Outcomes for July 2021

Residential summary process: Outcomes Report This report examines cases filed at least one year before reading, for which outcomes were largely known. Search Period Start: 2021-07-01 Search Period End: 2021-07-31 Earliest Case: 2021-07-01 Latest Case: 2021-07-31 Total Cases: 1751 Total Transfers: 49 -- High-level take-aways: Percentage of landlords for whom attorney is optional: 39.9% Of those, percentage pro se: 41.1% Most common cause: Non-payment Least stable municipality/neighborhood: Wendell Depot Least stable with 10+ filings: Adams Least stable with 100+ filings: Fall River Least stable county: Berkshire Cases per day: 58 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 central 305 17.4% western 284 16.2% northeast 268 15.3% southeast 261 14.9% eastern 207 11.8% metro_south 173 9.9% quincy district 24 1.4% pittsfield district 21 1.2% chelsea district 15 0.9% lynn district 14 0.8% malden district 11 0.6% attleboro district 10 0.6% northern berkshire district 10 0.6% lowell district 9 0.5% taunton district 9 0.5% waltham district 9 0.5% ayer district 7 0.4% barnstable district 7 0.4% bmc west roxbury 7 0.4% cambridge district 7 0.4% fall river district 7 0.4% brockton district 6 0.3% lawrence district 6 0.3% somerville district 6 0.3% springfield district 5 0.3% haverhill district 4 0.2% wareham district 4 0.2% woburn district 4 0.2% brookline district 3 0.2% dedham district 3 0.2% eastern hampshire district 3 0.2% nantucket district 3 0.2% palmer district 3 0.2% peabody district 3 0.2% westfield district 3 0.2% bmc brighton 2 0.1% bmc east boston 2 0.1% edgartown district 2 0.1% fallmouth district 2 0.1% framingham district 2 0.1% hingham district 2 0.1% milford district 2 0.1% newton district 2 0.1% salem district 2 0.1% worcester district 2 0.1% bmc central 1 0.1% bmc roxbury 1 0.1% clinton district 1 0.1% gloucester district 1 0.1% ipswich district 1 0.1% new bedford district 1 0.1% orange district 1 0.1% orleans district 1 0.1% plymouth district 1 0.1% stoughton district 1 0.1% Party Type (n) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 1053 5 Natural Person 698 1746 Total 1751 1751 (%) Plaintiffs Defendants Corporate Entity 60.1% 0.3% Natural Person 39.9% 99.7% Total 100.0% 100.0% Plaintiff Representation (n) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 1042 11 1053 Optional 411 287 698 Total 1453 298 1751 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 59.5% 0.6% 60.1% Optional 23.5% 16.4% 39.9% Total 83.0% 17.0% 100.0% Defendant Representation Note: Limited Assistance Representation should be reflected here. Tenancy preservation or other social services may not be reflected. (n) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 1 4 5 Optional 189 1557 1746 Total 190 1561 1751 (%) Has Attorney Pro Se Total Required 0.1% 0.2% 0.3% Optional 10.8% 88.9% 99.7% Total 10.9% 89.1% 100.0% Number of Adults in Households Count Percent 0 97 5.5% 1 1175 67.1% 2 370 21.1% 3 72 4.1% 4 26 1.5% 5 10 0.6% 7 1 0.1% Total 1751 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 1032 58.9% No Fault 355 20.3% Cause 354 20.2% Foreclosure 10 0.6% Unknown/Other 0 0.0% Rate per 100,000 Municipality Residents Count Wendell Depot 1111 1 West Hyannisport 555 1 Florence 421 4 Goshen 189 2 Gilbertville 173 