Filings Quarter Ending 2025 December 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: 2025-12-31 Earliest Case: 2025-10-01 Latest Case: 2025-12-31 Total Cases: 9644 Total Transfers: 176 -- High-level take-aways: Percentage of landlords for whom attorney is optional: 20.1% Of those, percentage pro se: 53.3% Most common cause: Non-payment Least stable municipality/neighborhood: Holyoke Least stable with 10+ filings: Holyoke Least stable with 100+ filings: Holyoke Least stable county: Hampden Cases per day: 105 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 2166 22.5% northeast 1552 16.1% central 1408 14.6% western 1367 14.2% southeast 1074 11.1% metro_south 914 9.5% malden district 99 1.0% lynn district 96 1.0% lawrence district 83 0.9% brockton district 74 0.8% quincy district 65 0.7% springfield district 65 0.7% fall river district 53 0.5% cambridge district 45 0.5% lowell district 44 0.5% haverhill district 43 0.4% bmc west roxbury 42 0.4% pittsfield district 37 0.4% chelsea district 29 0.3% waltham district 28 0.3% northern berkshire district 27 0.3% somerville district 24 0.2% dedham district 21 0.2% salem district 17 0.2% holyoke district 16 0.2% worcester district 16 0.2% bmc east boston 13 0.1% peabody district 13 0.1% attleboro district 12 0.1% bmc dorchester 12 0.1% fallmouth district 11 0.1% westfield district 11 0.1% barnstable district 10 0.1% framingham district 10 0.1% chicopee district 9 0.1% eastern hampshire district 9 0.1% woburn district 9 0.1% palmer district 8 0.1% hingham district 7 0.1% new bedford district 7 0.1% stoughton district 7 0.1% ayer district 6 0.1% northampton district 6 0.1% orleans district 6 0.1% plymouth district 6 0.1% wareham district 6 0.1% bmc roxbury 5 0.1% concord district 5 0.1% newburyport district 5 0.1% taunton district 5 0.1% wrentham district 5 0.1% bmc central 4 0.0% brookline district 4 0.0% edgartown district 4 0.0% gloucester district 4 0.0% milford district 4 0.0% newton district 4 0.0% bmc brighton 3 0.0% fitchburg district 2 0.0% nantucket district 2 0.0% orange district 2 0.0% bmc charlestown 1 0.0% clinton district 1 0.0% natick district 1 0.0% Party Type (n) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 7703 9 Natural Person 1941 9635 Total 9644 9644 (%) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 79.9% 0.1% Natural Person 20.1% 99.9% Total 100.0% 100.0% Plaintiff Representation (n) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 7606 97 7703 Optional 907 1034 1941 Total 8513 1131 9644 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 78.9% 1.0% 79.9% Optional 9.4% 10.7% 20.1% Total 88.3% 11.7% 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 47 9588 9635 Total 47 9597 9644 (%) 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 0 245 2.5% 1 6853 71.1% 2 2044 21.2% 3 380 3.9% 4 82 0.9% 5 20 0.2% 6 13 0.1% 7 6 0.1% 8 1 0.0% Total 