Filings Month Ending 2026 March 31

Residential summary process: Filings Report This report examines cases filed recently before reading, for which outcomes were largely unknown. Search Period Start: 2026-03-01 Search Period End: 2026-03-31 Earliest Case: 2026-03-02 Latest Case: 2026-03-27 Total Cases: 3106 Total Transfers: 55 -- High-level take-aways: Percentage of landlords for whom attorney is optional: 20.3% Of those, percentage pro se: 59.3% Most common cause: Non-payment Least stable municipality/neighborhood: Florence Least stable with 10+ filings: Southbridge Least stable with 100+ filings: Springfield Least stable county: Hampden Cases per day: 103 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 696 22.4% northeast 484 15.6% western 435 14.0% central 431 13.9% southeast 348 11.2% metro_south 320 10.3% malden district 52 1.7% lynn district 38 1.2% lawrence district 26 0.8% brockton district 24 0.8% cambridge district 19 0.6% pittsfield district 17 0.5% chelsea district 15 0.5% fall river district 15 0.5% haverhill district 13 0.4% lowell district 13 0.4% quincy district 13 0.4% holyoke district 12 0.4% dedham district 10 0.3% bmc central 9 0.3% bmc west roxbury 9 0.3% northern berkshire district 8 0.3% somerville district 7 0.2% waltham district 7 0.2% westfield district 7 0.2% wrentham district 6 0.2% bmc dorchester 5 0.2% worcester district 5 0.2% attleboro district 4 0.1% bmc east boston 4 0.1% bmc roxbury 4 0.1% chicopee district 4 0.1% fallmouth district 4 0.1% framingham district 4 0.1% newton district 4 0.1% orange district 4 0.1% peabody district 4 0.1% salem district 3 0.1% wareham district 3 0.1% woburn district 3 0.1% ayer district 2 0.1% barnstable district 2 0.1% nantucket district 2 0.1% palmer district 2 0.1% springfield district 2 0.1% clinton district 1 0.0% concord district 1 0.0% eastern hampshire district 1 0.0% fitchburg district 1 0.0% hingham district 1 0.0% plymouth district 1 0.0% uxbridge district 1 0.0% Party Type (n) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 2474 4 Natural Person 632 3102 Total 3106 3106 (%) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 79.7% 0.1% Natural Person 20.3% 99.9% Total 100.0% 100.0% Plaintiff Representation (n) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 2451 23 2474 Optional 257 375 632 Total 2708 398 3106 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 78.9% 0.7% 79.7% Optional 8.3% 12.1% 20.3% Total 87.2% 12.8% 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 3 4 Optional 21 3081 3102 Total 22 3084 3106 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 0.0% 0.1% 0.1% Optional 0.7% 99.2% 99.9% Total 0.7% 99.3% 100.0% Number of Adults in Households Count Percent 0 79 2.5% 1 2223 71.6% 2 669 21.5% 3 92 3.0% 4 32 1.0% 5 6 0.2% 6 4 0.1% 7 1 0.0% Total 3106 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 2410 77.6% Cause 409 13.2% No Fault 258 8.3% Foreclosure 27 0.9% Unknown/Other 2 0.1% Rate per 100,000 Municipality Residents Count Florence 316 3 Southbridge 185 31 South Boston 160 54 Indian Orchard 148 15 Chestnut Hill 141 3 Holyoke 140 56 Mattapan 139 51 Sunderland 135 5 Fiskdale 129 4 Randolph 127 41 Springfield 124 191 Webster 119 20 Framingham 117 80 Fall River 108 96 Norwood 108 31 Mashpee 107 15 Monterey 104 1 Chelsea 102 36 New Braintree 100 1 Whitinsville 100 7 South Deerfield 97 2 Warren 97 5 Hadley 95 5 Malden 95 57 Lowell 93 100 Roxbury 93 56 West Wareham 92 2 Everett 91 38 Orange 89 7 Revere 88 46 New Bedford 87 83 Dorchester 84 78 Pittsfield 84 38 Charlemont 78 1 Millers Falls 77 1 Quincy 74 69 Plainville 72 6 Hyde Park 71 24 Worcester 70 127 Lynn 67 61 Jamaica Plain 66 25 North