Filings Month Ending 2025 October 31

Residential summary process: Filings Report This report examines cases filed recently before reading, for which outcomes were largely unknown. Search Period Start: 2025-10-01 Search Period End: 2025-10-31 Earliest Case: 2025-10-01 Latest Case: 2025-10-31 Total Cases: 3203 Total Transfers: 65 -- High-level take-aways: Percentage of landlords for whom attorney is optional: 20.4% Of those, percentage pro se: 52.4% Most common cause: Non-payment Least stable municipality/neighborhood: Fiskdale Least stable with 10+ filings: South Boston Least stable with 100+ filings: Dorchester Least stable county: Hampden Cases per day: 106 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 711 22.2% northeast 537 16.8% central 489 15.3% western 409 12.8% metro_south 328 10.2% southeast 321 10.0% lawrence district 34 1.1% lynn district 34 1.1% springfield district 32 1.0% malden district 28 0.9% bmc west roxbury 22 0.7% brockton district 18 0.6% cambridge district 17 0.5% quincy district 17 0.5% fall river district 16 0.5% lowell district 16 0.5% haverhill district 15 0.5% pittsfield district 15 0.5% northern berkshire district 11 0.3% worcester district 11 0.3% dedham district 10 0.3% salem district 9 0.3% somerville district 9 0.3% waltham district 8 0.2% attleboro district 7 0.2% chelsea district 7 0.2% bmc east boston 5 0.2% peabody district 5 0.2% westfield district 5 0.2% ayer district 4 0.1% bmc roxbury 4 0.1% fallmouth district 4 0.1% barnstable district 3 0.1% bmc central 3 0.1% framingham district 3 0.1% new bedford district 3 0.1% palmer district 3 0.1% chicopee district 2 0.1% edgartown district 2 0.1% gloucester district 2 0.1% hingham district 2 0.1% holyoke district 2 0.1% milford district 2 0.1% newburyport district 2 0.1% orleans district 2 0.1% stoughton district 2 0.1% taunton district 2 0.1% woburn district 2 0.1% wrentham district 2 0.1% bmc dorchester 1 0.0% brookline district 1 0.0% concord district 1 0.0% nantucket district 1 0.0% newton district 1 0.0% wareham district 1 0.0% Party Type (n) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 2549 4 Natural Person 654 3199 Total 3203 3203 (%) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 79.6% 0.1% Natural Person 20.4% 99.9% Total 100.0% 100.0% Plaintiff Representation (n) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 2521 28 2549 Optional 311 343 654 Total 2832 371 3203 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 78.7% 0.9% 79.6% Optional 9.7% 10.7% 20.4% Total 88.4% 11.6% 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 4 4 Optional 16 3183 3199 Total 16 3187 3203 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 0.0% 0.1% 0.1% Optional 0.5% 99.4% 99.9% Total 0.5% 99.5% 100.0% Number of Adults in Households Count Percent 0 81 2.5% 1 2306 72.0% 2 658 20.5% 3 120 3.7% 4 24 0.7% 5 8 0.2% 6 5 0.2% 7 1 0.0% Total 3203 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 2416 75.4% Cause 468 14.6% No Fault 293 9.1% Foreclosure 26 0.8% Unknown/Other 0 0.0% Rate per 100,000 Municipality Residents Count Fiskdale 291 9 South Boston 207 70 Holyoke 185 74 Thorndike 144 1 Dorchester 125 115 Southbridge 119 20 Springfield 119 183 Mattapan 112 41 Salem 104 43 Framingham 99 68 Hyannis 99 14 Worcester 99 181 Chestnut Hill 94 2 Lawrence 94 72 Roxbury 88 53 Roslindale 86 25 Brockton 84 79 Foxborough 83 14 Adams 82 7 Lowell 81 87 Everett 79 33 Millers Falls 77 1 New Bedford 77 74 Randolph 77 25 Marlborough 75 29 Chester 74 1 Fall River 74 66 Quincy 74 69 Chelsea 73 26 Lynn 73 66 Charlestown 71 12 North Andover 70 20 Berlin 69 2 Norwood 69 20 Malden 67 40 Milford 67 19 Winchendon 67 7 Gardner 64 13 Chicopee 63 35 Fitchburg 62 25 