Filings Month Ending 2025 January 31

Residential summary process: Filings Report This report examines cases filed recently before reading, for which outcomes were largely unknown. Search Period Start: 2025-01-01 Search Period End: 2025-01-31 Earliest Case: 2025-01-02 Latest Case: 2025-01-31 Total Cases: 3031 Total Transfers: 62 -- High-level take-aways: Percentage of landlords for whom attorney is optional: 23.1% Of those, percentage pro se: 51.2% Most common cause: Non-payment Least stable municipality/neighborhood: Rowe Least stable with 10+ filings: Southbridge Least stable with 100+ filings: Dorchester Least stable county: Hampden Cases per day: 101 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 651 21.5% northeast 495 16.3% central 473 15.6% western 400 13.2% southeast 339 11.2% metro_south 278 9.2% lawrence district 44 1.5% malden district 32 1.1% lynn district 29 1.0% quincy district 25 0.8% chelsea district 15 0.5% pittsfield district 15 0.5% brockton district 14 0.5% cambridge district 14 0.5% fall river district 14 0.5% waltham district 14 0.5% lowell district 12 0.4% northern berkshire district 12 0.4% somerville district 12 0.4% attleboro district 11 0.4% haverhill district 10 0.3% bmc east boston 7 0.2% bmc west roxbury 6 0.2% framingham district 6 0.2% holyoke district 6 0.2% peabody district 6 0.2% salem district 6 0.2% worcester district 6 0.2% barnstable district 5 0.2% bmc dorchester 5 0.2% bmc roxbury 5 0.2% springfield district 5 0.2% woburn district 5 0.2% ayer district 4 0.1% dedham district 4 0.1% newton district 4 0.1% orleans district 4 0.1% palmer district 4 0.1% taunton district 4 0.1% wrentham district 4 0.1% bmc brighton 3 0.1% milford district 3 0.1% bmc central 2 0.1% brookline district 2 0.1% clinton district 2 0.1% fallmouth district 2 0.1% fitchburg district 2 0.1% hingham district 2 0.1% gloucester district 1 0.0% new bedford district 1 0.0% newburyport district 1 0.0% northampton district 1 0.0% orange district 1 0.0% plymouth district 1 0.0% wareham district 1 0.0% westfield district 1 0.0% Party Type (n) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 2332 5 Natural Person 699 3026 Total 3031 3031 (%) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 76.9% 0.2% Natural Person 23.1% 99.8% Total 100.0% 100.0% Plaintiff Representation (n) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 2303 29 2332 Optional 341 358 699 Total 2644 387 3031 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 76.0% 1.0% 76.9% Optional 11.3% 11.8% 23.1% Total 87.2% 12.8% 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 5 5 Optional 24 3002 3026 Total 24 3007 3031 (%) 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 0 104 3.4% 1 2119 69.9% 2 657 21.7% 3 97 3.2% 4 33 1.1% 5 11 0.4% 7 3 0.1% 8 4 0.1% 9 1 0.0% 13 1 0.0% 16 1 0.0% Total 3031 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 2240 73.9% Cause 421 13.9% No Fault 351 11.6% Foreclosure 17 0.6% Unknown/Other 2 0.1% Rate per 100,000 Municipality Residents Count Rowe 254 1 Chestnut Hill 235 5 Southbridge 185 31 Dorchester 146 135 Heath 141 1 Berlin 139 4 Fall River 123 110 East Boston 118 48 Norwood 118 34 Lawrence 113 87 Indian Orchard 109 11 Holyoke 105 42 Monterey 104 1 Worcester 104 189 Springfield 101 155 Greenfield 97 17 Lowell 94 101 Roxbury 90 54 Buzzards Bay 87 3 Whitinsville 86 6 Lynn 84 76 Chelsea 82 29 Blandford 81 1 South Dennis 81 3 Framingham 80 55 Gardner 79 16 Athol 77 9 Warren 77 4 Chicopee 74 41 Hyde Park 71 24 Randolph 