2 Baldwinville 158 3 Adams 141 12 Granville 127 2 East Sandwich 115 4 Fall River 113 101 East Falmouth 103 6 Orange 102 8 North Adams 94 13 Indian Orchard 89 9 Holyoke 87 35 Pittsfield 73 33 Turners Falls 73 3 Springfield 67 103 Southbridge 65 11 Worcester 65 118 Revere 63 33 East Taunton 62 4 Colrain 59 1 Clarksburg 58 1 Clinton 58 8 Abington 56 9 Randolph 56 18 Russell 56 1 Norwood 55 16 Fitchburg 54 22 Brockton 52 49 Framingham 52 36 Saugus 52 14 Vineyard Haven 52 1 South Yarmouth 51 6 Nantucket 49 5 West Springfield 49 14 West Dennis 45 1 Gardner 44 9 North Oxford 44 1 Roslindale 44 13 Stoughton 44 12 Everett 43 18 Lawrence 43 33 Chelsea 42 15 Feeding Hills 42 5 Lowell 42 45 New Bedford 42 40 Taunton 42 24 Haverhill 41 25 Marlborough 41 16 Marstons Mills 41 2 Quincy 41 38 Tewksbury 41 12 Wareham 41 9 Greenfield 40 7 Williamsburg 40 1 Warren 38 2 Winchendon 38 4 Chicopee 36 20 Milford 35 10 Monument Beach 35 1 Northborough 35 5 West Barnstable 35 1 Athol 34 4 South Hadley 34 6 Dorchester 33 31 Mattapoisett 33 2 Provincetown 33 1 Townsend 33 3 Chatham 32 2 Lanesborough 32 1 Palmer 32 4 Berkley 31 2 Dennis Port 31 1 North Andover 31 9 Bedford 30 4 Ipswich 30 4 Sheffield 30 1 Centerville 29 4 Dalton 29 2 Swampscott 29 4 Great Barrington 28 2 Lynn 28 26 Malden 28 17 Mashpee 28 4 Rockland 28 5 Winthrop 28 5 East Wareham 27 6 Sagamore 27 1 Sunderland 27 1 Westminster 27 2 Ayer 26 2 Bridgewater 26 7 Leominster 26 11 Fairhaven 25 4 Newton Center 25 1 North Grafton 25 2 Spencer 25 3 Auburn 24 4 Edgartown 24 1 North Attleborough 24 7 Salem 24 10 Ludlow 23 5 Waltham 23 14 Webster 23 4 Avon 22 1 Blackstone 22 2 Oak Bluffs 22 1 South Grafton 22 1 Methuen 21 10 North Brookfield 21 1 Westfield 21 9 Belchertown 20 3 Dedham 20 5 East Freetown 20 1 Eastham 20 1 Roxbury 20 12 Ware 20 2 Westwood 20 3 Braintree 19 7 East Boston 19 8 Longmeadow 19 3 Lunenburg 19 2 Maynard 19 2 Acton 18 4 Amesbury 18 3 Barre 18 1 Bellingham 18 3 Holbrook 18 2 Beverly 17 7 Chelmsford 17 6 Foxborough 17 3 Hyde Park 17 6 Middleborough 17 4 Peabody 17 9 Pepperell 17 2 Tyngsborough 17 2 Granby 16 1 Harwich 16 2 Hopedale 16 1 Jamaica Plain 16 6 West Roxbury 16 5 Andover 15 5 Danvers 15 4 Dorchester Center 15 14 Kingston 15 2 Millbury 15 2 Natick 15 5 North Easton 15 2 Somerville 15 12 Woburn 15 6 Cambridge 14 15 Dighton 14 1 Holliston 14 2 Hyannis 14 2 Plymouth 14 8 Raynham 14 2 Shrewsbury 14 5 Whitinsville 14 1 Attleborough 13 6 Mattapan 13 5 North Reading 13 2 Shirley 13 1 West Boylston 13 1 Whitman 13 2 Wilmington 13 3 Belmont 12 3 Billerica 12 5 Mansfield 12 3 Medford 12 7 Plainville 12 1 Reading 12 3 South Hamilton 12 1 Swansea 12 2 Watertown 12 4 Westport 12 2 Charlestown 11 2 Manchaug 11 1 Sudbury 11 2 Sutton 11 1 Weymouth 11 6 Allston 10 3 Bourne 10 2 Brookline 10 6 Dracut 10 3 Gloucester 10 3 Needham Heights 10 3 Acushnet 9 1 Arlington 9 4 Brighton 9 4 Hull 9 1 Leicester 9 1 Rochdale 9 1 South Easton 9 1 Stoneham 9 2 Wrentham 9 1 Burlington 8 2 Wakefield 8 2 Walpole 8 2 West Harwich 8 1 Agawam 7 2 Amherst 7 3 Charlton 7 1 Dennis 7 1 East Bridgewater 7 1 East Weymouth 7 4 Marshfield 7 2 Medway 7 1 Northampton 7 2 Oxford 7 1 Seekonk 7 1 Uxbridge 7 1 Wilbraham 7 1 Duxbury 6 1 East Longmeadow 6 1 Easthampton 6 1 Franklin 6 2 Hopkinton 6 1 Lexington 6 2 Needham 6 2 Boston 5 34 