Hyde Park 62 21 Allston 61 18 Plainville 60 5 Colrain 59 1 Haverhill 59 36 Jamaica Plain 58 22 Revere 57 30 Rockland 57 10 Whitinsville 57 4 Easthampton 56 9 Russell 56 1 Pittsfield 55 25 Weymouth 55 30 Westborough 54 10 Baldwinville 52 1 Cambridge 51 54 Greenfield 51 9 Leominster 51 21 North Adams 51 7 Taunton 51 29 Waltham 51 31 Ware 50 5 Indian Orchard 49 5 Palmer 49 6 South Deerfield 48 1 South Easton 48 5 Turners Falls 48 2 Braintree 47 17 Dorchester Center 47 44 Douglas 47 4 Middleborough 47 11 Webster 47 8 Attleborough 45 20 West Dennis 45 1 West Roxbury 45 14 Clinton 44 6 Littleton 44 4 South Grafton 44 2 Stoughton 44 12 Tyngsborough 44 5 Abington 43 7 Feeding Hills 42 5 Spencer 42 5 Bridgewater 41 11 Bourne 40 8 Boxborough 40 2 Eastham 40 2 Holland 40 1 Peabody 39 20 Hull 38 4 Warren 38 2 Westfield 38 16 Barre 37 2 Dracut 37 11 North Billerica 37 4 North Falmouth 37 1 Watertown 37 12 Burlington 36 9 Hudson 36 7 Oxford 36 5 Wellfleet 36 1 West Tisbury 36 1 Wrentham 36 4 Dudley 35 4 Monson 35 3 Athol 34 4 East Boston 34 14 East Falmouth 34 2 Pocasset 34 1 Three Rivers 34 1 Woburn 34 13 Duxbury 33 5 Ludlow 33 7 Pembroke 33 6 Roxbury Crossing 33 20 Beverly 32 13 Medford 32 18 Northfield 32 1 Acton 31 7 Dennis Port 31 1 Franklin 31 10 Lincoln 31 2 Medway 31 4 Millville 31 1 North Attleborough 31 9 Norton 31 6 Tewksbury 31 9 Amesbury 30 5 Andover 30 10 Ashland 30 5 Cheshire 30 1 Mansfield 30 7 Stow 30 2 Brookfield 29 1 Buzzards Bay 29 1 Maynard 29 3 East Sandwich 28 1 Sharon 28 5 Brighton 27 12 Gloucester 27 8 Holbrook 27 3 Marshfield 27 7 Stoneham 27 6 Sunderland 27 1 Ayer 26 2 Carver 26 3 Hopkinton 26 4 Plymouth 26 15 Methuen 25 12 Northbridge 25 4 Somerville 25 19 South Yarmouth 25 3 Dedham 24 6 Wayland 23 3 Avon 22 1 Boylston 22 1 Danvers 22 6 Oak Bluffs 22 1 Scituate 22 4 North Chelmsford 21 2 Southwick 21 2 West Springfield 21 6 Belchertown 20 3 Chelmsford 20 7 Marion 20 1 Hadley 19 1 Hanson 19 2 Manchester 19 1 Nantucket 19 2 Newtonville 19 1 Rochester 19 1 Shrewsbury 19 7 Arlington 18 8 Auburn 18 3 East Weymouth 18 10 Lakeville 18 2 Melrose 18 5 Saugus 18 5 South Barre 18 1 West Yarmouth 18 1 Billerica 17 7 Needham Heights 17 5 Pepperell 17 2 South Hadley 17 3 Southampton 17 1 Wilmington 17 4 Belmont 16 4 Boston 16 99 Chatham 16 1 Lee 16 1 South Weymouth 16 9 Berkley 15 1 Merrimac 15 1 Natick 15 5 Great Barrington 14 1 Raynham 14 2 Rockport 14 1 Seekonk 14 2 Swampscott 14 2 West Newton 14 2 Amherst 13 5 Canton 13 3 East Wareham 13 3 Shirley 13 1 Wareham 13 3 West Boylston 13 1 Westford 13 3 Bellingham 12 2 E. Boston 12 5 East Longmeadow 12 2 Georgetown 12 1 Millis 12 1 Salisbury 12 1 Walpole 12 3 Blackstone 11 1 Newburyport 11 2 Brewster 10 1 Fayville 10 1 Northampton 10 3 Cherry Valley 9 1 Leicester 9 1 Lunenburg 9 1 Groton 8 1 Harwich 8 1 Medfield 8 1 West Harwich 8 1 Weston 8 1 Agawam 7 2 Bedford 7 1 Centerville 7 1 Charlton 7 1 Holliston 7 1 Kingston 7 1 Mashpee 7 1 Newton 7 6 North Easton 7 1 Northborough 7 1 Uxbridge 7 1 Wilbraham 7 1 Brookline 6 4 Fairhaven 6 1 North Reading 6 1 Swansea 6 1 Westport 6 1 Whitman 6 1 Concord 5 1 Marblehead 5 1 Roxbury Xing 5 3 Somerset 5 1 South Dartmouth 5 2 Sudbury 5 1 Hingham 4 1 North Dartmouth 4 1 Onset 4 1 Wakefield 4 1 Winchester 4 1 East Walpole 3 1 Falmouth 3 1 Lexington 3 1 Wellesley Hills 3 1 Newton Highlands 1 1 (not given) 0 127 DORCHESTER 0 2 chelsea 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 Hampden 495 352 Plymouth 412 178 Worcester 342 381 Suffolk 326 644 Norfolk 313 267 Essex 296 326 Bristol 278 229 Berkshire 260 42 Middlesex 238 557 Barnstable 227 44 Hampshire 162 30 Franklin 151 16 Nantucket 56 2 Dukes 48 2 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/.