Filings Month Ending 2023 September 30

Residential summary process: Filings Report This report examines cases filed recently before reading, for which outcomes were largely unknown. Search Period Start: 2023-09-01 Search Period End: 2023-09-30 Earliest Case: 2023-09-01 Latest Case: 2023-09-29 Total Cases: 3120 Total Transfers: 80 -- High-level take-aways: Percentage of landlords for whom attorney is optional: 25.9% Of those, percentage pro se: 52.5% Most common cause: Non-payment Least stable municipality/neighborhood: Chestnut Hill Least stable with 10+ filings: Fall River Least stable with 100+ filings: Fall River Least stable county: Worcester Cases per day: 107 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 eastern 541 17.3% northeast 516 16.5% central 502 16.1% western 494 15.8% southeast 339 10.9% metro_south 270 8.7% lynn district 43 1.4% lawrence district 38 1.2% brockton district 31 1.0% fall river district 30 1.0% quincy district 25 0.8% malden district 24 0.8% lowell district 20 0.6% framingham district 19 0.6% chelsea district 17 0.5% somerville district 16 0.5% dedham district 15 0.5% cambridge district 14 0.4% haverhill district 11 0.4% pittsfield district 11 0.4% attleboro district 9 0.3% waltham district 9 0.3% chicopee district 8 0.3% hingham district 8 0.3% bmc west roxbury 7 0.2% northern berkshire district 7 0.2% salem district 7 0.2% stoughton district 7 0.2% bmc brighton 5 0.2% bmc east boston 5 0.2% new bedford district 5 0.2% springfield district 5 0.2% barnstable district 4 0.1% bmc dorchester 4 0.1% concord district 4 0.1% woburn district 4 0.1% wrentham district 4 0.1% milford district 3 0.1% palmer district 3 0.1% worcester district 3 0.1% ayer district 2 0.1% clinton district 2 0.1% fallmouth district 2 0.1% fitchburg district 2 0.1% holyoke district 2 0.1% nantucket district 2 0.1% natick district 2 0.1% orleans district 2 0.1% taunton district 2 0.1% westfield district 2 0.1% bmc central 1 0.0% bmc south boston 1 0.0% eastern hampshire district 1 0.0% edgartown district 1 0.0% gloucester district 1 0.0% greenfield district 1 0.0% leominster district 1 0.0% newburyport district 1 0.0% newton district 1 0.0% peabody district 1 0.0% southern berkshire district 1 0.0% uxbridge district 1 0.0% wareham district 1 0.0% Party Type (n) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 2312 9 Natural Person 808 3111 Total 3120 3120 (%) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 74.1% 0.3% Natural Person 25.9% 99.7% Total 100.0% 100.0% Plaintiff Representation (n) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 2276 36 2312 Optional 384 424 808 Total 2660 460 3120 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 72.9% 1.2% 74.1% Optional 12.3% 13.6% 25.9% Total 85.3% 14.7% 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 9 9 Optional 22 3089 3111 Total 22 3098 3120 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 0.0% 0.3% 0.3% Optional 0.7% 99.0% 99.7% Total 0.7% 99.3% 100.0% Number of Adults in Households Count Percent 0 120 3.8% 1 2299 73.7% 2 570 18.3% 3 90 2.9% 4 24 0.8% 5 8 0.3% 6 8 0.3% 7 1 0.0% Total 3120 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 2225 71.3% Cause 487 15.6% No Fault 371 11.9% Foreclosure 37 1.2% Unknown/Other 0 0.0% Rate per 100,000 Municipality Residents Count Chestnut Hill 235 5 Turners Falls 146 6 Fall River 142 127 Gardner 133 27 Randolph 124 40 Wendell 117 1 Worcester 117 212 Athol 112 13 Marlborough 111 43 North Brookfield 106 5 Florence 105 1 Bridgewater 97 26 Lowell 94 101 Lynn 94 85 Dorchester 92 85 Sheffield 92 3 New Bedford 91 87 Gilbertville 86 1 Revere 85 44 Fitchburg 84 34 Lakeville 84 9 Norwood 83 24 Southbridge 83 14 Brockton 