Filings Month Ending 2025 August 31

Residential summary process: Filings Report This report examines cases filed recently before reading, for which outcomes were largely unknown. Search Period Start: 2025-08-01 Search Period End: 2025-08-31 Earliest Case: 2025-08-01 Latest Case: 2025-08-29 Total Cases: 3161 Total Transfers: 52 -- High-level take-aways: Percentage of landlords for whom attorney is optional: 22.9% Of those, percentage pro se: 52.4% Most common cause: Non-payment Least stable municipality/neighborhood: East Otis Least stable with 10+ filings: Holyoke Least stable with 100+ filings: Fall River Least stable county: Hampden 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 eastern 693 21.9% northeast 498 15.8% western 443 14.0% central 440 13.9% southeast 390 12.3% metro_south 329 10.4% lynn district 45 1.4% malden district 29 0.9% brockton district 24 0.8% fall river district 24 0.8% cambridge district 23 0.7% lawrence district 19 0.6% pittsfield district 18 0.6% chelsea district 16 0.5% quincy district 14 0.4% haverhill district 13 0.4% northern berkshire district 13 0.4% bmc west roxbury 9 0.3% somerville district 9 0.3% lowell district 8 0.3% waltham district 8 0.3% framingham district 6 0.2% attleboro district 5 0.2% barnstable district 5 0.2% bmc east boston 5 0.2% bmc roxbury 5 0.2% hingham district 5 0.2% woburn district 5 0.2% worcester district 5 0.2% chicopee district 4 0.1% new bedford district 4 0.1% bmc central 3 0.1% fitchburg district 3 0.1% plymouth district 3 0.1% salem district 3 0.1% uxbridge district 3 0.1% wareham district 3 0.1% bmc brighton 2 0.1% clinton district 2 0.1% dedham district 2 0.1% springfield district 2 0.1% stoughton district 2 0.1% wrentham district 2 0.1% ayer district 1 0.0% bmc charlestown 1 0.0% bmc dorchester 1 0.0% bmc south boston 1 0.0% brookline district 1 0.0% eastern hampshire district 1 0.0% fallmouth district 1 0.0% gloucester district 1 0.0% nantucket district 1 0.0% natick district 1 0.0% newburyport district 1 0.0% orleans district 1 0.0% palmer district 1 0.0% peabody district 1 0.0% southern berkshire district 1 0.0% westborough district 1 0.0% westfield district 1 0.0% Party Type (n) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 2436 5 Natural Person 725 3156 Total 3161 3161 (%) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 77.1% 0.2% Natural Person 22.9% 99.8% Total 100.0% 100.0% Plaintiff Representation (n) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 2392 44 2436 Optional 345 380 725 Total 2737 424 3161 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 75.7% 1.4% 77.1% Optional 10.9% 12.0% 22.9% Total 86.6% 13.4% 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 17 3139 3156 Total 17 3144 3161 (%) 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 96 3.0% 1 2241 70.9% 2 653 20.7% 3 128 4.0% 4 34 1.1% 5 7 0.2% 6 2 0.1% Total 3161 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 2317 73.3% Cause 453 14.3% No Fault 372 11.8% Foreclosure 17 0.5% Unknown/Other 2 0.1% Rate per 100,000 Municipality Residents Count East Otis 349 2 Leeds 294 3 Three Rivers 238 7 Chestnut Hill 235 5 West Warren 176 2 Holyoke 145 58 Fall River 120 107 Norwood 115 33 Randolph 115 37 Springfield 114 175 Mattapan 101 37 South Boston 100 34 Hyde Park 98 33 Chelsea 96 34 Dorchester 96 89 New Bedford 94 90 East Boston 93 38 Framingham 92 63 Southbridge 89 15 Hull 87 9 Pittsfield 84 38 Fitchburg 81 33 South Dennis 81 3 Stoughton 81 22 Worcester 81 148 Marlborough 80 31 Gardner 79 16 Indian Orchard 79 8 Brockton 77 73 Lynn 77 70 Chicopee 75 42 Lowell 74 79 Salem 74 31 Turners Falls 