Filings Month Ending 2025 April 30

Residential summary process: Filings Report This report examines cases filed recently before reading, for which outcomes were largely unknown. Search Period Start: 2025-04-01 Search Period End: 2025-04-30 Earliest Case: 2025-04-01 Latest Case: 2025-04-30 Total Cases: 2900 Total Transfers: 64 -- High-level take-aways: Percentage of landlords for whom attorney is optional: 24.3% Of those, percentage pro se: 49.6% Most common cause: Non-payment Least stable municipality/neighborhood: West Hyannisport Least stable with 10+ filings: Hyde Park Least stable with 100+ filings: New Bedford Least stable county: Hampden Cases per day: 100 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 633 21.8% northeast 517 17.8% central 404 13.9% western 392 13.5% southeast 354 12.2% metro_south 247 8.5% malden district 31 1.1% lynn district 29 1.0% somerville district 20 0.7% cambridge district 18 0.6% lawrence district 18 0.6% lowell district 16 0.6% quincy district 15 0.5% brockton district 14 0.5% fall river district 14 0.5% pittsfield district 14 0.5% springfield district 13 0.4% waltham district 11 0.4% woburn district 11 0.4% dedham district 10 0.3% attleboro district 9 0.3% haverhill district 9 0.3% chelsea district 8 0.3% northern berkshire district 8 0.3% bmc west roxbury 6 0.2% newburyport district 6 0.2% bmc dorchester 5 0.2% fallmouth district 5 0.2% framingham district 5 0.2% salem district 5 0.2% ayer district 4 0.1% barnstable district 4 0.1% bmc east boston 4 0.1% bmc brighton 3 0.1% bmc central 3 0.1% holyoke district 3 0.1% orleans district 3 0.1% peabody district 3 0.1% worcester district 3 0.1% bmc roxbury 2 0.1% chicopee district 2 0.1% fitchburg district 2 0.1% new bedford district 2 0.1% plymouth district 2 0.1% westfield district 2 0.1% wrentham district 2 0.1% bmc charlestown 1 0.0% brookline district 1 0.0% leominster district 1 0.0% newton district 1 0.0% palmer district 1 0.0% stoughton district 1 0.0% wareham district 1 0.0% westborough district 1 0.0% winchedon district 1 0.0% Party Type (n) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 2195 11 Natural Person 705 2889 Total 2900 2900 (%) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 75.7% 0.4% Natural Person 24.3% 99.6% Total 100.0% 100.0% Plaintiff Representation (n) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 2161 34 2195 Optional 355 350 705 Total 2516 384 2900 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 74.5% 1.2% 75.7% Optional 12.2% 12.1% 24.3% Total 86.8% 13.2% 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 10 11 Optional 21 2868 2889 Total 22 2878 2900 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 0.0% 0.3% 0.4% Optional 0.7% 98.9% 99.6% Total 0.8% 99.2% 100.0% Number of Adults in Households Count Percent 0 86 3.0% 1 2056 70.9% 2 619 21.3% 3 107 3.7% 4 24 0.8% 5 5 0.2% 6 1 0.0% 7 1 0.0% 8 1 0.0% Total 2900 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 2006 69.2% Cause 453 15.6% No Fault 402 13.9% Foreclosure 37 1.3% Unknown/Other 2 0.1% Rate per 100,000 Municipality Residents Count West Hyannisport 1111 2 Chestnut Hill 282 6 Berlin 174 5 Gilbertville 173 2 Warwick 128 1 Hyde Park 125 42 Chilmark 115 1 Chelsea 110 39 New Bedford 109 104 Randolph 108 35 Revere 108 56 Vineyard Haven 105 2 Springfield 103 159 Holyoke 102 41 Charlestown 101 17 Framingham 100 69 Gardner 98 20 Jamaica Plain 98 37 Leeds 98 1 South Deerfield 97 2 Lynn 96 87 Dorchester 94 87 Malden 94 56 Lawrence 91 70 Roxbury 90 54 Indian Orchard 89 9 Haydenville 88 1 East Falmouth 86 5 Hyannis 85 12 Fall River 84 75 Southbridge 83 14 Lowell 82 88 Blandford 81 1 Burlington 77 19 Worcester 75 136 Allston 71 21 Salem 70 29 Fitchburg 66 27 North Adams 65 9 