Filings Month Ending 2026 July 31

Residential summary process: Filings Report This report examines cases filed recently before reading, for which outcomes were largely unknown. Search Period Start: 2026-07-01 Search Period End: 2026-07-31 Earliest Case: 2026-07-01 Latest Case: 2026-07-31 Total Cases: 3253 Total Transfers: 73 -- High-level take-aways: Percentage of landlords for whom attorney is optional: 21.4% Of those, percentage pro se: 55.1% Most common cause: Non-payment Least stable municipality/neighborhood: Holyoke Least stable with 10+ filings: Holyoke Least stable with 100+ filings: Springfield Least stable county: Hampden Cases per day: 108 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 629 19.3% northeast 550 16.9% central 491 15.1% western 450 13.8% southeast 398 12.2% metro_south 310 9.5% lawrence district 42 1.3% malden district 40 1.2% lynn district 36 1.1% pittsfield district 27 0.8% fall river district 26 0.8% brockton district 22 0.7% cambridge district 21 0.6% quincy district 18 0.6% lowell district 17 0.5% chelsea district 15 0.5% bmc west roxbury 13 0.4% springfield district 13 0.4% haverhill district 11 0.3% eastern hampshire district 10 0.3% northern berkshire district 10 0.3% salem district 8 0.2% bmc dorchester 7 0.2% peabody district 7 0.2% milford district 6 0.2% barnstable district 5 0.2% bmc brighton 5 0.2% orleans district 5 0.2% somerville district 5 0.2% waltham district 5 0.2% bmc central 4 0.1% woburn district 4 0.1% attleboro district 3 0.1% bmc east boston 3 0.1% bmc roxbury 3 0.1% framingham district 3 0.1% holyoke district 3 0.1% plymouth district 3 0.1% westfield district 3 0.1% concord district 2 0.1% fallmouth district 2 0.1% newburyport district 2 0.1% worcester district 2 0.1% ayer district 1 0.0% chicopee district 1 0.0% dedham district 1 0.0% edgartown district 1 0.0% fitchburg district 1 0.0% gloucester district 1 0.0% hingham district 1 0.0% leominster district 1 0.0% marlborough district 1 0.0% natick district 1 0.0% newton district 1 0.0% stoughton district 1 0.0% taunton district 1 0.0% wrentham district 1 0.0% Party Type (n) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 2558 14 Natural Person 695 3239 Total 3253 3253 (%) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 78.6% 0.4% Natural Person 21.4% 99.6% Total 100.0% 100.0% Plaintiff Representation (n) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 2527 31 2558 Optional 312 383 695 Total 2839 414 3253 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 77.7% 1.0% 78.6% Optional 9.6% 11.8% 21.4% Total 87.3% 12.7% 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 1 13 14 Optional 16 3223 3239 Total 17 3236 3253 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 0.0% 0.4% 0.4% Optional 0.5% 99.1% 99.6% Total 0.5% 99.5% 100.0% Number of Adults in Households Count Percent 0 105 3.2% 1 2260 69.5% 2 697 21.4% 3 141 4.3% 4 34 1.0% 5 12 0.4% 6 4 0.1% Total 3253 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 2465 75.8% Cause 412 12.7% No Fault 347 10.7% Foreclosure 27 0.8% Unknown/Other 2 0.1% Rate per 100,000 Municipality Residents Count Holyoke 142 57 Chestnut Hill 141 3 Leyden 140 1 South Dennis 135 5 East Falmouth 121 7 Springfield 120 185 Rockland 114 20 Fall River 106 95 Everett 105 44 Vineyard Haven 105 2 Dorchester 104 96 Fitchburg 104 42 Fiskdale 97 3 New Bedford 97 93 South Chatham 97 1 Plainville 96 8 Norwood 94 27 Milford 92 26 Revere 92 48 Worcester 92 167 Framingham 90 62 Lawrence 87 67 Gilbertville 86 1 Holbrook 83 9 Marion 81 4 Pittsfield 80 36 Indian Orchard 79 8 Stoughton 77 21 Chelsea 76 27 Lowell 76 81 Lynn 75 68 South Hadley 74 13 Brockton 73 69 Hudson 73 14 Wrentham 73 8 Wellfleet 72 2 Hyde Park 71 24 Southbridge 71 12 Webster 71 12 Belchertown 68 10 Roxbury 68 41 Orleans 