79 75 West Yarmouth 75 4 Mattapan 74 27 Chelsea 73 26 Hull 68 7 Richmond 67 1 Oxford 65 9 Canton 64 14 Springfield 64 99 Dennis Port 63 2 Leominster 63 26 Roxbury 63 38 Framingham 62 43 Hyde Park 62 21 Malden 62 37 Salem 62 26 Cheshire 61 2 Holyoke 60 24 Stoughton 59 16 Webster 59 10 Brookfield 58 2 Buzzards Bay 58 2 Seekonk 58 8 South Easton 58 6 Harwich Port 57 1 Hudson 57 11 Dorchester Center 56 52 Hyannis 56 8 Northborough 56 8 Roslindale 55 16 Leverett 54 1 Cohasset 53 4 Clinton 51 7 Lawrence 51 39 Braintree 50 18 Pittsfield 49 22 South Deerfield 48 1 Winchendon 48 5 Avon 45 2 Everett 45 19 East Boston 44 18 Taunton 42 24 Ayer 40 3 Eastham 40 2 Jamaica Plain 40 15 Watertown 40 13 Indian Orchard 39 4 Maynard 39 4 South Boston 38 13 Wayland 38 5 West Springfield 38 11 Quincy 37 35 East Wareham 36 8 North Adams 36 5 Plainville 36 3 Swampscott 36 5 Byfield 35 1 Douglas 35 3 Berlin 34 1 East Falmouth 34 2 Haverhill 34 21 South Yarmouth 34 4 Spencer 34 4 Tewksbury 34 10 Provincetown 33 1 Attleborough 32 14 Granby 32 2 Northfield 32 1 Westborough 32 6 Abington 31 5 Dunstable 31 1 Southwick 31 3 Chicopee 30 17 Danvers 30 8 Groveland 30 2 Medford 30 17 Ware 30 3 Cambridge 29 31 Charlestown 29 5 Chelmsford 29 10 Dighton 28 2 Greenfield 28 5 Osterville 28 1 Rockland 28 5 Rockport 28 2 Winthrop 28 5 Allston 27 8 South Dennis 27 1 West Brookfield 27 1 Saugus 26 7 Weymouth 26 14 Woburn 26 10 Fairhaven 25 4 Feeding Hills 25 3 Orange 25 2 Rehoboth 25 3 Amesbury 24 4 Palmer 24 3 Kingston 23 3 Medway 23 3 Peabody 23 12 Somerville 23 18 Brighton 22 10 Hubbardston 22 1 Littleton 22 2 Oak Bluffs 22 1 Sharon 22 4 Uxbridge 22 3 Wareham 22 5 West Roxbury 22 7 Milford 21 6 Norton 21 4 Roxbury Crossing 21 13 Boxborough 20 1 Brewster 20 2 Dedham 20 5 North Attleborough 20 6 Wakefield 20 5 Walpole 20 5 Manchester 19 1 Nantucket 19 2 Newtonville 19 1 Northbridge 19 3 Warren 19 1 Auburn 18 3 Bellingham 18 3 East Weymouth 18 10 Holbrook 18 2 Milton 18 5 Natick 18 6 North Billerica 18 2 Onset 18 4 Rochdale 18 2 Beverly 17 7 Dover 17 1 Dudley 17 2 Foxborough 17 3 Tyngsborough 17 2 Boston 16 99 Chatham 16 1 Hopedale 16 1 Medfield 16 2 Orleans 16 1 Shrewsbury 16 6 East Taunton 15 1 Millbury 15 2 Great Barrington 14 1 Mashpee 14 2 North Andover 14 4 Raynham 14 2 Whitinsville 14 1 Acton 13 3 Duxbury 13 2 Shirley 13 1 Waltham 13 8 West Boylston 13 1 Wilmington 13 3 Ashland 12 2 Belmont 12 3 Burlington 12 3 Easthampton 12 2 Falmouth 12 4 Lexington 12 4 Middleborough 12 3 North Dartmouth 12 3 North Grafton 12 1 Salisbury 12 1 South Attleboro 12 1 South Hamilton 12 1 Waban 12 1 Westfield 12 5 Adams 11 1 Arlington 11 5 Blackstone 11 1 Melrose 11 3 South Weymouth 11 6 Agawam 10 3 Auburndale 10 1 Brookline 10 6 Dracut 10 3 Gloucester 10 3 Methuen 10 5 Acushnet 9 1 Billerica 9 4 Cherry Valley 9 1 Franklin 9 3 Lunenburg 9 1 Norwell 9 1 Sandwich 9 2 Westford 9 2 Carver 8 1 Harwich 8 1 Lynnfield 8 1 Mansfield 8 2 Norfolk 8 1 Pepperell 8 1 Amherst 7 3 Bedford 7 1 Centerville 7 1 Charlton 7 1 Hanover 7 1 Ipswich 7 1 Northampton 7 2 Plymouth 7 4 East Longmeadow 6 1 Needham 6 2 Swansea 6 1 Westport 6 1 Westwood 6 1 Whitman 6 1 Marblehead 5 1 Somerset 5 1 Hingham 4 1 Reading 4 1 Stoneham 4 1 Andover 3 1 Needham Heights 3 1 South Walpole 3 1 Wellesley Hills 3 1 E. Boston 2 1 South Dartmouth 2 1 North Weymouth 1 1 (not given) 0 520 Boston College 0 1 span 0 3 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 Worcester 381 425 Plymouth 372 161 Bristol 363 299 Norfolk 283 242 Suffolk 255 504 Hampden 243 173 Barnstable 217 42 Berkshire 216 35 Essex 216 238 Middlesex 190 445 Franklin 161 17 Hampshire 70 13 Nantucket 56 2 Dukes 24 1 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/.