Filings Quarter Ending 2021 December 31

Residential summary process: Filings Report This report examines cases filed recently before reading, for which outcomes were largely unknown. Search Period Start: 2021-10-01 Search Period End: 2021-12-31 Earliest Case: 2021-10-01 Latest Case: 2021-12-31 Total Cases: 6097 Total Transfers: 172 -- High-level take-aways: Percentage of landlords for whom attorney is optional: 35.6% Of those, percentage pro se: 53.1% Most common cause: Non-payment Least stable municipality/neighborhood: Woronoco Least stable with 10+ filings: Pocasset Least stable with 100+ filings: Fall River Least stable county: Bristol Cases per day: 67 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 northeast 1098 18.0% central 1017 16.7% western 975 16.0% southeast 863 14.2% eastern 698 11.4% metro_south 572 9.4% quincy district 81 1.3% malden district 62 1.0% fall river district 48 0.8% lynn district 48 0.8% pittsfield district 44 0.7% attleboro district 38 0.6% northern berkshire district 37 0.6% waltham district 37 0.6% fallmouth district 30 0.5% lawrence district 28 0.5% cambridge district 27 0.4% barnstable district 25 0.4% lowell district 25 0.4% chelsea district 24 0.4% woburn district 21 0.3% brockton district 20 0.3% somerville district 18 0.3% bmc west roxbury 17 0.3% springfield district 16 0.3% peabody district 15 0.2% new bedford district 14 0.2% bmc east boston 13 0.2% wrentham district 11 0.2% palmer district 10 0.2% newburyport district 9 0.1% plymouth district 9 0.1% wareham district 9 0.1% milford district 8 0.1% orleans district 8 0.1% dedham district 7 0.1% edgartown district 7 0.1% framingham district 7 0.1% stoughton district 7 0.1% bmc brighton 6 0.1% bmc central 6 0.1% eastern hampshire district 6 0.1% haverhill district 6 0.1% nantucket district 6 0.1% salem district 6 0.1% taunton district 6 0.1% westfield district 6 0.1% concord district 5 0.1% ayer district 4 0.1% clinton district 4 0.1% gloucester district 4 0.1% hingham district 4 0.1% holyoke district 4 0.1% newton district 4 0.1% chicopee district 3 0.0% southern berkshire district 3 0.0% greenfield district 2 0.0% leominster district 2 0.0% worcester district 2 0.0% bmc south boston 1 0.0% brookline district 1 0.0% northampton district 1 0.0% orange district 1 0.0% uxbridge district 1 0.0% Party Type (n) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 3925 16 Natural Person 2172 6081 Total 6097 6097 (%) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 64.4% 0.3% Natural Person 35.6% 99.7% Total 100.0% 100.0% Plaintiff Representation (n) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 3746 179 3925 Optional 1018 1154 2172 Total 4764 1333 6097 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 61.4% 2.9% 64.4% Optional 16.7% 18.9% 35.6% Total 78.1% 21.9% 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 2 14 16 Optional 92 5989 6081 Total 94 6003 6097 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 0.0% 0.2% 0.3% Optional 1.5% 98.2% 99.7% Total 1.5% 98.5% 100.0% Number of Adults in Households Count Percent 0 503 8.2% 1 4137 67.9% 2 1187 19.5% 3 184 3.0% 4 67 1.1% 5 14 0.2% 6 3 0.0% 11 1 0.0% 13 1 0.0% Total 6097 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 3443 56.5% Cause 1313 21.5% No Fault 1252 20.5% Foreclosure 80 1.3% Unknown/Other 9 0.1% Rate per 100,000 Municipality Residents Count Woronoco 900 1 Pocasset 483 14 Fall River 283 252 East Falmouth 276 16 Ayer 269 20 North Adams 269 37 Southbridge 269 45 Florida 265 2 New Bedford 247 235 Gardner 232 47 Fitchburg 215 87 Vineyard Haven 211 4 Lawrence 210 161 Tolland 206 1 Provincetown 203 6 Southfield 202 1 Hyannis 198 28 Athol 189 22 Worcester 188 342 Canton 180 39 Buzzards Bay 174 6 Marlborough 174 67 Webster 172 29 Brockton 168 158 Lowell 162 173 Dennis Port 158 5 Randolph 152 49 Revere 150 78 Quincy 143 132 Chestnut Hill 141 3 Berlin 139 4 Clinton 139 19 Framingham 136 93 Housatonic 132 1 Taunton 128 72 Haverhill 126 77 Pittsfield 125 56 Methuen 122 58 Braintree 120 43 Middleborough 116 27 Leominster 115 47 Newtonville 115 6 Whitinsville 115 8 Milford 114 32 West Yarmouth 113 6 Foxborough 112 19 North Falmouth 111 3 Wellfleet 109 3 Dorchester 108 100 Rockland 108 19 Salisbury 108 9 South Dennis 108 4 South