Filings Month Ending 2023 July 31

Residential summary process: Filings Report This report examines cases filed recently before reading, for which outcomes were largely unknown. Search Period Start: 2023-07-01 Search Period End: 2023-07-31 Earliest Case: 2023-07-03 Latest Case: 2023-07-31 Total Cases: 3264 Total Transfers: 73 -- High-level take-aways: Percentage of landlords for whom attorney is optional: 25.2% Of those, percentage pro se: 57.2% Most common cause: Non-payment Least stable municipality/neighborhood: Florence Least stable with 10+ filings: Holyoke Least stable with 100+ filings: Fall River 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 northeast 598 18.3% western 543 16.6% eastern 503 15.4% central 489 15.0% southeast 366 11.2% metro_south 310 9.5% fall river district 40 1.2% quincy district 32 1.0% malden district 29 0.9% brockton district 26 0.8% lynn district 23 0.7% woburn district 23 0.7% lawrence district 16 0.5% lowell district 16 0.5% waltham district 16 0.5% pittsfield district 15 0.5% barnstable district 14 0.4% cambridge district 14 0.4% haverhill district 14 0.4% northern berkshire district 14 0.4% bmc west roxbury 10 0.3% salem district 10 0.3% somerville district 10 0.3% bmc central 9 0.3% chelsea district 9 0.3% dedham district 9 0.3% new bedford district 9 0.3% attleboro district 7 0.2% bmc east boston 7 0.2% fallmouth district 6 0.2% peabody district 6 0.2% wareham district 6 0.2% bmc roxbury 5 0.2% edgartown district 5 0.2% hingham district 5 0.2% bmc brighton 4 0.1% framingham district 4 0.1% orleans district 4 0.1% taunton district 4 0.1% plymouth district 3 0.1% southern berkshire district 3 0.1% springfield district 3 0.1% wrentham district 3 0.1% bmc dorchester 2 0.1% chicopee district 2 0.1% concord district 2 0.1% newton district 2 0.1% stoughton district 2 0.1% westfield district 2 0.1% brookline district 1 0.0% clinton district 1 0.0% eastern hampshire district 1 0.0% fitchburg district 1 0.0% holyoke district 1 0.0% nantucket district 1 0.0% natick district 1 0.0% newburyport district 1 0.0% northampton district 1 0.0% worcester district 1 0.0% Party Type (n) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 2442 9 Natural Person 822 3255 Total 3264 3264 (%) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 74.8% 0.3% Natural Person 25.2% 99.7% Total 100.0% 100.0% Plaintiff Representation (n) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 2397 45 2442 Optional 352 470 822 Total 2749 515 3264 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 73.4% 1.4% 74.8% Optional 10.8% 14.4% 25.2% Total 84.2% 15.8% 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 0 9 9 Optional 20 3235 3255 Total 20 3244 3264 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 0.0% 0.3% 0.3% Optional 0.6% 99.1% 99.7% Total 0.6% 99.4% 100.0% Number of Adults in Households Count Percent 0 118 3.6% 1 2377 72.8% 2 611 18.7% 3 120 3.7% 4 31 0.9% 5 6 0.2% 9 1 0.0% Total 3264 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 2326 71.3% Cause 497 15.2% No Fault 420 12.9% Foreclosure 21 0.6% Unknown/Other 0 0.0% Rate per 100,000 Municipality Residents Count Florence 527 5 Southfield 202 1 Holyoke 147 59 Fall River 142 127 Chestnut Hill 141 3 Springfield 132 203 Hanson 127 13 Framingham 120 82 Chilmark 115 1 Hyannis 113 16 Chicopee 106 59 Baldwinville 105 2 Berlin 104 3 Three Rivers 102 3 Lowell 100 107 Turners Falls 97 4 New Bedford 96 92 Worcester 93 170 Hyde Park 92 31 Sheffield 92 3 Danvers 90 24 Dorchester 90 83 Randolph 90 29 Fitchburg 89 36 Lawrence 89 68 Marlborough 88 34 West Warren 88 1 Brockton 87 82 Roxbury 87 52 Gilbertville 86 1 Rockland 85 15 Gardner 84 17 Southbridge 83 14 South Dennis 81 3 Stoughton 81 22 Woburn 81 31 North Adams 80 11 Malden 79 47 Chelsea 76 27 Lynn 76 69 Westwood 75 11 Greenfield 