Filings Month Ending 2024 August 31

Residential summary process: Filings Report This report examines cases filed recently before reading, for which outcomes were largely unknown. Search Period Start: 2024-08-01 Search Period End: 2024-08-31 Earliest Case: 2024-08-01 Latest Case: 2024-08-30 Total Cases: 3338 Total Transfers: 71 -- High-level take-aways: Percentage of landlords for whom attorney is optional: 25.2% Of those, percentage pro se: 51.4% Most common cause: Non-payment Least stable municipality/neighborhood: Ware Least stable with 10+ filings: Ware Least stable with 100+ filings: Fall River Least stable county: Berkshire Cases per day: 111 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 614 18.4% northeast 597 17.9% central 533 16.0% western 441 13.2% southeast 348 10.4% metro_south 325 9.7% malden district 44 1.3% lawrence district 43 1.3% fall river district 41 1.2% lynn district 31 0.9% lowell district 23 0.7% brockton district 22 0.7% pittsfield district 21 0.6% quincy district 20 0.6% salem district 16 0.5% chelsea district 15 0.4% haverhill district 15 0.4% cambridge district 14 0.4% northern berkshire district 14 0.4% framingham district 13 0.4% bmc west roxbury 10 0.3% waltham district 10 0.3% bmc dorchester 9 0.3% attleboro district 8 0.2% bmc central 7 0.2% bmc east boston 7 0.2% somerville district 7 0.2% worcester district 7 0.2% peabody district 6 0.2% wrentham district 6 0.2% barnstable district 5 0.1% ayer district 4 0.1% concord district 4 0.1% fallmouth district 4 0.1% milford district 4 0.1% dedham district 3 0.1% gloucester district 3 0.1% newburyport district 3 0.1% orleans district 3 0.1% plymouth district 3 0.1% bmc brighton 2 0.1% brookline district 2 0.1% clinton district 2 0.1% eastern hampshire district 2 0.1% edgartown district 2 0.1% greenfield district 2 0.1% hingham district 2 0.1% natick district 2 0.1% new bedford district 2 0.1% newton district 2 0.1% orange district 2 0.1% southern berkshire district 2 0.1% stoughton district 2 0.1% westfield district 2 0.1% fitchburg district 1 0.0% marlborough district 1 0.0% palmer district 1 0.0% springfield district 1 0.0% taunton district 1 0.0% uxbridge district 1 0.0% woburn district 1 0.0% Party Type (n) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 2497 6 Natural Person 841 3332 Total 3338 3338 (%) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 74.8% 0.2% Natural Person 25.2% 99.8% Total 100.0% 100.0% Plaintiff Representation (n) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 2465 32 2497 Optional 409 432 841 Total 2874 464 3338 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 73.8% 1.0% 74.8% Optional 12.3% 12.9% 25.2% Total 86.1% 13.9% 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 6 6 Optional 28 3304 3332 Total 28 3310 3338 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 0.0% 0.2% 0.2% Optional 0.8% 99.0% 99.8% Total 0.8% 99.2% 100.0% Number of Adults in Households Count Percent 0 98 2.9% 1 2405 72.0% 2 672 20.1% 3 117 3.5% 4 32 1.0% 5 8 0.2% 6 4 0.1% 8 1 0.0% 9 1 0.0% Total 3338 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 2367 70.9% Cause 539 16.1% No Fault 412 12.3% Foreclosure 19 0.6% Unknown/Other 1 0.0% Rate per 100,000 Municipality Residents Count Ware 192 19 Gilbertville 173 2 East Falmouth 155 9 Plainfield 154 1 Chestnut Hill 141 3 Southbridge 137 23 Three Rivers 136 4 Salem 133 55 Housatonic 132 1 Fiskdale 129 4 Fitchburg 126 51 Pittsfield 125 56 Fall River 123 110 Mattapan 117 43 Lawrence 113 87 Worcester 109 199 Hyannis 106 15 Lynn 106 96 Lowell 103 110 Springfield 103 158 Brockton 102 96 Randolph 102 33 Roxbury 98 59 Winchendon 97 10 Holyoke 95 38 North Adams 94 13 Gardner 93 19 Dorchester 90 83 New Bedford 90 86 Roslindale 89 26 West Warren 88 1 Marlborough 85 33 Rockland 85 15 Everett 83 35 Framingham 83 57 Indian Orchard 79 8 Revere 79 41 Millers Falls 