73 3 North Adams 72 10 Taunton 71 40 Berlin 69 2 Whitman 69 10 Lawrence 68 52 Cambridge 67 71 Everett 67 28 South Grafton 67 3 Hyannis 63 9 Roslindale 62 18 Roxbury 62 37 Jamaica Plain 61 23 Canton 60 13 Lenox 59 3 Webster 59 10 Quincy 57 53 Revere 56 29 West Springfield 56 16 West Yarmouth 56 3 Barre 55 3 Wales 54 1 Baldwinville 52 1 Dorchester Center 52 48 North Attleborough 52 15 Clinton 51 7 North Truro 49 1 Bellingham 48 8 Bridgewater 48 13 Granby 48 3 Hanscom Afb 48 1 Salisbury 48 4 South Deerfield 48 1 Winchendon 48 5 Adams 47 4 Charlestown 47 8 Malden 47 28 Middleborough 47 11 Milford 46 13 East Brookfield 45 1 Blackstone 44 4 Haverhill 44 27 Weymouth 44 24 Rockport 43 3 Westborough 43 8 Westford 41 9 Westminster 41 3 Belchertown 40 6 Greenfield 40 7 Cohasset 39 3 Kingston 39 5 Hadley 38 2 Bradford 37 5 Danvers 37 10 Brighton 36 16 East Wareham 36 8 Leominster 36 15 Norton 36 7 West Tisbury 36 1 Northborough 35 5 Athol 34 4 Rockland 34 6 Winthrop 34 6 Woburn 34 13 Dracut 33 10 Mattapoisett 33 2 Melrose 33 9 Fiskdale 32 1 Abington 31 5 East Taunton 31 2 Franklin 31 10 Peabody 31 16 Somerville 31 24 Tewksbury 31 9 Waltham 31 19 Watertown 31 10 Allston 30 9 Brewster 30 3 Ipswich 30 4 Attleborough 29 13 Brookfield 29 1 Buzzards Bay 29 1 Foxborough 29 5 Nahant 29 1 Princeton 29 1 Uxbridge 29 4 Burlington 28 7 Essex 28 1 Northampton 28 8 Osterville 28 1 Sudbury 28 5 Whitinsville 28 2 Sagamore Beach 27 1 Sunderland 27 1 West Brookfield 27 1 Halifax 26 2 Plymouth 26 15 Saugus 26 7 Upton 26 2 Westfield 26 11 Beverly 25 10 Braintree 25 9 Fairhaven 25 4 Mansfield 25 6 Marblehead 25 5 Millis 25 2 Orange 25 2 Sterling 25 2 Tisbury 25 1 Williamstown 25 2 East Weymouth 24 13 Easthampton 24 4 Edgartown 24 1 Gloucester 24 7 Needham Heights 24 7 Palmer 24 3 Acton 22 5 Bedford 22 3 Billerica 22 9 Hingham 22 5 Raynham 22 3 South Weymouth 22 12 Wilmington 22 5 Agawam 21 6 Andover 21 7 Natick 21 7 North Brookfield 21 1 Marstons Mills 20 1 North Reading 20 3 Roxbury Crossing 20 12 Ware 20 2 Wenham 20 1 Acushnet 19 2 Boston 19 119 Hanson 19 2 Lunenburg 19 2 South Easton 19 2 Warren 19 1 West Roxbury 19 6 Westport 19 3 Amesbury 18 3 Ashland 18 3 Stoneham 18 4 Wrentham 18 2 East Falmouth 17 1 Feeding Hills 17 2 Norfolk 17 2 Sharon 17 3 Southampton 17 1 Spencer 17 2 Tyngsborough 17 2 Arlington 16 7 Belmont 16 4 Scituate 16 3 Wakefield 16 4 Hudson 15 3 Marshfield 15 4 Millbury 15 2 Chelmsford 14 5 Hanover 14 2 Seekonk 14 2 Shrewsbury 14 5 South Dartmouth 14 5 Ayer 13 1 Hopkinton 13 2 West Boylston 13 1 Auburn 12 2 Falmouth 12 4 Methuen 12 6 North Grafton 12 1 Northbridge 12 2 Plainville 12 1 Rutland 12 1 Swansea 12 2 Douglas 11 1 Littleton 11 1 Pembroke 11 2 South Hadley 11 2 Sutton 11 1 Townsend 11 1 Bourne 10 2 Medford 10 6 North Andover 10 3 Southborough 10 1 Southwick 10 1 Cherry Valley 9 1 Nantucket 9 1 Onset 9 2 Sandwich 9 2 Brookline 8 5 Carver 8 1 Dedham 8 2 Dudley 8 1 Harwich 8 1 Lynnfield 8 1 Medfield 8 1 North Dartmouth 8 2 Walpole 8 2 Weston 8 1 Amherst 7 3 Centerville 7 1 Charlton 7 1 Newton Highlands 7 6 North Easton 7 1 Oxford 7 1 Wayland 7 1 Wilbraham 7 1 Lexington 6 2 Needham 6 2 Westwood 6 1 Concord 5 1 Dartmouth 5 2 Holden 5 1 Somerset 5 1 E. Boston 4 2 Ludlow 4 1 Reading 4 1 Winchester 4 1 East Walpole 3 1 Newton 3 3 (not given) 0 196 Perry 0 1 Roxbury Xing 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 467 332 Plymouth 416 180 Bristol 375 309 Berkshire 365 59 Norfolk 326 278 Worcester 305 340 Suffolk 302 598 Essex 249 274 Middlesex 217 507 Hampshire 184 34 Barnstable 176 34 Franklin 132 14 Dukes 73 3 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/.