Filings Month Ending 2025 September 30

Residential summary process: Filings Report This report examines cases filed recently before reading, for which outcomes were largely unknown. Search Period Start: 2025-09-01 Search Period End: 2025-09-30 Earliest Case: 2025-09-01 Latest Case: 2025-09-30 Total Cases: 3483 Total Transfers: 52 -- High-level take-aways: Percentage of landlords for whom attorney is optional: 23.1% Of those, percentage pro se: 55.8% Most common cause: Non-payment Least stable municipality/neighborhood: South Boston Least stable with 10+ filings: South Boston Least stable with 100+ filings: Springfield Least stable county: Hampden Cases per day: 120 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 761 21.8% northeast 624 17.9% western 494 14.2% central 457 13.1% southeast 393 11.3% metro_south 337 9.7% lynn district 44 1.3% fall river district 32 0.9% malden district 28 0.8% lawrence district 25 0.7% springfield district 25 0.7% brockton district 16 0.5% cambridge district 16 0.5% bmc west roxbury 15 0.4% northern berkshire district 15 0.4% quincy district 15 0.4% chelsea district 14 0.4% haverhill district 14 0.4% lowell district 13 0.4% newburyport district 13 0.4% pittsfield district 10 0.3% framingham district 9 0.3% concord district 8 0.2% dedham district 8 0.2% waltham district 8 0.2% bmc dorchester 7 0.2% salem district 7 0.2% peabody district 6 0.2% ayer district 4 0.1% bmc roxbury 4 0.1% newton district 4 0.1% orleans district 4 0.1% attleboro district 3 0.1% bmc brighton 3 0.1% bmc east boston 3 0.1% chicopee district 3 0.1% fallmouth district 3 0.1% nantucket district 3 0.1% plymouth district 3 0.1% somerville district 3 0.1% barnstable district 2 0.1% bmc charlestown 2 0.1% eastern hampshire district 2 0.1% edgartown district 2 0.1% hingham district 2 0.1% milford district 2 0.1% stoughton district 2 0.1% taunton district 2 0.1% wareham district 2 0.1% westfield district 2 0.1% woburn district 2 0.1% bmc central 1 0.0% bmc south boston 1 0.0% gloucester district 1 0.0% holyoke district 1 0.0% orange district 1 0.0% southern berkshire district 1 0.0% worcester district 1 0.0% Party Type (n) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 2678 4 Natural Person 805 3479 Total 3483 3483 (%) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 76.9% 0.1% Natural Person 23.1% 99.9% Total 100.0% 100.0% Plaintiff Representation (n) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 2634 44 2678 Optional 356 449 805 Total 2990 493 3483 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 75.6% 1.3% 76.9% Optional 10.2% 12.9% 23.1% Total 85.8% 14.2% 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 0 4 4 Optional 14 3465 3479 Total 14 3469 3483 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 0.0% 0.1% 0.1% Optional 0.4% 99.5% 99.9% Total 0.4% 99.6% 100.0% Number of Adults in Households Count Percent 0 119 3.4% 1 2449 70.3% 2 743 21.3% 3 118 3.4% 4 36 1.0% 5 14 0.4% 6 4 0.1% Total 3483 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 2527 72.6% Cause 531 15.2% No Fault 398 11.4% Foreclosure 24 0.7% Unknown/Other 3 0.1% Rate per 100,000 Municipality Residents Count South Boston 160 54 Holyoke 147 59 Thorndike 144 1 Chestnut Hill 141 3 Springfield 140 215 Fall River 137 122 Roxbury 122 73 Chilmark 115 1 Lynn 114 103 Chelsea 113 40 New Bedford 111 106 North Adams 109 15 Lowell 107 115 Southbridge 107 18 Adams 106 9 Dorchester 106 98 Hyannis 106 15 Florence 105 1 Monterey 104 1 Norwood 101 29 Webster 101 17 Randolph 96 31 Fitchburg 94 38 East Boston 93 38 Gardner 93 19 Marlborough 93 36 West Wareham 92 2 Salem 91 38 Hyde Park 86 29 Chicopee 84 47 Worcester 83 151 Blandford 81 1 Ayer 80 6 Pittsfield 78 35 West Stockbridge 76 1 Milford 75 21 Malden 74 44 Revere 