Dartmouth 5 2 Norton 5 1 Pembroke 5 1 Scituate 5 1 Sharon 5 1 South Weymouth 5 3 Westborough 5 1 Canton 4 1 Hingham 4 1 North Dartmouth 4 1 Onset 4 1 Sandwich 4 1 Melrose 3 1 Milton 3 1 Roxbury Crossing 3 2 Newton Highlands 1 1 (not given) 0 24 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 Berkshire 402 65 Hampden 301 214 Plymouth 259 112 Bristol 252 208 Barnstable 233 45 Worcester 224 250 Franklin 199 21 Norfolk 166 142 Essex 151 167 Nantucket 142 5 Hampshire 135 25 Middlesex 116 272 Suffolk 100 198 Dukes 73 3 Rate per 100,000 renter households based on 2019 ACS. Counties appear even if no evictions filed. OUTCOMES Concluded cases are 'disposed'. Not all cases were disposed at time of reading. Cases are read approximately 18 months after filing. Court Record Reads This Report Reads Stipulation of Dismissal Dismissed Voluntary Dismissal Dismissed Dismissal Dismissed Agreement for Judgment Mediated Agreement Mediated Judgment by Default Defaulted Findings Heard Order Heard Disposed Heard (unrecognized) Other Dismissals: Stipulations of dismissal are not legally the same as voluntary dismissals, but both are treated here as scenarios in which either money has been paid or cause cured. Mediation: Agreements are not legally the same as agreements for judgment, but both are treated here as mediations in which a tenancy may be preserved; judgment or execution may enter thereafter, looked at separately. Tenancy preservation program is generally not visible, may influence either mediation or dismissal. Some disposed cases may have a judgment entered. Judgments may be for money only, money and possession, or possession only. Some judgments for possession may result in an execution. Dispositions Count Percentage Disposed 1548 88.4% Ongoing/Error 203 11.6% Cases not yet disposed were either ongoing at time of reading or left open due to clerical error only. Note that agreements for judgment may not all be filed properly, and that mediations may be undercounted. By outcome, as a percent of disposed cases: Count Percentage Dismissed 610 39.4% Mediated 511 33.0% Defaulted 381 24.6% Heard 45 2.9% Other 1 0.1% Total 1548 100.0% Outcome by reason: Dismissed Defaulted Mediated Heard Other Cause 66 73 128 16 0 Foreclosure 1 5 4 0 0 No Fault 97 66 175 9 0 Non-payment 446 237 204 20 1 Unknown/Other 0 0 0 0 0 Outcome by reason, as a percent of disposed cases: Dismissed Defaulted Mediated Heard Other Cause 4.3% 4.7% 8.3% 1.0% 0.0% Foreclosure 0.1% 0.3% 0.3% 0.0% 0.0% No Fault 6.3% 4.3% 11.3% 0.6% 0.0% Non-payment 28.8% 15.3% 13.2% 1.3% 0.1% Unknown/Other 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% Judgments The financial obligation of one party to another, net of counterclaims. Judgments recorded for the plaintiff may be lower than total eviction costs (e.g., moving and storage often not included). Judgments may not be ordered paid if the debtor receives any form of public assistance. Otherwise, judgments are enforceable any time in the 20 years after issuance. Judgments of small amounts typically reflect court filing fees rather than rent arrears. Mediated agreements for judgment are judgments; otherwise mediated agreements are not recorded. Amounts in excess of 100% of cases disposed indicate a judgment was inferred from the docket history but no dollar