Granville 63 1 Marlborough 62 24 Millville 62 2 Pittsfield 62 28 Mattapan 60 22 Cambridge 59 63 Phillipston 59 1 Buzzards Bay 58 2 Clarksburg 58 1 Winchendon 58 6 Brighton 56 25 Chicopee 56 31 North Billerica 56 6 Shutesbury 56 1 West Yarmouth 56 3 Ayer 53 4 Bondsville 53 1 Tyngsborough 53 6 Baldwinville 52 1 Bridgewater 52 14 Dedham 52 13 Dorchester Center 52 48 Norwood 52 15 Athol 51 6 Canton 51 11 Clinton 51 7 Feeding Hills 51 6 Brockton 49 46 Haverhill 49 30 North Truro 49 1 West Springfield 49 14 Roslindale 48 14 South Easton 48 5 Lakeville 47 5 Webster 47 8 Bernardston 46 1 East Wareham 45 10 Hubbardston 45 2 Braintree 44 16 Raynham 44 6 Tewksbury 44 13 Abington 43 7 Whitinsville 43 3 Leominster 41 17 Boxborough 40 2 Eastham 40 2 Greenfield 40 7 Holland 40 1 Quincy 40 37 Wakefield 40 10 Halifax 39 3 South Hadley 39 7 Woburn 39 15 Attleborough 38 17 Methuen 38 18 Orange 38 3 East Boston 37 15 Amesbury 36 6 Plainville 36 3 Salisbury 36 3 Wellfleet 36 1 Westfield 36 15 Milford 35 10 Monument Beach 35 1 Plympton 35 1 Taunton 35 20 Belchertown 34 5 Pocasset 34 1 Whitman 34 5 Dracut 33 10 Lee 33 2 Mattapoisett 33 2 Provincetown 33 1 Stoughton 33 9 Northfield 32 1 Palmer 32 4 Hudson 31 6 Somerville 31 24 Bedford 30 4 Middleborough 30 7 Sheffield 30 1 Ware 30 3 Brookfield 29 1 Dalton 29 2 Foxborough 29 5 Maynard 29 3 Nahant 29 1 Agawam 28 8 East Bridgewater 28 4 East Sandwich 28 1 Essex 28 1 Franklin 28 9 Mashpee 28 4 Northborough 28 4 Beverly 27 11 Holbrook 27 3 North Attleborough 27 8 Sunderland 27 1 Wareham 27 6 Westford 27 6 Carver 26 3 Danvers 26 7 Dudley 26 3 Everett 26 11 Waltham 26 16 Boxford 25 2 South Yarmouth 25 3 Tisbury 25 1 Andover 24 8 Ashland 24 4 Lancaster 24 2 North Andover 24 7 Northampton 24 7 Adams 23 2 Stoneham 23 5 Acton 22 5 Forestdale 22 1 Somerset 22 4 Wilmington 22 5 Hanover 21 3 Mansfield 21 5 North Brookfield 21 1 North Chelmsford 21 2 Norton 21 4 Plymouth 21 12 Seekonk 21 3 Swampscott 21 3 Westborough 21 4 Chelmsford 20 7 East Weymouth 20 11 North Reading 20 3 Billerica 19 8 Hadley 19 1 Hampden 19 1 Manchester 19 1 Peabody 19 10 Shrewsbury 19 7 Warren 19 1 Easthampton 18 3 Hingham 18 4 Ludlow 18 4 Saugus 18 5 South Weymouth 18 10 Watertown 18 6 Weymouth 18 10 Sharon 17 3 Chatham 16 1 Harwich 16 2 Hopedale 16 1 Medfield 16 2 Medford 16 9 East Taunton 15 1 Falmouth 15 5 Groveland 15 1 Marshfield 15 4 Millbury 15 2 Natick 15 5 North Easton 15 2 Wayland 15 2 Dighton 14 1 Rockport 14 1 Amherst 13 5 Duxbury 13 2 Gloucester 13 4 Roxbury Crossing 13 8 Shirley 13 1 West Roxbury 13 4 Westwood 13 2 Auburn 12 2 Bellingham 12 2 Boston 12 75 Georgetown 12 1 Lexington 12 4 Millis 12 1 North Dartmouth 12 3 North Grafton 12 1 Reading 12 3 Rutland 12 1 Williamstown 12 1 Littleton 11 1 Melrose 11 3 Middleton 11 1 Monson 11 1 Newburyport 11 2 Townsend 11 1 Winthrop 11 2 Auburndale 10 1 Bourne 10 2 Acushnet 9 1 Lunenburg 9 1 Nantucket 9 1 Norwell 9 1 Wrentham 9 1 Lynnfield 8 1 Pepperell 8 1 Rehoboth 8 1 South Dartmouth 8 3 Spencer 8 1 Walpole 8 2 Bradford 7 1 Centerville 7 1 Charlton 7 1 Oxford 7 1 Uxbridge 7 1 Wilbraham 7 1 Fairhaven 6 1 Hopkinton 6 1 Northbridge 6 1 Brookline 5 3 Greenbush 5 1 Marblehead 5 1 Rockland 5 1 Scituate 5 1 Sudbury 5 1 E. Boston 4 2 Winchester 4 1 East Walpole 3 1 Milton 3 1 Needham 3 1 Newton 3 3 North Weymouth 3 2 Arlington 2 1 Barnstable 2 1 Dartmouth 2 1 Newton Lower Falls 2 2 South Boston 2 1 (not given) 0 102 span 0 2 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 419 298 Plymouth 328 142 Bristol 322 265 Suffolk 288 569 Berkshire 285 46 Essex 283 312 Worcester 272 303 Barnstable 269 52 Norfolk 251 214 Middlesex 231 540 Hampshire 179 33 Franklin 161 17 Dukes 97 4 Nantucket 28 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/.