Filings Month Ending 2024 December 31

Residential summary process: Filings Report This report examines cases filed recently before reading, for which outcomes were largely unknown. Search Period Start: 2024-12-01 Search Period End: 2024-12-31 Earliest Case: 2024-12-02 Latest Case: 2024-12-31 Total Cases: 3524 Total Transfers: 82 -- High-level take-aways: Percentage of landlords for whom attorney is optional: 21.6% Of those, percentage pro se: 48.8% Most common cause: Non-payment Least stable municipality/neighborhood: Chestnut Hill Least stable with 10+ filings: Springfield Least stable with 100+ filings: Springfield Least stable county: Hampden Cases per day: 117 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 654 18.6% eastern 640 18.2% western 541 15.4% central 490 13.9% southeast 423 12.0% metro_south 326 9.3% quincy district 44 1.2% lawrence district 35 1.0% chelsea district 25 0.7% brockton district 24 0.7% lynn district 24 0.7% malden district 24 0.7% cambridge district 20 0.6% lowell district 20 0.6% woburn district 17 0.5% fall river district 16 0.5% bmc west roxbury 15 0.4% springfield district 15 0.4% somerville district 13 0.4% bmc dorchester 11 0.3% haverhill district 11 0.3% framingham district 9 0.3% holyoke district 9 0.3% waltham district 9 0.3% attleboro district 8 0.2% northern berkshire district 8 0.2% peabody district 8 0.2% pittsfield district 7 0.2% hingham district 6 0.2% salem district 6 0.2% worcester district 6 0.2% fallmouth district 5 0.1% barnstable district 4 0.1% bmc brighton 4 0.1% bmc roxbury 3 0.1% palmer district 3 0.1% southern berkshire district 3 0.1% wareham district 3 0.1% westfield district 3 0.1% wrentham district 3 0.1% ayer district 2 0.1% bmc central 2 0.1% bmc east boston 2 0.1% concord district 2 0.1% dedham district 2 0.1% eastern hampshire district 2 0.1% fitchburg district 2 0.1% milford district 2 0.1% newburyport district 2 0.1% plymouth district 2 0.1% stoughton district 2 0.1% taunton district 2 0.1% clinton district 1 0.0% greenfield district 1 0.0% nantucket district 1 0.0% orange district 1 0.0% orleans district 1 0.0% Party Type (n) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 2764 8 Natural Person 760 3516 Total 3524 3524 (%) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 78.4% 0.2% Natural Person 21.6% 99.8% Total 100.0% 100.0% Plaintiff Representation (n) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 2717 47 2764 Optional 389 371 760 Total 3106 418 3524 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 77.1% 1.3% 78.4% Optional 11.0% 10.5% 21.6% Total 88.1% 11.9% 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 1 7 8 Optional 16 3500 3516 Total 17 3507 3524 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 0.0% 0.2% 0.2% Optional 0.5% 99.3% 99.8% Total 0.5% 99.5% 100.0% Number of Adults in Households Count Percent 0 93 2.6% 1 2501 71.0% 2 746 21.2% 3 140 4.0% 4 28 0.8% 5 12 0.3% 6 2 0.1% 7 2 0.1% Total 3524 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 2543 72.2% Cause 524 14.9% No Fault 423 12.0% Foreclosure 28 0.8% Unknown/Other 6 0.2% Rate per 100,000 Municipality Residents Count Chestnut Hill 423 9 Gilbertville 260 3 Florence 210 2 Berlin 174 5 Springfield 157 241 Holyoke 135 54 North Oxford 132 3 Mattapan 128 47 Granville 127 2 Woods Hole 122 1 Athol 120 14 Framingham 117 80 Wendell 117 1 Dorchester 115 106 New Bedford 115 110 Hyannis 113 16 Lowell 113 121 Norwood 111 32 Lawrence 108 83 Roslindale 103 30 Stockbridge 102 2 Fall River 99 88 Indian Orchard 99 10 South Easton 97 10 Lynn 96 87 Revere 96 50 Salem 96 40 Stoughton 92 25 Fitchburg 89 36 Chelsea 88 31 Malden 85 51 Spencer 85 10 Leominster 83 34 Oxford 80 11 Brockton 78 74 Woburn 78 30 Hull 77 8 Mansfield 77 18 Southbridge 77 13 Chicopee 75 42 