Filings Month Ending 2023 November 30

Residential summary process: Filings Report This report examines cases filed recently before reading, for which outcomes were largely unknown. Search Period Start: 2023-11-01 Search Period End: 2023-11-30 Earliest Case: 2023-11-01 Latest Case: 2023-11-30 Total Cases: 3065 Total Transfers: 74 -- High-level take-aways: Percentage of landlords for whom attorney is optional: 24.9% Of those, percentage pro se: 55.0% Most common cause: Non-payment Least stable municipality/neighborhood: New Ashford Least stable with 10+ filings: Chelsea Least stable with 100+ filings: New Bedford Least stable county: Plymouth 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 northeast 542 17.7% eastern 501 16.3% central 477 15.6% western 436 14.2% southeast 365 11.9% metro_south 299 9.8% malden district 58 1.9% lawrence district 44 1.4% chelsea district 33 1.1% lynn district 32 1.0% pittsfield district 25 0.8% quincy district 23 0.8% brockton district 20 0.7% northern berkshire district 18 0.6% fall river district 15 0.5% lowell district 15 0.5% bmc west roxbury 14 0.5% somerville district 12 0.4% woburn district 11 0.4% cambridge district 10 0.3% haverhill district 9 0.3% newburyport district 8 0.3% salem district 8 0.3% waltham district 8 0.3% framingham district 7 0.2% newton district 7 0.2% attleboro district 6 0.2% milford district 5 0.2% orleans district 5 0.2% springfield district 5 0.2% worcester district 5 0.2% chicopee district 4 0.1% bmc roxbury 3 0.1% fallmouth district 3 0.1% holyoke district 3 0.1% wrentham district 3 0.1% ayer district 2 0.1% bmc brighton 2 0.1% bmc dorchester 2 0.1% dedham district 2 0.1% fitchburg district 2 0.1% gloucester district 2 0.1% taunton district 2 0.1% barnstable district 1 0.0% bmc east boston 1 0.0% eastern hampshire district 1 0.0% greenfield district 1 0.0% nantucket district 1 0.0% natick district 1 0.0% new bedford district 1 0.0% palmer district 1 0.0% plymouth district 1 0.0% uxbridge district 1 0.0% wareham district 1 0.0% westfield district 1 0.0% Party Type (n) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 2303 3 Natural Person 762 3062 Total 3065 3065 (%) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 75.1% 0.1% Natural Person 24.9% 99.9% Total 100.0% 100.0% Plaintiff Representation (n) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 2267 36 2303 Optional 343 419 762 Total 2610 455 3065 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 74.0% 1.2% 75.1% Optional 11.2% 13.7% 24.9% Total 85.2% 14.8% 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 3 3 Optional 20 3042 3062 Total 20 3045 3065 (%) 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 0 106 3.5% 1 2246 73.3% 2 592 19.3% 3 93 3.0% 4 17 0.6% 5 7 0.2% 6 2 0.1% 7 2 0.1% Total 3065 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 2198 71.7% Cause 446 14.6% No Fault 387 12.6% Foreclosure 32 1.0% Unknown/Other 2 0.1% Rate per 100,000 Municipality Residents Count New Ashford 438 1 North Chatham 142 1 Chelsea 133 47 Indian Orchard 119 12 Canton 115 25 New Bedford 110 105 Mattapan 109 40 West Barnstable 106 3 Newton Center 102 4 Whitinsville 100 7 Norwood 97 28 Turners Falls 97 4 Framingham 95 65 Southbridge 95 16 Adams 94 8 Dennis Port 94 3 Worcester 92 168 Fitchburg 89 36 Cataumet 88 1 Roxbury 87 52 Athol 86 10 Shirley 83 6 South Dennis 81 3 Braintree 75 27 Dorchester 75 69 Fall River 73 65 Hopkinton 73 11 Leominster 73 30 Middleborough 73 17 Springfield 73 113 Berlin 69 2 East Falmouth 69 4 Lowell 68 73 