Filings Month Ending 2026 April 30

Residential summary process: Filings Report This report examines cases filed recently before reading, for which outcomes were largely unknown. Search Period Start: 2026-04-01 Search Period End: 2026-04-30 Earliest Case: 2026-04-01 Latest Case: 2026-04-24 Total Cases: 2351 Total Transfers: 56 -- High-level take-aways: Percentage of landlords for whom attorney is optional: 23.2% Of those, percentage pro se: 55.2% Most common cause: Non-payment Least stable municipality/neighborhood: Florence Least stable with 10+ filings: Framingham Least stable with 100+ filings: Springfield Least stable county: Berkshire Cases per day: 81 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 495 21.1% northeast 391 16.6% central 385 16.4% western 324 13.8% southeast 282 12.0% metro_south 191 8.1% lynn district 27 1.1% malden district 21 0.9% lawrence district 19 0.8% springfield district 19 0.8% chelsea district 14 0.6% pittsfield district 13 0.6% fall river district 11 0.5% quincy district 11 0.5% brockton district 10 0.4% bmc dorchester 9 0.4% northern berkshire district 9 0.4% somerville district 9 0.4% waltham district 9 0.4% lowell district 7 0.3% bmc west roxbury 6 0.3% bmc east boston 5 0.2% peabody district 5 0.2% attleboro district 4 0.2% ayer district 4 0.2% bmc brighton 4 0.2% chicopee district 4 0.2% barnstable district 3 0.1% bmc central 3 0.1% brookline district 3 0.1% cambridge district 3 0.1% dedham district 3 0.1% new bedford district 3 0.1% newton district 3 0.1% salem district 3 0.1% stoughton district 3 0.1% worcester district 3 0.1% wrentham district 3 0.1% bmc roxbury 2 0.1% eastern hampshire district 2 0.1% edgartown district 2 0.1% fallmouth district 2 0.1% gloucester district 2 0.1% haverhill district 2 0.1% milford district 2 0.1% nantucket district 2 0.1% northampton district 2 0.1% palmer district 2 0.1% concord district 1 0.0% fitchburg district 1 0.0% holyoke district 1 0.0% newburyport district 1 0.0% orange district 1 0.0% plymouth district 1 0.0% southern berkshire district 1 0.0% taunton district 1 0.0% wareham district 1 0.0% woburn district 1 0.0% Party Type (n) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 1806 0 Natural Person 545 2351 Total 2351 2351 (%) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 76.8% 0.0% Natural Person 23.2% 100.0% Total 100.0% 100.0% Plaintiff Representation (n) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 1770 36 1806 Optional 244 301 545 Total 2014 337 2351 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 75.3% 1.5% 76.8% Optional 10.4% 12.8% 23.2% Total 85.7% 14.3% 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 0 0 Optional 18 2333 2351 Total 18 2333 2351 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% Optional 0.8% 99.2% 100.0% Total 0.8% 99.2% 100.0% Number of Adults in Households Count Percent 0 77 3.3% 1 1676 71.3% 2 493 21.0% 3 79 3.4% 4 16 0.7% 5 6 0.3% 6 4 0.2% Total 2351 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 1654 70.4% Cause 401 17.1% No Fault 272 11.6% Foreclosure 21 0.9% Unknown/Other 3 0.1% Rate per 100,000 Municipality Residents Count Florence 316 3 Gilbertville 173 2 Framingham 136 93 Adams 117 10 Erving 111 2 Bondsville 106 2 Oakham 105 2 Vineyard Haven 105 2 Holyoke 97 39 Chestnut Hill 94 2 Everett 91 38 Springfield 90 138 New Bedford 89 85 Lawrence 86 66 Marlborough 85 33 Mattapan 84 31 Dorchester 81 75 Indian Orchard 79 8 Hyde Park 77 26 Jamaica Plain 77 29 Bridgewater 75 20 Pittsfield 75 34 Turners Falls 73 