Filings Month Ending 2026 May 31

Residential summary process: Filings Report This report examines cases filed recently before reading, for which outcomes were largely unknown. Search Period Start: 2026-05-01 Search Period End: 2026-05-31 Earliest Case: 2026-05-01 Latest Case: 2026-05-29 Total Cases: 2823 Total Transfers: 64 -- High-level take-aways: Percentage of landlords for whom attorney is optional: 21.7% Of those, percentage pro se: 51.7% Most common cause: Non-payment Least stable municipality/neighborhood: New Ashford Least stable with 10+ filings: Mattapan Least stable with 100+ filings: Springfield Least stable county: Hampden Cases per day: 94 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 580 20.5% northeast 494 17.5% central 435 15.4% western 366 13.0% southeast 316 11.2% metro_south 253 9.0% malden district 42 1.5% lynn district 38 1.3% brockton district 31 1.1% lawrence district 27 1.0% pittsfield district 21 0.7% lowell district 19 0.7% fall river district 18 0.6% quincy district 15 0.5% chelsea district 13 0.5% cambridge district 11 0.4% bmc west roxbury 10 0.4% bmc dorchester 9 0.3% haverhill district 8 0.3% bmc brighton 7 0.2% bmc east boston 7 0.2% salem district 7 0.2% springfield district 7 0.2% attleboro district 6 0.2% fallmouth district 6 0.2% framingham district 6 0.2% somerville district 6 0.2% waltham district 6 0.2% woburn district 5 0.2% eastern hampshire district 4 0.1% newton district 4 0.1% northern berkshire district 4 0.1% peabody district 4 0.1% barnstable district 3 0.1% edgartown district 3 0.1% holyoke district 3 0.1% milford district 3 0.1% orleans district 3 0.1% stoughton district 3 0.1% bmc central 2 0.1% bmc charlestown 2 0.1% bmc roxbury 2 0.1% worcester district 2 0.1% chicopee district 1 0.0% concord district 1 0.0% fitchburg district 1 0.0% hingham district 1 0.0% nantucket district 1 0.0% newburyport district 1 0.0% northampton district 1 0.0% palmer district 1 0.0% plymouth district 1 0.0% southern berkshire district 1 0.0% wareham district 1 0.0% wrentham district 1 0.0% Party Type (n) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 2210 9 Natural Person 613 2814 Total 2823 2823 (%) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 78.3% 0.3% Natural Person 21.7% 99.7% Total 100.0% 100.0% Plaintiff Representation (n) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 2174 36 2210 Optional 296 317 613 Total 2470 353 2823 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 77.0% 1.3% 78.3% Optional 10.5% 11.2% 21.7% Total 87.5% 12.5% 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 9 9 Optional 11 2803 2814 Total 11 2812 2823 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 0.0% 0.3% 0.3% Optional 0.4% 99.3% 99.7% Total 0.4% 99.6% 100.0% Number of Adults in Households Count Percent 0 83 2.9% 1 1983 70.2% 2 614 21.7% 3 102 3.6% 4 23 0.8% 5 14 0.5% 6 2 0.1% 7 1 0.0% 8 1 0.0% Total 2823 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 2051 72.7% Cause 425 15.1% No Fault 320 11.3% Foreclosure 25 0.9% Unknown/Other 2 0.1% Rate per 100,000 Municipality Residents Count New Ashford 438 1 Richmond 203 3 Gilbertville 173 2 Woods Hole 122 1 Chilmark 115 1 Mattapan 115 42 Chelsea 113 40 Norwood 108 31 Holyoke 107 43 Vineyard Haven 105 2 Revere 104 54 Springfield 103 158 New Salem 101 1 Southbridge 101 17 Hinsdale 98 2 Hull 97 10 Warren 97 5 Fall River 96 86 Chestnut Hill 94 2 Ware 91 9 Lynn 90 82 Framingham 89 61 Pittsfield 89 40 Brookfield 88 3 Haydenville 88 1 Leominster 88 36 Worcester 88 161 Malden 85 51 Lowell 83 89 Dorchester 80 74 Gardner 79 16 Charlemont 78 1 New Bedford 78 75 Millers Falls 77 1 Fitchburg 69 28 Indian Orchard 69 7 Randolph 68 22 Three Rivers 68 2 