9644 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 7201 74.7% Cause 1447 15.0% No Fault 912 9.5% Foreclosure 83 0.9% Unknown/Other 1 0.0% Rate per 100,000 Municipality Residents Count Holyoke 509 203 South Boston 451 152 Florence 421 4 Southbridge 394 66 Dorchester 389 358 Springfield 371 568 Mattapan 326 119 Berlin 314 9 Fall River 311 277 Adams 306 26 Fiskdale 291 9 Roxbury 290 173 Framingham 288 197 Randolph 286 92 Lawrence 285 218 Chestnut Hill 282 6 New Bedford 274 261 Chelsea 267 94 Buzzards Bay 262 9 Everett 261 109 Gilbertville 260 3 Roslindale 259 75 Norwood 258 74 Worcester 256 465 Marlborough 249 96 Indian Orchard 238 24 Fitchburg 235 95 Chicopee 231 128 Brockton 228 214 Pittsfield 225 101 Lenox Dale 214 1 Malden 213 127 Ware 212 21 Baldwinville 211 4 North Adams 211 29 Athol 207 24 Lowell 205 219 Quincy 205 190 Lynn 201 182 Revere 199 103 Salem 193 80 Gardner 187 38 West Springfield 186 53 South Easton 185 19 Hyannis 177 25 Rockland 177 31 Braintree 176 63 Easthampton 174 28 Haverhill 174 106 Taunton 173 97 North Andover 172 49 Turners Falls 170 7 Jamaica Plain 165 62 Hyde Park 164 55 South Dennis 162 6 Sunderland 162 6 Allston 154 45 Feeding Hills 154 18 Stockbridge 154 3 Westborough 153 28 Chester 149 2 Palmer 148 18 Leominster 147 60 Burlington 146 36 Saugus 146 39 Attleborough 144 63 Cambridge 144 152 Thorndike 144 1 Whitinsville 144 10 Greenfield 143 25 Bedford 142 19 Middleborough 142 33 Oxford 138 19 Abington 137 22 Charlestown 137 23 West Dennis 137 3 Dorchester Center 136 126 Three Rivers 136 4 Waltham 133 81 Clinton 132 18 Webster 131 22 Woburn 131 50 Foxborough 130 22 Peabody 130 67 Holbrook 129 14 East Boston 128 52 Milford 128 36 Dennis Port 126 4 Somerville 126 96 Stoughton 126 34 West Roxbury 124 38 Littleton 123 11 East Falmouth 121 7 Danvers 117 31 Winchendon 116 12 Chilmark 115 1 Cummington 114 1 Ludlow 113 24 Tewksbury 113 33 Westfield 111 46 Hopkinton 107 16 Canton 106 23 Cohasset 106 8 Weymouth 102 55 Marion 101 5 Millis 101 8 Watertown 100 32 Hull 97 10 Tyngsborough 97 11 Warren 97 5 Salisbury 96 8 Methuen 95 45 Mansfield 94 22 West Yarmouth 94 5 Beverly 93 37 Auburn 92 15 Cheshire 92 3 Brighton 91 40 Franklin 91 29 West Boylston 91 7 Hudson 89 17 Chelmsford 88 30 Hanson 88 9 Bridgewater 86 23 Westford 86 19 Spencer 85 10 Ashland 84 14 Dedham 84 21 Dracut 84 25 Great Barrington 84 6 Plainville 84 7 Southwick 84 8 Raynham 82 11 Chesterfield 81 1 Monson 81 7 Plymouth 81 46 Boxborough 80 4 Yarmouth Port 79 4 Andover 78 26 Charlemont 78 1 Medford 78 44 Acton 77 17 Charlton 77 10 Millers Falls 77 1 South Yarmouth 77 9 Pelham 75 1 North Falmouth 74 2 Wellfleet 72 2 Marshfield 71 18 Rockport 71 5 Medway 70 9 Gloucester 69 20 Natick 69 23 Pocasset 69 2 Wayland 69 9 East Weymouth 68 37 Bellingham 67 11 Provincetown 67 2 Northampton 66 19 Oak Bluffs 66 3 North Chelmsford 65 6 North Brookfield 64 