74 13 Norwood 73 21 West Barnstable 70 2 East Falmouth 69 4 Indian Orchard 69 7 Pittsfield 69 31 Quincy 69 64 Bellingham 67 11 Haverhill 67 41 Oak Bluffs 66 3 Fiskdale 64 2 North Brookfield 64 3 Dennis Port 63 2 Charlton 61 8 Eastham 60 3 Clarksburg 58 1 Hull 58 6 Salem 58 24 South Easton 58 6 Dorchester Center 56 52 Easthampton 56 9 Osterville 56 2 Wrentham 54 6 Beverly 53 21 Taunton 53 30 Vineyard Haven 52 1 Stockbridge 51 1 Revere 50 26 Ware 50 5 Watertown 50 16 Edgartown 49 2 Hinsdale 49 1 Plainville 48 4 Adams 47 4 Webster 47 8 Mattapan 46 17 Wayland 46 6 Bridgewater 45 12 Jamaica Plain 45 17 Peabody 44 23 Roslindale 44 13 South Grafton 44 2 Waltham 44 27 Middleborough 43 10 Rockport 43 3 South Yarmouth 43 5 Westborough 43 8 Cambridge 42 45 Norton 42 8 Spencer 42 5 East Boston 41 17 Leominster 41 17 Palmer 41 5 Holland 40 1 Weymouth 40 22 Williamstown 38 3 Canton 37 8 Holbrook 37 4 Melrose 37 10 Dedham 36 9 West Tisbury 36 1 Douglas 35 3 Methuen 35 17 Northborough 35 5 Plympton 35 1 Athol 34 4 Franklin 34 11 Westfield 34 14 Medfield 33 4 Provincetown 33 1 Saugus 33 9 Abington 31 5 Acton 31 7 North Andover 31 9 Tewksbury 31 9 West Springfield 31 9 Amesbury 30 5 Brookline 30 18 Cheshire 30 1 Acushnet 29 3 Buzzards Bay 29 1 Burlington 28 7 Hanover 28 4 Jefferson 28 1 Whitinsville 28 2 Andover 27 9 Attleborough 27 12 North Attleborough 27 8 Sagamore Beach 27 1 Somerville 27 21 Wareham 27 6 West Brookfield 27 1 Cohasset 26 2 Dudley 26 3 Everett 26 11 Halifax 26 2 Pepperell 26 3 Brighton 25 11 Feeding Hills 25 3 Orange 25 2 Shrewsbury 25 9 Westport 25 4 Medford 24 14 Plymouth 24 14 Salisbury 24 2 South Weymouth 24 13 Charlestown 23 4 Chelmsford 23 8 Kingston 23 3 Avon 22 1 Bedford 22 3 Boylston 22 1 Forestdale 22 1 Holliston 22 3 Pembroke 22 4 Wilmington 22 5 Winthrop 22 4 Auburndale 21 2 Natick 21 7 North Chelmsford 21 2 Roxbury Crossing 21 13 Allston 20 6 Belchertown 20 3 Boxborough 20 1 Paxton 20 1 Whitman 20 3 Billerica 19 8 Hadley 19 1 Lunenburg 19 2 Manchester 19 1 Maynard 19 2 Nantucket 19 2 Newtonville 19 1 West Roxbury 19 6 Winchendon 19 2 Yarmouth Port 19 1 Ashland 18 3 Barre 18 1 Cherry Valley 18 2 Fairhaven 18 3 Lakeville 18 2 Leicester 18 2 Ludlow 18 4 North Billerica 18 2 South Barre 18 1 West Yarmouth 18 1 Foxborough 17 3 Gloucester 17 5 Lynnfield 17 2 Milford 17 5 Sharon 17 3 Tyngsborough 17 2 Braintree 16 6 Harwich 16 2 Mattapoisett 16 1 Orleans 16 1 Wakefield 16 4 Berkley 15 1 East Taunton 15 1 Hudson 15 3 Lexington 15 5 Marblehead 15 3 Marshfield 15 4 Medway 15 2 Merrimac 15 1 Stow 15 1 Agawam 14 4 Centerville 14 2 Dalton 14 1 Great Barrington 14 1 Mashpee 14 2 Milton 14 4 Oxford 14 2 Raynham 14 2 West Bridgewater 14 1 Wilbraham 14 2 Ayer 13 1 Dracut 13 4 Hingham 13 3 North Reading 13 2 Stoneham 13 3 Westminster 13 1 Auburn 12 2 E. Boston 12 5 East Longmeadow 12 2 Falmouth 12 4 Millis 12 1 North Dartmouth 12 3 Reading 12 3 Walpole 12 3 Blackstone 11 1 East Weymouth 11 6 Littleton 11 1 Monson 11 1 Somerset 11 2 South Hadley 11 2 Sudbury 11 2 Sutton 11 1 Boston 10 65 Southwick 10 1 Sturbridge 10 1 Wellesley Hills 10 3 East Wareham 9 2 Onset 9 2 Carver 8 1 Mansfield 8 2 Norfolk 8 1 Rehoboth 8 1 South Boston 8 3 South Dartmouth 8 3 Weston 8 1 Arlington 7 3 Clinton 7 1 Ipswich 7 1 Millbury 7 1 Northampton 7 2 Swampscott 7 1 Uxbridge 7 1 West Newton 7 1 Hopkinton 6 1 Amherst 5 2 Holden 5 1 Newburyport 5 1 Scituate 5 1 Westford 4 1 Needham 3 1 Needham Heights 3 1 Newton 2 2 West Medford 1 1 (not given) 0 200 span 0 4 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 530 377 Plymouth 456 197 Bristol 374 308 Berkshire 365 59 Norfolk 348 297 Worcester 318 354 Essex 308 339 Barnstable 279 54 Middlesex 242 565 Suffolk 228 452 Dukes 195 8 Franklin 180 19 Hampshire 157 29 Nantucket 56 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/.