77 1 Webster 77 13 Norwood 76 22 Orange 76 6 Bridgewater 75 20 Canton 74 16 Haverhill 72 44 Wellfleet 72 2 East Boston 69 28 Greenfield 68 12 Peabody 68 35 Danvers 67 18 Chelsea 65 23 Whitman 62 9 Cheshire 61 2 Chicopee 61 34 Tyngsborough 61 7 Wenham 61 3 Milford 60 17 Hyde Park 59 20 Adams 58 5 Buzzards Bay 58 2 Malden 57 34 Jamaica Plain 56 21 Shelburne Falls 56 1 Sagamore 54 2 Westborough 54 10 Taunton 53 30 Bedford 52 7 Vineyard Haven 52 1 Athol 51 6 Newton Center 51 2 Stockbridge 51 1 Dorchester Center 50 46 Cambridge 49 52 Northborough 49 7 Ashland 48 8 Hull 48 5 Plainville 48 4 Turners Falls 48 2 West Townsend 47 1 Ipswich 45 6 Quincy 44 41 Great Barrington 42 3 Methuen 42 20 North Attleborough 41 12 Paxton 41 2 Tewksbury 41 12 Beverly 40 16 Eastham 40 2 Holland 40 1 Kingston 39 5 Leominster 39 16 Maynard 39 4 West Boylston 39 3 East Dennis 38 1 Gloucester 38 11 Hampden 38 2 Manchester 38 2 Barre 37 2 Waltham 37 23 Brighton 36 16 Clinton 36 5 Dedham 36 9 Charlestown 35 6 Foxborough 35 6 Plympton 35 1 South Boston 35 12 West Springfield 35 10 Allston 34 10 Franklin 34 11 Pocasset 34 1 Westwood 34 5 Andover 33 11 Dracut 33 10 Hardwick 33 1 Lee 33 2 Provincetown 33 1 Stoughton 33 9 Ashburnham 32 2 North Chelmsford 32 3 Dennis Port 31 1 East Taunton 31 2 Millville 31 1 Westfield 31 13 Braintree 30 11 Roxbury Crossing 30 18 Shrewsbury 30 11 Dalton 29 2 South Easton 29 3 Weymouth 29 16 Essex 28 1 North Billerica 28 3 Osterville 28 1 Sharon 28 5 Whitinsville 28 2 South Dennis 27 1 Sunderland 27 1 West Brookfield 27 1 Ayer 26 2 Hudson 26 5 Plymouth 26 15 South Weymouth 26 14 Woburn 26 10 Fairhaven 25 4 Lynnfield 25 3 Middleborough 25 6 Williamstown 25 2 Burlington 24 6 Edgartown 24 1 Palmer 24 3 Charlton 23 3 Acton 22 5 Attleborough 22 10 Centerville 22 3 East Wareham 22 5 Grafton 22 4 Millbury 22 3 Raynham 22 3 Somerville 22 17 South Grafton 22 1 Wilmington 22 5 Agawam 21 6 Mashpee 21 3 Natick 21 7 Norton 21 4 Oxford 21 3 Seekonk 21 3 Watertown 21 7 Brewster 20 2 Hopkinton 20 3 Marblehead 20 4 Marion 20 1 North Reading 20 3 South Dartmouth 20 7 Wakefield 20 5 Walpole 20 5 Deerfield 19 1 Hadley 19 1 Lenox 19 1 Lunenburg 19 2 Nantucket 19 2 Newtonville 19 1 Warren 19 1 West Roxbury 19 6 Abington 18 3 Amesbury 18 3 Bellingham 18 3 Hingham 18 4 Wareham 18 4 Wrentham 18 2 Boston 17 109 Chelmsford 17 6 Mendon 17 1 North Andover 17 5 Winthrop 17 3 Pembroke 16 3 Sudbury 16 3 Wellesley Hills 16 5 Groveland 15 1 Newbury 15 1 Hanover 14 2 Ludlow 14 3 Melrose 14 4 Rockport 14 1 Swampscott 14 2 Wellesley 14 4 Duxbury 13 2 Belmont 12 3 Billerica 12 5 Medford 12 7 Rutland 12 1 South Hamilton 12 1 Sterling 12 1 Brookline 11 7 Douglas 11 1 Littleton 11 1 Monson 11 1 Montague 11 1 Newburyport 11 2 Saugus 11 3 South Hadley 11 2 Townsend 11 1 Amherst 10 4 Auburndale 10 1 Northampton 10 3 Southborough 10 1 Southwick 10 1 Acushnet 9 1 Cherry Valley 9 1 E. Boston 9 4 Lakeville 9 1 Leicester 9 1 Norwell 9 1 Onset 9 2 Carver 8 1 Dudley 8 1 Feeding Hills 8 1 Pepperell 8 1 South Yarmouth 8 1 Arlington 7 3 Bradford 7 1 East Bridgewater 7 1 East Weymouth 7 4 Marshfield 7 2 Milton 7 2 North Easton 7 1 Uxbridge 7 1 Wayland 7 1 West Newton 7 1 Auburn 6 1 Belchertown 6 1 East Longmeadow 6 1 Easthampton 6 1 Falmouth 6 2 Lexington 6 2 Longmeadow 6 1 Needham Heights 6 2 Northbridge 6 1 Bourne 5 1 Holden 5 1 Somerset 5 1 Mansfield 4 1 North Dartmouth 4 1 Reading 4 1 Stoneham 4 1 Westford 4 1 East Walpole 3 1 Needham 3 1 Newton 3 3 South Walpole 3 1 Dartmouth 2 1 Newton Lower Falls 2 2 North Weymouth 1 1 (not given) 0 152 span 0 8 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 545 88 Plymouth 472 204 Hampden 400 285 Essex 392 432 Worcester 392 437 Bristol 340 280 Suffolk 290 574 Norfolk 285 243 Barnstable 259 50 Franklin 237 25 Middlesex 224 524 Hampshire 173 32 Nantucket 56 2 Dukes 48 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/.