Taunton 68 38 North Adams 65 9 Revere 65 34 Westborough 65 12 Everett 64 27 Gardner 64 13 Pittsfield 64 29 Brockton 63 60 Granville 63 1 Rockland 62 11 Whitman 62 9 Cheshire 61 2 Plainville 60 5 Hyde Park 59 20 Lynn 59 54 Buzzards Bay 58 2 Weymouth 57 31 Bridgewater 56 15 Mansfield 56 13 Erving 55 1 Quincy 53 49 Attleborough 52 23 Baldwinville 52 1 Buckland 52 1 Holyoke 52 21 Lawrence 52 40 Allston 51 15 Chicopee 50 28 Milford 50 14 Amesbury 49 8 Hinsdale 49 1 Marlborough 49 19 Palmer 49 6 Randolph 49 16 Roslindale 48 14 South Easton 48 5 Chestnut Hill 47 1 Kingston 47 6 West Wareham 46 1 East Brookfield 45 1 West Springfield 45 13 Cambridge 44 47 Ashland 42 7 Hyannis 42 6 North Brookfield 42 2 Charlestown 41 7 East Boston 41 17 Saugus 41 11 Woburn 41 16 Jamaica Plain 40 15 Stoughton 40 11 Somerville 39 30 Orange 38 3 Warren 38 2 Winchendon 38 4 Barre 37 2 Danvers 37 10 Holbrook 37 4 Walpole 37 9 Watertown 37 12 Clinton 36 5 Wrentham 36 4 Mashpee 35 5 Feeding Hills 34 4 Provincetown 33 1 Sudbury 33 6 Dedham 32 8 Wakefield 32 8 Brighton 31 14 Gloucester 31 9 Malden 31 19 Millville 31 1 Brewster 30 3 Millbury 30 4 Southborough 30 3 Brookfield 29 1 Dorchester Center 29 27 Nahant 29 1 Salem 29 12 West Roxbury 29 9 Franklin 28 9 Northborough 28 4 Rockport 28 2 Sagamore 27 1 Sunderland 27 1 Westwood 27 4 Dudley 26 3 Hudson 26 5 Beverly 25 10 Peabody 25 13 South Yarmouth 25 3 Spencer 25 3 Williamstown 25 2 Edgartown 24 1 North Attleborough 24 7 Charlton 23 3 Chelmsford 23 8 Medford 23 13 Webster 23 4 Raynham 22 3 South Grafton 22 1 Uxbridge 22 3 Auburndale 21 2 Hanover 21 3 Northampton 21 6 Waltham 21 13 Boxborough 20 1 Dracut 20 6 Eastham 20 1 Marblehead 20 4 Marstons Mills 20 1 Billerica 19 8 Hull 19 2 Manchester 19 1 Marshfield 19 5 Nantucket 19 2 Northbridge 19 3 Yarmouth Port 19 1 Abington 18 3 Cherry Valley 18 2 Lakeville 18 2 North Billerica 18 2 Rochdale 18 2 West Yarmouth 18 1 Dover 17 1 Foxborough 17 3 Pepperell 17 2 Plymouth 17 10 Sharon 17 3 Chatham 16 1 Medfield 16 2 Newton Upper Falls 16 1 Somerset 16 3 East Taunton 15 1 Ipswich 15 2 Natick 15 5 North Easton 15 2 Stow 15 1 Wayland 15 2 Agawam 14 4 Dighton 14 1 Great Barrington 14 1 Milton 14 4 Oxford 14 2 Seekonk 14 2 South Boston 14 5 West Newton 14 2 Acton 13 3 Ayer 13 1 East Wareham 13 3 Haverhill 13 8 Hingham 13 3 Tewksbury 13 4 Upton 13 1 Wareham 13 3 West Boylston 13 1 Auburn 12 2 Burlington 12 3 Fairhaven 12 2 Longmeadow 12 2 North Dartmouth 12 3 Reading 12 3 Westfield 12 5 Westport 12 2 Arlington 11 5 Blackstone 11 1 East Weymouth 11 6 Greenfield 11 2 Melrose 11 3 South Hadley 11 2 Townsend 11 1 Winthrop 11 2 Brookline 10 6 Methuen 10 5 North Chelmsford 10 1 Norton 10 2 Southwick 10 1 Boston 9 60 Hanson 9 1 Leicester 9 1 Lexington 9 3 Ludlow 9 2 Maynard 9 1 Groton 8 1 Shrewsbury 8 3 Tyngsborough 8 1 West Harwich 8 1 Amherst 7 3 Holliston 7 1 Medway 7 1 Belchertown 6 1 Bellingham 6 1 Duxbury 6 1 East Longmeadow 6 1 Easthampton 6 1 North Reading 6 1 Roxbury Crossing 6 4 Bourne 5 1 Holden 5 1 Pembroke 5 1 Scituate 5 1 Onset 4 1 Sandwich 4 1 Stoneham 4 1 Wilmington 4 1 Andover 3 1 East Walpole 3 1 Falmouth 3 1 Needham Heights 3 1 North Andover 3 1 South Weymouth 3 2 (not given) 0 553 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 Plymouth 365 158 Bristol 336 277 Worcester 336 374 Berkshire 328 53 Norfolk 307 262 Hampden 299 213 Barnstable 233 45 Suffolk 228 451 Middlesex 195 455 Essex 174 192 Franklin 113 12 Hampshire 70 13 Nantucket 56 2 Dukes 24 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/.