Filings Month Ending 2024 April 30

Residential summary process: Filings Report This report examines cases filed recently before reading, for which outcomes were largely unknown. Search Period Start: 2024-04-01 Search Period End: 2024-04-30 Earliest Case: 2024-04-01 Latest Case: 2024-04-30 Total Cases: 3323 Total Transfers: 75 -- High-level take-aways: Percentage of landlords for whom attorney is optional: 23.4% Of those, percentage pro se: 45.7% Most common cause: Non-payment Least stable municipality/neighborhood: Framingham Least stable with 10+ filings: Framingham Least stable with 100+ filings: Framingham Least stable county: Hampden Cases per day: 114 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 649 19.5% northeast 595 17.9% central 501 15.1% western 458 13.8% southeast 364 11.0% metro_south 257 7.7% malden district 52 1.6% lawrence district 37 1.1% quincy district 31 0.9% lowell district 30 0.9% pittsfield district 28 0.8% lynn district 27 0.8% springfield district 24 0.7% fall river district 23 0.7% chelsea district 21 0.6% haverhill district 18 0.5% somerville district 16 0.5% brockton district 15 0.5% cambridge district 15 0.5% bmc west roxbury 13 0.4% chicopee district 10 0.3% waltham district 10 0.3% holyoke district 9 0.3% framingham district 8 0.2% woburn district 8 0.2% attleboro district 7 0.2% fallmouth district 7 0.2% dedham district 6 0.2% peabody district 6 0.2% salem district 6 0.2% wrentham district 6 0.2% palmer district 5 0.2% barnstable district 4 0.1% bmc dorchester 4 0.1% edgartown district 4 0.1% new bedford district 4 0.1% bmc brighton 3 0.1% bmc central 3 0.1% bmc roxbury 3 0.1% newburyport district 3 0.1% newton district 3 0.1% northern berkshire district 3 0.1% orleans district 3 0.1% taunton district 3 0.1% bmc east boston 2 0.1% brookline district 2 0.1% greenfield district 2 0.1% milford district 2 0.1% nantucket district 2 0.1% wareham district 2 0.1% ayer district 1 0.0% bmc charlestown 1 0.0% clinton district 1 0.0% concord district 1 0.0% eastern hampshire district 1 0.0% fitchburg district 1 0.0% gloucester district 1 0.0% ipswich district 1 0.0% westfield district 1 0.0% Party Type (n) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 2544 24 Natural Person 779 3299 Total 3323 3323 (%) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 76.6% 0.7% Natural Person 23.4% 99.3% Total 100.0% 100.0% Plaintiff Representation (n) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 2506 38 2544 Optional 423 356 779 Total 2929 394 3323 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 75.4% 1.1% 76.6% Optional 12.7% 10.7% 23.4% Total 88.1% 11.9% 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 24 24 Optional 21 3278 3299 Total 21 3302 3323 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 0.0% 0.7% 0.7% Optional 0.6% 98.6% 99.3% Total 0.6% 99.4% 100.0% Number of Adults in Households Count Percent 0 80 2.4% 1 2434 73.2% 2 647 19.5% 3 129 3.9% 4 21 0.6% 5 5 0.2% 6 2 0.1% 7 4 0.1% 10 1 0.0% Total 3323 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 2429 73.1% Cause 474 14.3% No Fault 396 11.9% Foreclosure 23 0.7% Unknown/Other 1 0.0% Rate per 100,000 Municipality Residents Count Framingham 213 146 Buzzards Bay 204 7 Holyoke 155 62 Chestnut Hill 141 3 West Wareham 138 3 Fall River 133 119 Warwick 128 1 Ashland 114 19 Greenfield 114 20 Chelsea 113 40 Mattapan 109 40 Dorchester 107 99 Lynn 106 96 Springfield 105 162 Lawrence 104 80 Lowell 93 100 Pittsfield 91 41 Chicopee 90 50 Norwood 90 26 Revere 90 47 Gardner 88 18 Worcester 88 161 Haverhill 87 53 East Boston 86 35 East Sandwich 86 3 Gilbertville 86 1 South Yarmouth 86 10 Hyde Park 83 28 New Bedford 83 79 Charlemont 78 1 Athol 77 9 Millers Falls 77 1 Roxbury 77 46 Salem 77 32 