Waltham 67 41 Quincy 66 61 Brockton 65 61 Fiskdale 64 2 Orange 63 5 Hyde Park 62 21 Winthrop 62 11 Lawrence 60 46 Salem 60 25 Foxborough 59 10 Hatfield 59 2 Buzzards Bay 58 2 South Easton 58 6 Tewksbury 58 17 Marlborough 57 22 Hyannis 56 8 Russell 56 1 Shelburne Falls 56 1 Shutesbury 56 1 Everett 55 23 Wales 54 1 Westborough 54 10 Bondsville 53 1 Burlington 53 13 Webster 53 9 Athol 51 6 East Falmouth 51 3 Abington 50 8 Brewster 50 5 Orleans 50 3 Swampscott 50 7 Hanscom Afb 48 1 Turners Falls 48 2 Adams 47 4 Avon 45 2 Greenfield 45 8 Dorchester Center 44 41 North Oxford 44 1 Raynham 44 6 Chicopee 43 24 North Brookfield 42 2 West Springfield 42 12 Allston 41 12 Roslindale 41 12 Saugus 41 11 Peabody 40 21 Cambridge 38 40 Hadley 38 2 Mansfield 38 9 Williamstown 38 3 Bridgewater 37 10 East Boston 37 15 Haverhill 37 23 North Billerica 37 4 Stoughton 37 10 West Yarmouth 37 2 Acton 36 8 Attleborough 36 16 Hudson 36 7 Somerville 36 28 Wellfleet 36 1 Charlestown 35 6 Northborough 35 5 Taunton 35 20 Berlin 34 1 Gloucester 34 10 Middleborough 34 8 Braintree 33 12 Hopkinton 33 5 Canton 32 7 Chelmsford 32 11 Palmer 32 4 Kingston 31 4 Roxbury 31 19 Westfield 31 13 Cheshire 30 1 Sheffield 30 1 Brighton 29 13 Clinton 29 4 Jamaica Plain 29 11 Nahant 29 1 North Adams 29 4 South Boston 29 10 East Sandwich 28 1 Plymouth 28 16 West Bridgewater 28 2 Sagamore Beach 27 1 Shirley 27 2 Sunderland 27 1 Halifax 26 2 Millis 25 2 Edgartown 24 1 Natick 24 8 North Andover 24 7 North Pembroke 24 1 Wakefield 24 6 Walpole 24 6 Marshfield 23 6 Medford 23 13 West Newbury 23 1 Bedford 22 3 Centerville 22 3 East Wareham 22 5 East Weymouth 22 12 Littleton 22 2 Millbury 22 3 Rockland 22 4 South Grafton 22 1 Sturbridge 21 2 Beverly 20 8 East Freetown 20 1 Eastham 20 1 Roxbury Crossing 20 12 Wenham 20 1 Whitman 20 3 Woburn 20 8 Acushnet 19 2 Methuen 19 9 Newtonville 19 1 Northbridge 19 3 Rochester 19 1 Winchendon 19 2 Amherst 18 7 Ashland 18 3 Auburn 18 3 Barre 18 1 Franklin 18 6 Milton 18 5 Stoneham 18 4 Wrentham 18 2 Feeding Hills 17 2 Lynnfield 17 2 Mendon 17 1 North Attleborough 17 5 Southampton 17 1 Tyngsborough 17 2 Lee 16 1 Mattapoisett 16 1 Pembroke 16 3 Scituate 16 3 South Weymouth 16 9 Andover 15 5 Ipswich 15 2 Lincoln 15 1 Norton 15 3 Stow 15 1 Agawam 14 4 Great Barrington 14 1 Hanover 14 2 Ludlow 14 3 Mashpee 14 2 Rockport 14 1 Whitinsville 14 1 Wareham 13 3 West Boylston 13 1 Wilmington 13 3 Bellingham 12 2 Belmont 12 3 Billerica 12 5 Boston 12 79 Georgetown 12 1 Lancaster 12 1 North Grafton 12 1 Plainville 12 1 Rutland 12 1 Swansea 12 2 Waban 12 1 Westport 12 2 Arlington 11 5 Danvers 11 3 Monson 11 1 Montague 11 1 Newburyport 11 2 Somerset 11 2 Auburndale 10 1 Dracut 10 3 Marblehead 10 2 Needham 10 3 North Chelmsford 10 1 Northampton 10 3 Cherry Valley 9 1 Holbrook 9 1 Lunenburg 9 1 Maynard 9 1 Nantucket 9 1 Onset 9 2 Rochdale 9 1 Watertown 9 3 Westford 9 2 Brookline 8 5 Carver 8 1 Dedham 8 2 North Dartmouth 8 2 Pepperell 8 1 West Harwich 8 1 Bradford 7 1 Charlton 7 1 Medway 7 1 Melrose 7 2 Milford 7 2 Oxford 7 1 Uxbridge 7 1 Wayland 7 1 Weymouth 7 4 Wilbraham 7 1 Amesbury 6 1 Duxbury 6 1 East Longmeadow 6 1 Fairhaven 6 1 Longmeadow 6 1 North Reading 6 1 West Roxbury 6 2 Westwood 6 1 Bourne 5 1 Concord 5 1 Newton 5 5 E. Boston 4 2 Hingham 4 1 Reading 4 1 Sandwich 4 1 Lexington 3 1 WATERTOWN 3 1 Wellesley Hills 3 1 Newton Highlands 2 2 Shrewsbury 2 1 (not given) 0 170 span 0 4 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 392 279 Berkshire 377 61 Plymouth 365 158 Worcester 303 338 Bristol 289 238 Norfolk 258 220 Essex 247 272 Suffolk 241 476 Middlesex 222 519 Franklin 208 22 Barnstable 186 36 Hampshire 135 25 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/.