Lakeville 75 8 Chester 74 1 Randolph 74 24 Worcester 74 135 Roxbury 73 44 Turners Falls 73 3 West Springfield 73 21 Mashpee 71 10 Webster 71 12 Canton 69 15 Pocasset 69 2 Ayer 67 5 Haverhill 67 41 Charlestown 65 11 North Billerica 65 7 Seekonk 65 9 Orange 63 5 Abington 62 10 Quincy 61 57 Danvers 60 16 Taunton 60 34 Feeding Hills 59 7 Adams 58 5 Buzzards Bay 58 2 Monson 58 5 Andover 57 19 Greenfield 57 10 Rockland 57 10 Hyde Park 56 19 Peabody 56 29 Russell 56 1 West Yarmouth 56 3 Everett 55 23 Whitman 55 8 Dorchester Center 54 50 Sunderland 54 2 Braintree 53 19 Westfield 53 22 East Falmouth 51 3 North Adams 51 7 Attleboro Falls 50 1 Billerica 49 20 Devens 49 1 Gardner 49 10 North Truro 49 1 West Roxbury 49 15 Granby 48 3 North Attleborough 48 14 Foxborough 47 8 Holbrook 46 5 Huntington 45 1 South Hadley 45 8 West Dennis 45 1 Beverly 43 17 North Chelmsford 43 4 Westborough 43 8 Bridgewater 41 11 Medfield 41 5 East Weymouth 40 22 Holland 40 1 Marion 40 2 Methuen 40 19 Plymouth 38 22 Winchendon 38 4 Allston 37 11 Attleborough 36 16 Hanover 36 5 Holliston 36 5 Roxbury Crossing 36 22 Salisbury 36 3 Dudley 35 4 Milford 35 10 North Andover 35 10 Cambridge 34 36 Franklin 34 11 Lee 33 2 North Dartmouth 33 8 Pittsfield 33 15 Weymouth 33 18 Belmont 32 8 Chelmsford 32 11 East Boston 32 13 Fiskdale 32 1 Palmer 32 4 Waltham 32 20 Agawam 31 9 Brighton 31 14 Dennis Port 31 1 Northampton 31 9 Somerville 31 24 Bedford 30 4 Bellingham 30 5 Dracut 30 9 Groveland 30 2 Sheffield 30 1 Amherst 29 11 Clinton 29 4 Hanson 29 3 Jamaica Plain 29 11 Lunenburg 29 3 Uxbridge 29 4 East Sandwich 28 1 East Wareham 27 6 Gloucester 27 8 Natick 27 9 Tewksbury 27 8 Westminster 27 2 Carver 26 3 South Boston 26 9 Millis 25 2 Newton Center 25 1 North Grafton 25 2 Watertown 25 8 Plainville 24 2 Arlington 23 10 Kingston 23 3 Medford 23 13 Wayland 23 3 Avon 22 1 Blackstone 22 2 Millbury 22 3 Raynham 22 3 Saugus 22 6 Somerset 22 4 South Grafton 22 1 Auburndale 21 2 East Bridgewater 21 3 Northborough 21 3 Sturbridge 21 2 Swampscott 21 3 Belchertown 20 3 Boxborough 20 1 Burlington 20 5 Carlisle 20 1 Hopkinton 20 3 North Reading 20 3 Southborough 20 2 Walpole 20 5 Manchester 19 1 Maynard 19 2 Warren 19 1 Yarmouth Port 19 1 Acton 18 4 Amesbury 18 3 Auburn 18 3 Boston 18 114 Easthampton 18 3 Fairhaven 18 3 Hingham 18 4 Ludlow 18 4 South Barre 18 1 Westford 18 4 Newburyport 17 3 Pepperell 17 2 Tyngsborough 17 2 Wilmington 17 4 Chatham 16 1 Dedham 16 4 Hopedale 16 1 Newton Upper Falls 16 1 Shrewsbury 16 6 Sudbury 16 3 Charlton 15 2 East Taunton 15 1 Hudson 15 3 Medway 15 2 Great Barrington 14 1 Melrose 14 4 Milton 14 4 South Weymouth 14 8 West Bridgewater 14 1 Whitinsville 14 1 Cohasset 13 1 Duxbury 13 2 Shirley 13 1 Stoneham 13 3 Upton 13 1 Wareham 13 3 Boxford 12 1 Sterling 12 1 Wakefield 12 3 Assonet 11 1 Douglas 11 1 Littleton 11 1 Montague 11 1 Pembroke 11 2 Townsend 11 1 Winthrop 11 2 Brewster 10 1 Needham 10 3 Needham Heights 10 3 Ware 10 1 Acushnet 9 1 Cherry Valley 9 1 Nantucket 9 1 Onset 9 2 Wrentham 9 1 Groton 8 1 Middleborough 8 2 South Yarmouth 8 1 Centerville 7 1 Ipswich 7 1 North Easton 7 1 West Newton 7 1 Ashland 6 1 Lexington 6 2 Northbridge 6 1 Westport 6 1 Bourne 5 1 Dartmouth 5 2 Holden 5 1 Norton 5 1 Scituate 5 1 Sharon 5 1 South Dartmouth 5 2 Sandwich 4 1 East Walpole 3 1 Falmouth 3 1 Wellesley Hills 3 1 E. Boston 2 1 Marlborough 2 1 Newton 2 2 Brookline 1 1 Manomet 1 1 Newton Highlands 1 1 North Quincy 1 1 (not given) 0 180 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 Hampden 596 424 Plymouth 449 194 Bristol 398 328 Essex 356 392 Norfolk 347 296 Worcester 325 362 Suffolk 303 600 Middlesex 257 601 Barnstable 253 49 Hampshire 222 41 Franklin 208 22 Berkshire 204 33 Nantucket 28 1 Dukes 0 0 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/.