71 23 Hyannis 70 10 Mattapan 68 25 Brockton 67 63 New Bedford 67 64 Provincetown 67 2 Revere 67 35 Salem 65 27 Fitchburg 64 26 Everett 62 26 Jamaica Plain 61 23 South Lancaster 61 1 Waltham 61 37 Westborough 60 11 Stoughton 59 16 Webster 59 10 Clarksburg 58 1 Malden 58 35 Bridgewater 56 15 Shelburne Falls 56 1 Attleborough 55 24 Canton 55 12 Pittsfield 55 25 Quincy 55 51 Marlborough 54 21 Wrentham 54 6 Vineyard Haven 52 1 Rockland 51 9 Beverly 50 20 Haverhill 50 31 Hopedale 50 3 South Boston 50 17 Ware 50 5 Burlington 48 12 Dorchester Center 47 44 Mansfield 47 11 Middleborough 47 11 Milford 46 13 Monson 46 4 Avon 45 2 West Springfield 45 13 Allston 44 13 Cambridge 44 47 North Adams 43 6 Taunton 42 24 Braintree 41 15 Whitman 41 6 Leominster 39 16 Roslindale 38 11 Abington 37 6 Holbrook 37 4 Acton 36 8 Clinton 36 5 Hanover 36 5 Plainville 36 3 Salisbury 36 3 Adams 35 3 Weymouth 35 19 East Falmouth 34 2 Feeding Hills 34 4 Spencer 34 4 Woburn 34 13 Hopkinton 33 5 Orleans 33 2 East Wareham 32 7 Dennis Port 31 1 Ashland 30 5 Saugus 30 8 Brighton 29 13 Brookfield 29 1 Charlestown 29 5 Peabody 29 15 Raynham 29 4 South Easton 29 3 East Sandwich 28 1 Medford 28 16 Watertown 28 9 Billerica 27 11 Brimfield 27 1 North Attleborough 27 8 Shirley 27 2 Wareham 27 6 Ayer 26 2 Hudson 26 5 Tyngsborough 26 3 South Yarmouth 25 3 Sterling 25 2 Dracut 23 7 Foxborough 23 4 Montague 23 2 Somerville 23 18 Blackstone 22 2 Boylston 22 1 South Grafton 22 1 Uxbridge 22 3 Westford 22 5 Plymouth 21 12 Roxbury Crossing 21 13 Seekonk 21 3 Sturbridge 21 2 Westfield 21 9 Belmont 20 5 Boxborough 20 1 Brewster 20 2 Gloucester 20 6 North Reading 20 3 Acushnet 19 2 Manchester 19 1 Methuen 19 9 Newtonville 19 1 West Roxbury 19 6 Winchendon 19 2 Yarmouth Port 19 1 Auburn 18 3 Bellingham 18 3 Ludlow 18 4 Melrose 18 5 West Yarmouth 18 1 Chelmsford 17 6 Dudley 17 2 E. Boston 17 7 Lynnfield 17 2 Rowley 17 1 Ashburnham 16 1 Boston 16 99 East Weymouth 16 9 Lee 16 1 Mattapoisett 16 1 Palmer 16 2 Scituate 16 3 Shrewsbury 16 6 Charlton 15 2 Danvers 15 4 East Taunton 15 1 Kingston 15 2 Millbury 15 2 Bradford 14 2 Mashpee 14 2 Northborough 14 2 Oxford 14 2 Swampscott 14 2 West Bridgewater 14 1 Duxbury 13 2 Needham 13 4 South Weymouth 13 7 Stoneham 13 3 Andover 12 4 Dedham 12 3 Fairhaven 12 2 Millis 12 1 Orange 12 1 South Attleboro 12 1 Swansea 12 2 Templeton 12 1 Westport 12 2 Williamstown 12 1 Douglas 11 1 Marshfield 11 3 Milton 11 3 Newburyport 11 2 Pembroke 11 2 Sutton 11 1 Auburndale 10 1 Norton 10 2 Southwick 10 1 Arlington 9 4 Franklin 9 3 Hingham 9 2 Hull 9 1 Lunenburg 9 1 Maynard 9 1 North Billerica 9 1 Norwell 9 1 Groton 8 1 Harwich 8 1 Medfield 8 1 Wilmington 8 2 Agawam 7 2 Centerville 7 1 East Bridgewater 7 1 North Andover 7 2 Northampton 7 2 Wayland 7 1 West Newton 7 1 Amesbury 6 1 Easthampton 6 1 Natick 6 2 Tewksbury 6 2 Bourne 5 1 Sharon 5 1 Somerset 5 1 South Hadley 5 1 Sudbury 5 1 Winthrop 5 1 North Dartmouth 4 1 Reading 4 1 Sandwich 4 1 Wakefield 4 1 Walpole 4 1 East Walpole 3 1 Falmouth 3 1 Lexington 3 1 Needham Heights 3 1 Wellesley Hills 3 1 Amherst 2 1 Dartmouth 2 1 South Dartmouth 2 1 Brookline 1 1 Newton 1 1 North Weymouth 1 1 (not given) 0 188 span 0 3 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 407 290 Plymouth 368 159 Worcester 346 386 Bristol 324 267 Suffolk 304 602 Essex 275 303 Norfolk 275 235 Berkshire 235 38 Franklin 218 23 Middlesex 209 488 Barnstable 196 38 Hampshire 54 10 Dukes 24 1 Nantucket 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/.