67 4 "Salem" 65 27 Greenfield 63 11 Malden 63 38 Mattapan 63 23 Orange 63 5 Quincy 63 59 Randolph 62 20 Haverhill 59 36 Buzzards Bay 58 2 Jamaica Plain 58 22 Peabody 58 30 Cambridge 57 60 East Sandwich 57 2 "Becket" 56 1 Saugus 56 15 Roslindale 55 16 Sagamore Beach 55 2 Woburn 55 21 Brighton 54 24 Gardner 54 11 Wales 54 1 West Brookfield 54 2 Westborough 54 10 Shrewsbury 53 19 Baldwinville 52 1 Buckland 52 1 Dorchester Center 52 48 Oakham 52 1 Weymouth 52 28 Clinton 51 7 South Yarmouth 51 6 Spencer 51 6 Taunton 51 29 Attleboro Falls 50 1 Lee 50 3 Hinsdale 49 1 Hyannis 49 7 Marlborough 49 19 North Truro 49 1 Bridgewater 48 13 Winchendon 48 5 Adams 47 4 Allston 47 14 Lakeville 47 5 Winthrop 45 8 South Boston 44 15 North Adams 43 6 Whitinsville 43 3 Plymouth 42 24 Waltham 42 26 West Springfield 42 12 Chicopee 41 23 Leominster 41 17 Tewksbury 41 12 Beverly 40 16 Holland 40 1 Methuen 40 19 Lunenburg 39 4 Somerville 39 30 Yarmouth Port 39 2 Attleborough 38 17 East Dennis 38 1 Mansfield 38 9 Middleborough 38 9 Abington 37 6 Bradford 37 5 Canton 37 8 North Falmouth 37 1 "Salisbury" 36 3 Swampscott 36 5 West Tisbury 36 1 Monson 35 3 Tyngsborough 35 4 Berlin 34 1 East Boston 34 14 Gloucester 34 10 Lynnfield 34 4 Three Rivers 34 1 "Duxbury" 33 5 Hardwick 33 1 Provincetown 33 1 Salem 33 14 Northfield 32 1 Wakefield 32 8 Westport 32 5 Franklin 31 10 Lincoln 31 2 North Andover 31 9 Bedford 30 4 Brewster 30 3 Brookfield 29 1 Maynard 29 3 Seekonk 29 4 South Easton 29 3 Northborough 28 4 Natick 27 9 Ayer 26 2 Dudley 26 3 Norton 26 5 West Boylston 26 2 Athol 25 3 Marblehead 25 5 Newton Center 25 1 Northbridge 25 4 Williamstown 25 2 Auburn 24 4 Burlington 24 6 Harwich 24 3 Palmer 24 3 Turners Falls 24 1 Westfield 24 10 "Lynn" 23 21 Arlington 23 10 Charlestown 23 4 Chelmsford 23 8 Ludlow 23 5 North Easton 23 3 Roxbury Crossing 23 14 Wayland 23 3 Braintree 22 8 Centerville 22 3 Danvers 22 6 Littleton 22 2 Melrose 22 6 Raynham 22 3 Sutton 22 2 West Roxbury 22 7 Wilmington 22 5 Amherst 21 8 Boxborough 20 1 Dracut 20 6 North Attleborough 20 6 Walpole 20 5 Whitman 20 3 Billerica 19 8 Hadley 19 1 Lenox 19 1 Marshfield 19 5 Medford 19 11 Newtonville 19 1 Warren 19 1 Barre 18 1 Brookline 18 11 Cherry Valley 18 2 East Wareham 18 4 Hingham 18 4 West Yarmouth 18 1 Westford 18 4 Boston 17 108 Dover 17 1 Feeding Hills 17 2 Foxborough 17 3 Holden 17 3 Rehoboth 17 2 Chatham 16 1 Granby 16 1 Somerset 16 3 Topsfield 16 1 Bourne 15 3 Kingston 15 2 Medway 15 2 Millbury 15 2 Stow 15 1 Watertown 15 5 Dalton 14 1 Great Barrington 14 1 Mashpee 14 2 Northampton 14 4 Oxford 14 2 Rockport 14 1 Uxbridge 14 2 Acton 13 3 East Weymouth 13 7 Needham Heights 13 4 Stoneham 13 3 Westminster 13 1 Amesbury 12 2 Bellingham 12 2 Belmont 12 3 Dedham 12 3 Fairhaven 12 2 Georgetown 12 1 Rutland 12 1 Salisbury 12 1 Assonet 11 1 Pembroke 11 2 Townsend 11 1 Agawam 10 3 Southborough 10 1 Sturbridge 10 1 Ware 10 1 Andover 9 3 Nantucket 9 1 North Billerica 9 1 Onset 9 2 South Weymouth 9 5 WATERTOWN 9 3 Wareham 9 2 Winchester 9 2 Easton 8 2 Groton 8 1 "Cambridge" 7 8 "Mashpee" 7 1 Charlton 7 1 East Walpole 7 2 Hanover 7 1 Holliston 7 1 Wellesley 7 2 "Methuen" 6 3 Hopkinton 6 1 Longmeadow 6 1 "Sharon" 5 1 Grafton 5 1 Newburyport 5 1 Sharon 5 1 Sudbury 5 1 Sandwich 4 1 Falmouth 3 1 Milton 3 1 Needham 3 1 Wellesley Hills 3 1 "South Dartmouth" 2 1 South Dartmouth 2 1 "Quincy" 1 1 E. Weymouth 1 1 Newton 1 1 Newton Lower Falls 1 1 North Weymouth 1 1 SPRINGFIELD 1 3 (not given) 0 155 span 0 2 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 447 318 Plymouth 419 181 Worcester 353 393 Berkshire 347 56 Bristol 346 285 Essex 339 373 Barnstable 326 63 Norfolk 310 265 Suffolk 280 553 Middlesex 234 547 Hampshire 206 38 Franklin 189 20 Dukes 73 3 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/.