton 53 30 Malden 52 31 Mattapan 52 19 Saugus 52 14 South Yarmouth 51 6 Braintree 50 18 Roslindale 48 14 Winchendon 48 5 Adams 47 4 East Taunton 46 3 Lowell 46 49 West Dennis 45 1 Dorchester Center 44 41 Hanover 43 6 Hyannis 42 6 East Wareham 41 9 Marstons Mills 41 2 Hingham 40 9 Cambridge 39 42 E. Boston 39 16 Kingston 39 5 Medway 39 5 Weymouth 39 21 Yarmouth Port 39 2 Hull 38 4 Newtonville 38 2 North Attleborough 38 11 Medford 37 21 North Billerica 37 4 Clinton 36 5 Plainville 36 3 Swampscott 36 5 Woburn 36 14 Wrentham 36 4 Bourne 35 7 Charlestown 35 6 Webster 35 6 Hardwick 33 1 Provincetown 33 1 Attleborough 32 14 Beverly 32 13 Lanesborough 32 1 Milford 32 9 Somerville 31 24 Allston 30 9 Brookline 30 18 Newbury 30 2 Plymouth 30 17 Buzzards Bay 29 1 Peabody 29 15 Princeton 29 1 South Boston 29 10 Burlington 28 7 Everett 28 12 Franklin 28 9 Lakeville 28 3 Haverhill 27 17 Westwood 27 4 Whitman 27 4 Danvers 26 7 Dudley 26 3 Hudson 26 5 Leominster 26 11 Norton 26 5 Fairhaven 25 4 Lynnfield 25 3 Mansfield 25 6 Northbridge 25 4 Spencer 25 3 North Dighton 23 1 Avon 22 1 Blackstone 22 2 Forestdale 22 1 Hubbardston 22 1 Sudbury 22 4 Winthrop 22 4 Auburndale 21 2 Middleborough 21 5 North Brookfield 21 1 Northborough 21 3 Roxbury Crossing 21 13 Sturbridge 21 2 Watertown 21 7 Boxborough 20 1 Brewster 20 2 Marion 20 1 Wakefield 20 5 Lunenburg 19 2 Nantucket 19 2 Westport 19 3 Leicester 18 2 Natick 18 6 South Weymouth 18 10 Wareham 18 4 West Yarmouth 18 1 Chelmsford 17 6 Gloucester 17 5 Rockland 17 3 Tyngsborough 17 2 Belmont 16 4 Chatham 16 1 Chicopee 16 9 Mattapoisett 16 1 Somerset 16 3 Bedford 15 2 Lexington 15 5 Millbury 15 2 Arlington 14 6 Dalton 14 1 Great Barrington 14 1 Holliston 14 2 Shrewsbury 14 5 Waltham 14 9 Cohasset 13 1 Jamaica Plain 13 5 Lawrence 13 10 West Boylston 13 1 Westminster 13 1 Ashland 12 2 Auburn 12 2 Hamilton 12 1 Millis 12 1 North Grafton 12 1 Boston 11 73 Melrose 11 3 Pembroke 11 2 Sharon 11 2 Townsend 11 1 Holyoke 10 4 North Andover 10 3 North Chelmsford 10 1 Southwick 10 1 Cherry Valley 9 1 Hanson 9 1 Holbrook 9 1 Maynard 9 1 Rochdale 9 1 Stoneham 9 2 West Roxbury 9 3 Westford 9 2 Carver 8 1 Harwich 8 1 Medfield 8 1 Walpole 8 2 Billerica 7 3 Centerville 7 1 East Weymouth 7 4 Ipswich 7 1 Marshfield 7 2 Mashpee 7 1 Oxford 7 1 Wayland 7 1 West Springfield 7 2 Amesbury 6 1 Andover 6 2 Belchertown 6 1 Bellingham 6 1 Hopkinton 6 1 North Reading 6 1 Tewksbury 6 2 Grafton 5 1 Marblehead 5 1 South Hadley 5 1 Acton 4 1 Onset 4 1 Reading 4 1 Springfield 4 7 Westfield 4 2 East Walpole 3 1 Milton 3 1 Northampton 3 1 Methuen 2 1 Newton Highlands 1 1 North Weymouth 1 1 (not given) 0 884 span 0 2 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 483 398 Plymouth 423 183 Worcester 351 391 Norfolk 326 278 Berkshire 303 49 Barnstable 264 51 Suffolk 249 493 Essex 193 213 Middlesex 158 369 Nantucket 56 2 Hampden 35 25 Hampshire 16 3 Dukes 0 0 Franklin 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. Methodology changes: 2022-03: Where docket history shows judgment and/or execution, but case has not been disposed, infer judgment and/or execution. 2022-05: Correct counting error in 'By prevailing party' section where agreement for judgment renders prevailing party unknown. Rows now sum to total. 2023-01: We now report dispositions on the basis of the last disposition found in a docket. Previously we were using a prioritized keyword match, which produced inaccurate results for complex cases. -- When Citing This Work, Please Credit: MassLandlords, Inc. Available online at https://masslandlords.net/policy/eviction-data/.