Adams 65 9 North Billerica 65 7 Dennis Port 63 2 Greenfield 63 11 Abington 62 10 Lawrence 62 48 Sheffield 61 2 Bridgewater 60 16 Westborough 60 11 East Boston 59 24 Lenox 59 3 South Easton 58 6 Fitchburg 57 23 Northampton 56 16 Russell 56 1 Cambridge 55 58 Chicopee 54 30 Marlborough 54 21 Wales 54 1 Carver 52 6 Canton 51 11 Rockland 51 9 Brockton 50 47 Hyannis 49 7 Dedham 48 12 Stoughton 48 13 Adams 47 4 Lakeville 47 5 Bernardston 46 1 Brighton 45 20 Danvers 45 12 Huntington 45 1 Saugus 45 12 West Springfield 45 13 Wrentham 45 5 Braintree 44 16 Leominster 44 18 North Oxford 44 1 Tyngsborough 44 5 Mansfield 43 10 Middleborough 43 10 Salem 43 18 Agawam 42 12 Allston 41 12 Foxborough 41 7 Haverhill 41 25 Palmer 41 5 Roslindale 41 12 Belmont 40 10 Eastham 40 2 Weymouth 40 22 Lunenburg 39 4 Medway 39 5 Hull 38 4 Rochester 38 2 Sterling 38 3 Waltham 37 23 West Yarmouth 37 2 Bellingham 36 6 Dorchester Center 36 34 Hudson 36 7 Charlestown 35 6 Taunton 35 20 Belchertown 34 5 Gardner 34 7 Spencer 34 4 Hopkinton 33 5 Lee 33 2 Melrose 33 9 Provincetown 33 1 Shrewsbury 33 12 Wakefield 32 8 East Taunton 31 2 Northbridge 31 5 Peabody 31 16 Somerville 31 24 Cheshire 30 1 Plymouth 30 17 Ware 30 3 Buzzards Bay 29 1 Hatfield 29 1 Nahant 29 1 Oxford 29 4 Princeton 29 1 Burlington 28 7 Franklin 28 9 Osterville 28 1 Winthrop 28 5 Woburn 28 11 Andover 27 9 East Wareham 27 6 Gloucester 27 8 Sagamore Beach 27 1 South Dennis 27 1 West Brookfield 27 1 Duxbury 26 4 Roxbury Crossing 26 16 Westfield 26 11 Fairhaven 25 4 Feeding Hills 25 3 Easthampton 24 4 North Attleborough 24 7 South Weymouth 24 13 Arlington 23 10 Ludlow 23 5 Medford 23 13 West Newbury 23 1 Acton 22 5 Forestdale 22 1 Townsend 22 2 Wareham 22 5 Milford 21 6 North Andover 21 6 North Chelmsford 21 2 Seekonk 21 3 Swampscott 21 3 Beverly 20 8 Dracut 20 6 Marstons Mills 20 1 Reading 20 5 Billerica 19 8 Boston 19 118 Deerfield 19 1 Maynard 19 2 Methuen 19 9 Nantucket 19 2 West Roxbury 19 6 Yarmouth Port 19 1 Chelmsford 17 6 Dover 17 1 East Falmouth 17 1 Lynnfield 17 2 South Hadley 17 3 South Yarmouth 17 2 Attleborough 16 7 East Weymouth 16 9 Grafton 16 3 Mattapoisett 16 1 Newton Upper Falls 16 1 Topsfield 16 1 Bedford 15 2 Bourne 15 3 Natick 15 5 Norton 15 3 Stow 15 1 Watertown 15 5 Wayland 15 2 Clinton 14 2 Dalton 14 1 East Bridgewater 14 2 Holliston 14 2 Northborough 14 2 Amherst 13 5 Brookline 13 8 Hingham 13 3 Shirley 13 1 Wellesley Hills 13 4 West Boylston 13 1 Westford 13 3 Whitman 13 2 Georgetown 12 1 Lancaster 12 1 Millis 12 1 North Grafton 12 1 Rutland 12 1 Salisbury 12 1 Waban 12 1 Assonet 11 1 Blackstone 11 1 Concord 11 2 Douglas 11 1 Middleton 11 1 Monson 11 1 Scituate 11 2 Sharon 11 2 Brewster 10 1 Needham Heights 10 3 Southwick 10 1 Tewksbury 10 3 Acushnet 9 1 Hanson 9 1 Stoneham 9 2 Winchendon 9 1 Athol 8 1 Dudley 8 1 Medfield 8 1 Walpole 8 2 West Harwich 8 1 Charlton 7 1 Hanover 7 1 Kingston 7 1 Marshfield 7 2 Millbury 7 1 Uxbridge 7 1 West Newton 7 1 Wilbraham 7 1 Amesbury 6 1 Ashland 6 1 Auburn 6 1 East Longmeadow 6 1 Lexington 6 2 Longmeadow 6 1 Needham 6 2 North Reading 6 1 Swansea 6 1 Westwood 6 1 Holden 5 1 Marblehead 5 1 Pembroke 5 1 Somerset 5 1 Sudbury 5 1 E. Boston 4 2 Wilmington 4 1 Winchester 4 1 Falmouth 3 1 Newton 3 3 Newton Lower Falls 3 3 North Weymouth 3 2 Dartmouth 2 1 South Dartmouth 2 1 Newton Highlands 1 1 (not given) 0 101 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 489 348 Berkshire 377 61 Plymouth 368 159 Norfolk 357 305 Suffolk 316 625 Bristol 300 247 Worcester 283 316 Franklin 274 29 Hampshire 249 46 Middlesex 246 574 Barnstable 233 45 Essex 222 245 Nantucket 56 2 Dukes 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/.