73 38 Turners Falls 73 3 Quincy 72 67 Roslindale 69 20 Mattapan 68 25 Braintree 67 24 Oak Bluffs 66 3 Peabody 66 34 Brockton 65 61 Oxford 65 9 Woburn 65 25 Danvers 64 17 Framingham 64 44 Mansfield 64 15 Bridgewater 63 17 Brighton 63 28 Stoughton 63 17 Cambridge 61 65 Dudley 61 7 Franklin 60 19 Indian Orchard 59 6 West Springfield 59 17 Buzzards Bay 58 2 South Easton 58 6 Tewksbury 58 17 Everett 57 24 Lawrence 57 44 Palmer 57 7 Becket 56 1 Jamaica Plain 56 21 North Billerica 56 6 Shelburne Falls 56 1 Canton 55 12 Westborough 54 10 Baldwinville 52 1 Vineyard Haven 52 1 Athol 51 6 Clinton 51 7 Dorchester Center 51 47 Southampton 51 3 Amesbury 49 8 Edgartown 49 2 Maynard 49 5 North Truro 49 1 Plainville 48 4 Salisbury 48 4 Saugus 48 13 North Dighton 47 2 Beverly 45 18 East Wareham 45 10 Gloucester 45 13 Greenfield 45 8 Hubbardston 45 2 West Dennis 45 1 Allston 44 13 Somerville 43 33 Great Barrington 42 3 Charlestown 41 7 Foxborough 41 7 Taunton 41 23 Cohasset 39 3 Hanson 39 4 Leominster 39 16 West Boylston 39 3 Hull 38 4 Millis 38 3 Northampton 38 11 Fairhaven 37 6 North Falmouth 37 1 Waltham 37 23 West Yarmouth 37 2 Acton 36 8 Attleborough 36 16 Haverhill 36 22 Berlin 34 1 Feeding Hills 34 4 Lynnfield 34 4 Pocasset 34 1 Three Rivers 34 1 East Weymouth 33 18 Lee 33 2 Ashburnham 32 2 Ashby 32 1 Dedham 32 8 Fiskdale 32 1 Dennis Port 31 1 East Taunton 31 2 Marshfield 31 8 Watertown 31 10 Wilmington 31 7 Bedford 30 4 Bellingham 30 5 Dracut 30 9 Sheffield 30 1 Shrewsbury 30 11 Ware 30 3 Melrose 29 8 Nahant 29 1 Nantucket 29 3 Raynham 29 4 West Roxbury 29 9 South Hadley 28 5 Whitinsville 28 2 Sagamore Beach 27 1 Shirley 27 2 South Dennis 27 1 Stoneham 27 6 Sunderland 27 1 West Brookfield 27 1 Chelmsford 26 9 Hudson 26 5 Plymouth 26 15 Middleborough 25 6 Newton Center 25 1 Orange 25 2 South Yarmouth 25 3 Spencer 25 3 Williamstown 25 2 Easthampton 24 4 Templeton 24 2 Monson 23 2 Roxbury Crossing 23 14 Avon 22 1 Boylston 22 1 Concord 22 4 Littleton 22 2 Rockland 22 4 South Grafton 22 1 Dennis 21 3 Hanover 21 3 Mashpee 21 3 Natick 21 7 North Andover 21 6 Northborough 21 3 Norton 21 4 Southwick 21 2 Swampscott 21 3 Westfield 21 9 Boxborough 20 1 Needham Heights 20 6 Weymouth 20 11 Whitman 20 3 Winchendon 19 2 Abington 18 3 Auburn 18 3 Hingham 18 4 Holbrook 18 2 Lakeville 18 2 Westford 18 4 Carver 17 2 West Harwich 16 2 Berkley 15 1 Boston 15 93 Brookline 15 9 Charlton 15 2 Ipswich 15 2 Kingston 15 2 Lincoln 15 1 Stow 15 1 Agawam 14 4 Ludlow 14 3 Methuen 14 7 Rockport 14 1 South Weymouth 14 8 Winchester 14 3 Belchertown 13 2 Duxbury 13 2 North Attleborough 13 4 North Reading 13 2 Wareham 13 3 Wellesley Hills 13 4 Ashland 12 2 Belmont 12 3 Billerica 12 5 Lancaster 12 1 Lexington 12 4 Longmeadow 12 2 Medford 12 7 North Grafton 12 1 Rutland 12 1 Sterling 12 1 Westport 12 2 Arlington 11 5 Assonet 11 1 Blackstone 11 1 Holden 11 2 Newburyport 11 2 Pembroke 11 2 Scituate 11 2 Sharon 11 2 Townsend 11 1 Winthrop 11 2 Amherst 10 4 Brewster 10 1 North Chelmsford 10 1 Lunenburg 9 1 Wrentham 9 1 Burlington 8 2 Groton 8 1 Harwich 8 1 North Dartmouth 8 2 Rehoboth 8 1 Tyngsborough 8 1 Wakefield 8 2 Walpole 8 2 East Bridgewater 7 1 Holliston 7 1 Uxbridge 7 1 Falmouth 6 2 Hopkinton 6 1 Swansea 6 1 Westwood 6 1 Grafton 5 1 Marblehead 5 1 Roxbury Xing 5 3 Sudbury 5 1 E. Boston 4 2 Sandwich 4 1 Andover 3 1 Milton 3 1 Needham 3 1 Newton 3 3 Wellesley 3 1 Newton Lower Falls 1 1 North Weymouth 1 1 (not given) 0 208 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 534 380 Berkshire 433 70 Bristol 386 318 Plymouth 370 160 Norfolk 353 301 Worcester 332 370 Suffolk 331 654 Essex 311 342 Middlesex 248 579 Barnstable 217 42 Hampshire 179 33 Dukes 170 7 Franklin 142 15 Nantucket 85 3 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/.