3 Hingham 63 14 Wrentham 63 7 Amesbury 61 10 Belchertown 61 9 Shrewsbury 61 22 Bourne 60 12 Eastham 60 3 Colrain 59 1 Douglas 59 5 East Wareham 59 13 Lenox 59 3 East Sandwich 57 2 Arlington 56 24 Becket 56 1 Lakeville 56 6 Russell 56 1 Shelburne Falls 56 1 Melrose 55 15 Roxbury Crossing 55 33 Shirley 55 4 South Weymouth 55 30 Ayer 53 4 Wilmington 53 12 Wakefield 52 13 Orange 51 4 Seekonk 51 7 Stoneham 51 11 Williamstown 51 4 Hanover 50 7 Sudbury 50 9 Wareham 50 11 Mashpee 49 7 Maynard 49 5 Belmont 48 12 South Deerfield 48 1 Norton 47 9 North Billerica 46 5 North Attleborough 45 13 Sharon 45 8 Bradford 44 6 South Grafton 44 2 Sutton 44 4 Boston 43 268 Dudley 43 5 Swampscott 43 6 Wilbraham 42 6 Westminster 41 3 Whitman 41 6 Holland 40 1 Williamsburg 40 1 Winthrop 40 7 Amherst 39 15 Duxbury 39 6 Lunenburg 39 4 Nantucket 39 4 South Hadley 39 7 Agawam 38 11 Newtonville 38 2 Norwell 38 4 Rochester 38 2 Barre 37 2 Billerica 37 15 Ipswich 37 5 Millbury 37 5 Georgetown 36 3 West Tisbury 36 1 Northborough 35 5 Carver 34 4 Needham Heights 34 10 Blackstone 33 3 Lee 33 2 Medfield 33 4 Orleans 33 2 Pembroke 33 6 Scituate 33 6 Northfield 32 1 Westport 32 5 East Taunton 31 2 Kingston 31 4 Lexington 31 10 Lincoln 31 2 Merrimac 31 2 Millville 31 1 Northbridge 31 5 Brewster 30 3 Groveland 30 2 Stow 30 2 Brookfield 29 1 Dalton 29 2 Nahant 29 1 Reading 28 7 West Bridgewater 28 2 Sagamore Beach 27 1 Pepperell 26 3 Wellesley Hills 26 8 East Longmeadow 25 4 Harwich 24 3 Lancaster 24 2 North Easton 23 3 Avon 22 1 Boylston 22 1 Centerville 22 3 Forestdale 22 1 Brookline 20 12 Walpole 20 5 Westwood 20 3 E. Boston 19 8 East Harwich 19 1 Hadley 19 1 Manchester 19 1 South Barre 18 1 Swansea 18 3 Dover 17 1 Mendon 17 1 Newburyport 17 3 Rowley 17 1 Southampton 17 1 Ashburnham 16 1 Chatham 16 1 Granby 16 1 Newton Upper Falls 16 1 North Dartmouth 16 4 Somerset 16 3 West Harwich 16 2 Berkley 15 1 Falmouth 15 5 East Bridgewater 14 2 West Newton 14 2 Onset 13 3 Upton 13 1 East Templeton 12 1 Fairhaven 12 2 Assonet 11 1 Grafton 11 2 Milton 11 3 Auburndale 10 1 Fayville 10 1 Marblehead 10 2 Southborough 10 1 Sturbridge 10 1 Cherry Valley 9 1 Leicester 9 1 Newton 9 8 Rochdale 9 1 Sandwich 9 2 Winchester 9 2 Groton 8 1 Lynnfield 8 1 Rehoboth 8 1 Weston 8 1 Holliston 7 1 Uxbridge 7 1 Wellesley 7 2 Longmeadow 6 1 Needham 6 2 North Reading 6 1 Concord 5 1 Dartmouth 5 2 Holden 5 1 Roxbury Xing 5 3 South Dartmouth 5 2 East Walpole 3 1 North Weymouth 3 2 Barnstable 2 1 Newton Highlands 1 1 (not given) 0 400 DORCHESTER 0 2 chelsea 0 1 span 0 8 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 1586 1128 Plymouth 1174 507 Berkshire 1121 181 Bristol 982 808 Worcester 946 1053 Norfolk 940 802 Suffolk 928 1834 Essex 869 956 Middlesex 714 1668 Barnstable 668 129 Hampshire 597 110 Franklin 455 48 Dukes 121 5 Nantucket 113 4 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/.