3 Fall River 72 64 Wellfleet 72 2 Hyannis 70 10 Fitchburg 69 28 Chelsea 68 24 Lynn 67 61 Richmond 67 1 Fiskdale 64 2 Orange 63 5 Worcester 63 115 Salem 60 25 Stow 60 4 Chicopee 59 33 Norwood 59 17 Southbridge 59 10 Oxford 58 8 Randolph 56 18 South Boston 56 19 Cambridge 55 58 Lowell 55 59 Stockbridge 51 1 Lee 50 3 Taunton 50 28 Ware 50 5 Gardner 49 10 Hinsdale 49 1 Nantucket 49 5 Roslindale 48 14 Peabody 46 24 Revere 46 24 West Dennis 45 1 Allston 44 13 South Grafton 44 2 Dorchester Center 43 40 Westborough 43 8 Palmer 41 5 Roxbury 41 25 Ayer 40 3 Brockton 39 37 Lunenburg 39 4 Brighton 38 17 Warren 38 2 Canton 37 8 Easthampton 37 6 Haverhill 37 23 Quincy 37 35 West Yarmouth 37 2 Braintree 36 13 North Adams 36 5 Plainville 36 3 Mashpee 35 5 North Andover 35 10 Webster 35 6 Attleborough 34 15 Berlin 34 1 East Falmouth 34 2 South Yarmouth 34 4 Three Rivers 34 1 Burlington 32 8 FISKDALE 32 1 Granby 32 2 Lanesborough 32 1 Malden 31 19 Cheshire 30 1 Cotuit 30 1 Groveland 30 2 Saugus 30 8 Brookfield 29 1 Raynham 29 4 Westfield 29 12 Great Barrington 28 2 Greenfield 28 5 Milford 28 8 Winthrop 28 5 Brimfield 27 1 Marshfield 27 7 South Dennis 27 1 Sunderland 27 1 Tyngsborough 26 3 Methuen 25 12 Stoughton 25 7 Williamstown 25 2 Bellingham 24 4 Edgartown 24 1 Gloucester 24 7 North Attleborough 24 7 Plymouth 24 14 Salisbury 24 2 Wakefield 24 6 Weymouth 24 13 Somerville 23 18 West Newbury 23 1 Boylston 22 1 East Boston 22 9 Holliston 22 3 Hubbardston 22 1 Wareham 22 5 Watertown 21 7 Wilbraham 21 3 Beverly 20 8 Marion 20 1 Marstons Mills 20 1 Southborough 20 2 Falmouth 19 6 Maynard 19 2 Northbridge 19 3 Rochester 19 1 West Roxbury 19 6 Danvers 18 5 East Wareham 18 4 Hingham 18 4 Holbrook 18 2 Leicester 18 2 South Barre 18 1 Charlestown 17 3 Dudley 17 2 Leominster 17 7 Lynnfield 17 2 Mansfield 17 4 Rockland 17 3 West Springfield 17 5 Concord 16 3 Dedham 16 4 Grafton 16 3 Medford 16 9 South Weymouth 16 9 Brookline 15 9 Charlton 15 2 Franklin 15 5 Lexington 15 5 Lincoln 15 1 Millbury 15 2 East Bridgewater 14 2 Hanover 14 2 Ludlow 14 3 Northborough 14 2 Rockport 14 1 Seekonk 14 2 Swampscott 14 2 Waltham 14 9 Belchertown 13 2 Cohasset 13 1 Dracut 13 4 Shirley 13 1 Tewksbury 13 4 West Boylston 13 1 Woburn 13 5 Abington 12 2 Andover 12 4 Ashland 12 2 Auburn 12 2 Boston 12 76 Middleborough 12 3 Millis 12 1 Natick 12 4 Sterling 12 1 Westport 12 2 Foxborough 11 2 Melrose 11 3 Pembroke 11 2 Shrewsbury 11 4 South Hadley 11 2 Sudbury 11 2 Townsend 11 1 Agawam 10 3 Hudson 10 2 North Chelmsford 10 1 Southwick 10 1 Hull 9 1 North Billerica 9 1 Sandwich 9 2 South Easton 9 1 Stoneham 9 2 Winchester 9 2 Athol 8 1 Feeding Hills 8 1 Harwich 8 1 Norfolk 8 1 Pepperell 8 1 Rehoboth 8 1 Roxbury Crossing 8 5 Spencer 8 1 Walpole 8 2 Amherst 7 3 Bedford 7 1 Billerica 7 3 Bradford 7 1 East Weymouth 7 4 Medway 7 1 North Easton 7 1 Wayland 7 1 Amesbury 6 1 Longmeadow 6 1 North Reading 6 1 Whitman 6 1 Newburyport 5 1 Sharon 5 1 Somerset 5 1 South Dartmouth 5 2 Acton 4 1 Arlington 4 2 Belmont 4 1 Onset 4 1 Westford 4 1 Wilmington 4 1 Milton 3 1 Northampton 3 1 South Walpole 3 1 Wellesley Hills 3 1 Newton 2 2 DORCHESTER 1 1 FRAMINGHAM 1 1 Newton Highlands 1 1 (not given) 0 67 span 0 1 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 Berkshire 377 61 Hampden 360 256 Bristol 263 217 Plymouth 254 110 Essex 241 266 Suffolk 223 442 Worcester 222 248 Barnstable 196 38 Norfolk 193 165 Middlesex 185 432 Franklin 151 16 Nantucket 142 5 Hampshire 130 24 Dukes 73 3 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/.