Easton 107 11 Winchendon 106 11 Norwood 104 30 Chelsea 99 35 Indian Orchard 99 10 Springfield 98 150 Mattapan 95 35 Bridgewater 94 25 South Yarmouth 94 11 Spencer 94 11 East Taunton 93 6 Holbrook 92 10 Attleborough 91 40 Ware 91 9 West Dennis 91 2 Nantucket 88 9 West Warren 88 1 East Sandwich 86 3 Jefferson 85 3 Plainville 84 7 Roslindale 83 24 Mattapoisett 82 5 Whitman 82 12 East Boston 81 33 Sagamore 81 3 North Attleborough 80 23 Seekonk 80 11 Royalston 79 1 Upton 79 6 West Chatham 78 1 North Andover 77 22 Newbury 75 5 North Billerica 74 8 Roxbury 73 44 Everett 71 30 Adams 70 6 Jamaica Plain 69 26 Avon 68 3 Hudson 68 13 Rowley 68 4 Three Rivers 68 2 Andover 66 22 Oak Bluffs 66 3 Stoughton 66 18 Whately 66 1 Holyoke 65 26 Lancaster 62 5 Cheshire 61 2 East Freetown 61 3 Marstons Mills 61 3 Weymouth 61 33 Acton 59 13 Chicopee 59 33 Dalton 59 4 Hyde Park 59 20 Phillipston 59 1 Yarmouth Port 59 3 Princeton 58 2 Russell 56 1 Shelburne Falls 56 1 Amesbury 55 9 Blackstone 55 5 Lynn 55 50 Cherry Valley 54 6 Plymouth 54 31 Sunderland 54 2 Westborough 54 10 Franklin 53 17 Baldwinville 52 1 Carver 52 6 Dorchester Center 52 48 Allston 51 15 Greenfield 51 9 Mansfield 51 12 Mendon 51 3 Orange 51 4 Stockbridge 51 1 Abington 50 8 Hinsdale 49 1 Hull 48 5 Belchertown 47 7 Kingston 47 6 Shrewsbury 47 17 West Newbury 47 2 Groveland 46 3 Monson 46 4 North Easton 46 6 East Brookfield 45 1 Huntington 45 1 West Springfield 45 13 Cambridge 44 47 Dedham 44 11 Littleton 44 4 North Oxford 44 1 Somerset 44 8 Rehoboth 43 5 Bellingham 42 7 Mashpee 42 6 Northborough 42 6 Paxton 41 2 Shirley 41 3 Wareham 41 9 Peabody 40 21 East Weymouth 39 21 Somerville 39 30 Chelmsford 38 13 Hadley 38 2 North Dartmouth 38 9 Dracut 37 11 East Templeton 37 3 Lakeville 37 4 Uxbridge 37 5 Waltham 37 23 Hingham 36 8 Woburn 36 14 Douglas 35 3 Dudley 35 4 Malden 35 21 Plympton 35 1 West Barnstable 35 1 Billerica 34 14 Sharon 34 6 Tewksbury 34 10 Winthrop 34 6 Hopedale 33 2 Medford 33 19 Ashburnham 32 2 Belmont 32 8 Westport 32 5 Marshfield 31 8 Merrimac 31 2 Northbridge 31 5 Hatfield 30 1 Lunenburg 29 3 Maynard 29 3 Raynham 29 4 Salem 29 12 Dighton 28 2 Falmouth 28 9 Great Barrington 28 2 Newburyport 28 5 West Bridgewater 28 2 Brighton 27 12 Onset 27 6 Sagamore Beach 27 1 West Brookfield 27 1 Westminster 27 2 Wrentham 27 3 Cohasset 26 2 Halifax 26 2 South Weymouth 26 14 West Boylston 26 2 West Roxbury 26 8 Arlington 25 11 Boxford 25 2 Millis 25 2 Newton Center 25 1 North Grafton 25 2 Rutland 25 2 Auburn 24 4 Easthampton 24 4 Georgetown 24 2 Harwich 24 3 Turners Falls 24 1 Charlestown 23 4 Holden 23 4 Wayland 23 3 Centerville 22 3 East Wareham 22 5 Forestdale 22 1 Hubbardston 22 1 Millbury 22 3 Sudbury 22 4 Dennis 21 3 Hanover 21 3 Norton 21 4 Oxford 21 3 Sturbridge 21 2 Swampscott 21 3 Boxborough 20 1 Brewster 20 2 Hopkinton 20 3 Marion 20 1 Needham 20 6 Walpole 20 5 Westwood 20 3 Acushnet 19 2 Warren 19 1 Fairhaven 18 3 Melrose 18 5 Rochdale 18 2 Saugus 18 5 E. Boston 17 7 Pepperell 17 2 Tyngsborough 17 2 Chatham 16 1 Lee 16 1 Newton Upper Falls 16 1 Wakefield 16 4 Bedford 15 2 Ludlow 14 3 Sandwich 14 3 Gloucester 13 4 Stoneham 13 3 Westford 13 3 Beverly 12 5 East Longmeadow 12 2 Westfield 12 5 Boston 11 72 Pembroke 11 2 Roxbury Crossing 11 7 South Hadley 11 2 Sutton 11 1 Agawam 10 3 Bourne 10 2 Needham Heights 10 3 North Chelmsford 10 1 Southwick 10 1 Hanson 9 1 Leicester 9 1 Lexington 9 3 Natick 9 3 Norwell 9 1 Watertown 9 3 Dartmouth 8 3 Easton 8 2 Feeding Hills 8 1 Medfield 8 1 Reading 8 2 South Boston 8 3 South Dartmouth 8 3 Amherst 7 3 Charlton 7 1 East Walpole 7 2 Holliston 7 1 Milton 7 2 Wilbraham 7 1 Ashland 6 1 Brookline 6 4 Swansea 6 1 Grafton 5 1 Marblehead 5 1 North Weymouth 5 3 Newton 4 4 Wilmington 4 1 Winchester 4 1 Danvers 3 1 Newton Highlands 2 2 (not given) 0 1320 span 0 9 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 Bristol 877 722 Plymouth 822 355 Barnstable 787 152 Worcester 750 835 Berkshire 706 114 Norfolk 584 498 Essex 441 485 Hampden 361 257 Middlesex 304 710 Suffolk 292 577 Nantucket 256 9 Dukes 170 7 Franklin 170 18 Hampshire 157 29 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. -- When Citing This Work, Please Credit: MassLandlords, Inc. Available online at https://masslandlords.net/policy/eviction-data/.