West Yarmouth 75 4 Fitchburg 74 30 Rockland 74 13 Turners Falls 73 3 West Tisbury 72 2 Stoughton 70 19 Indian Orchard 69 7 Roslindale 69 20 Malden 68 41 Taunton 68 38 Brockton 65 61 Lincoln 62 4 Tewksbury 62 18 Georgetown 61 5 Canton 60 13 Salisbury 60 5 Colrain 59 1 Everett 59 25 Lenox 59 3 Waltham 59 36 Palmer 57 7 Weymouth 57 31 Cambridge 56 59 North Billerica 56 6 Braintree 55 20 Woburn 55 21 Marlborough 54 21 South Dennis 54 2 Baldwinville 52 1 Peabody 52 27 East Falmouth 51 3 Stockbridge 51 1 Milford 50 14 Devens 49 1 Quincy 49 46 Dorchester Center 48 45 South Deerfield 48 1 Adams 47 4 Westfield 46 19 West Dennis 45 1 Somerville 44 34 North Adams 43 6 Rockport 43 3 Sturbridge 43 4 Hyannis 42 6 Charlestown 41 7 Foxborough 41 7 Saugus 41 11 Webster 41 7 Burlington 40 10 Andover 39 13 Gloucester 38 11 Hadley 38 2 North Andover 38 11 Orange 38 3 Holbrook 37 4 Amesbury 36 6 Hudson 36 7 Wrentham 36 4 Northborough 35 5 Southbridge 35 6 Berlin 34 1 Feeding Hills 34 4 North Attleborough 34 10 Spencer 34 4 Three Rivers 34 1 Whitman 34 5 Belmont 32 8 Beverly 32 13 Fiskdale 32 1 Jamaica Plain 32 12 North Chelmsford 32 3 Wareham 32 7 Fairhaven 31 5 Kingston 31 4 Southwick 31 3 West Springfield 31 9 Bellingham 30 5 Medford 30 17 Hull 29 3 West Roxbury 29 9 Winchendon 29 3 Essex 28 1 Osterville 28 1 Randolph 28 9 Wakefield 28 7 Brighton 27 12 Sagamore Beach 27 1 Cohasset 26 2 Halifax 26 2 Leominster 26 11 Tyngsborough 26 3 Lynnfield 25 3 Millis 25 2 North Dartmouth 25 6 Edgartown 24 1 Medfield 24 3 Plymouth 24 14 Dracut 23 7 Ludlow 23 5 Methuen 23 11 Monson 23 2 Bradford 22 3 Bridgewater 22 6 Forestdale 22 1 Hubbardston 22 1 Ipswich 22 3 Oak Bluffs 22 1 Sudbury 22 4 Wilmington 22 5 Arlington 21 9 North Brookfield 21 1 Westborough 21 4 Boxborough 20 1 Marblehead 20 4 Marstons Mills 20 1 Walpole 20 5 Ware 20 2 Sandwich 19 4 South Easton 19 2 Warren 19 1 Acton 18 4 Hingham 18 4 Lakeville 18 2 South Barre 18 1 Westford 18 4 Middleborough 17 4 Rehoboth 17 2 Southampton 17 1 Winthrop 17 3 Mattapoisett 16 1 Newton Upper Falls 16 1 Orleans 16 1 Somerset 16 3 Bedford 15 2 Danvers 15 4 Groveland 15 1 Harvard 15 1 Marshfield 15 4 Medway 15 2 Newbury 15 1 Norton 15 3 Roxbury Crossing 15 9 Stow 15 1 Watertown 15 5 Billerica 14 6 Boston 14 92 Centerville 14 2 Clinton 14 2 Dighton 14 1 Great Barrington 14 1 Raynham 14 2 Shrewsbury 14 5 South Boston 14 5 Swampscott 14 2 West Newton 14 2 Whitinsville 14 1 Allston 13 4 Attleborough 13 6 Brookline 13 8 East Weymouth 13 7 Hopkinton 13 2 North Reading 13 2 Stoneham 13 3 West Boylston 13 1 Westminster 13 1 Abington 12 2 Dedham 12 3 East Longmeadow 12 2 Easthampton 12 2 Franklin 12 4 Lancaster 12 1 Longmeadow 12 2 Mansfield 12 3 North Grafton 12 1 Northbridge 12 2 South Attleboro 12 1 South Hamilton 12 1 Sterling 12 1 Westport 12 2 Williamstown 12 1 Assonet 11 1 Chelmsford 11 4 Littleton 11 1 Scituate 11 2 South Dartmouth 11 4 Wellesley Hills 10 3 Cherry Valley 9 1 East Wareham 9 2 Lunenburg 9 1 Nantucket 9 1 Natick 9 3 Norwell 9 1 South Weymouth 9 5 Dudley 8 1 Pepperell 8 1 Reading 8 2 Agawam 7 2 Hanover 7 1 Holliston 7 1 Mashpee 7 1 Melrose 7 2 Millbury 7 1 North Easton 7 1 Seekonk 7 1 Wayland 7 1 Auburn 6 1 Needham 6 2 Needham Heights 6 2 Swansea 6 1 Tiverton 6 1 Bourne 5 1 Pembroke 5 1 Sharon 5 1 Newton 4 4 Winchester 4 1 East Walpole 3 1 Lexington 3 1 Milton 3 1 Northampton 3 1 Wellesley 3 1 Amherst 2 1 Newton Highlands 1 1 (not given) 0 236 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 Hampden 474 337 Essex 363 400 Berkshire 353 57 Bristol 352 290 Plymouth 328 142 Franklin 293 31 Middlesex 285 666 Norfolk 280 239 Suffolk 280 553 Worcester 274 305 Barnstable 253 49 Dukes 97 4 Hampshire 48 9 Nantucket 28 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/.