amount was entered and the case was not yet disposed. Count Percentage of Disposed Percentage of Filed Judgment entered 641 41.4% 36.6% Judgment inferred 161 10.4% 9.2% No judgment 746 48.2% 42.6% Total 1548 100.0% 45.8% Judgments by reason, where dollar figures are known, as a percent of disposed cases: Count Percentage Min Max Average Std Dev Total Cause 133 8.6% 0 24,588 1,989 3,766 264,616 Foreclosure 5 0.3% 167 263 229 33 1,146 No fault 128 8.3% 0 61,442 3,474 7,157 444,746 Non-payment 375 24.2% 0 95,040 7,221 9,549 2,708,141 Subtotal 641 41.4% 0 95,040 5,333 8,474 3,418,651 Judgments by outcome, where dollar figures are known, as a percent of disposed cases: Count Percentage Min Max Average Std dev Total Dismissed 83 5.4% 190 25,577 4,378 5,008 363,409 Defaulted 347 22.4% 0 61,442 5,356 7,447 1,858,669 Mediated 192 12.4% 0 95,040 5,588 10,535 1,072,917 Heard 18 1.2% 0 60,084 6,597 13,508 118,758 Other 1 0.1% 4,896 4,896 4,896 0 4,896 Subtotal 641 41.4% 0 95,040 5,333 8,474 3,418,651 By prevailing party, as a percent of disposed cases: Count Percentage of Judgments Percentage of Disposed Percentage of Filed defendant 2 0.2% 0.1% 0.1% plaintiff 714 89.0% 46.1% 40.8% unknown 86 10.7% 5.6% 4.9% Total 802 100.0% 51.8% 45.8% Judgments All Cases: Count: 641 Range: 0.000 - 95040.910; Mean: 5333.309; Median: 2857.790; Stddev: 8481.602 Percentiles: 90th: 12601.330; 95th: 18549.510; 99th: 45941.500 0.000 - 98.250: 1 | 98.250 - 211.801: 77 ############################## 211.801 - 455.263: 73 ############################# 455.263 - 977.269: 29 ########### 977.269 - 2096.496: 81 ################################ 2096.496 - 4496.218: 130 ################################################### 4496.218 - 9641.436: 134 ##################################################### 9641.436 - 20673.240: 72 ############################ 20673.240 - 44326.410: 20 ######## 44326.410 - 95040.910: 7 ### Judgments By Reason Cause: Count: 133 Range: 0.000 - 24588.300; Mean: 1989.600; Median: 224.640; Stddev: 3781.131 Percentiles: 90th: 6629.360; 95th: 10782.000; 99th: 16110.290 0.000 - 283.841: 77 ##################################################### 283.841 - 466.443: 2 # 466.443 - 766.107: 4 ### 766.107 - 1257.877: 3 ## 1257.877 - 2064.905: 5 ### 2064.905 - 3389.296: 7 ##### 3389.296 - 5562.713: 9 ###### 5562.713 - 9129.443: 9 ###### 9129.443 - 14982.698: 6 #### 14982.698 - 24588.300: 2 # Foreclosure: Count: 5 Range: 167.530 - 263.490; Mean: 229.280; Median: 238.890; Stddev: 37.008 Percentiles: 90th: 263.490; 95th: 263.490; 99th: 263.490 167.530 - 175.299: 1 ##################################################### 175.299 - 230.041: 1 ##################################################### 230.041 - 240.692: 1 ##################################################### 240.692 - 251.834: 1 ##################################################### 251.834 - 263.490: 1 ##################################################### No Fault: Count: 128 Range: 0.000 - 61442.880; Mean: 3474.584; Median: 1513.290; Stddev: 7185.774 Percentiles: 90th: 7696.250; 95th: 10127.120; 99th: 45974.460 0.000 - 94.014: 1 # 94.014 - 194.023: 12 ################# 194.023 - 399.299: 37 ##################################################### 399.299 - 820.644: 3 #### 820.644 - 1685.487: 13 ################### 1685.487 - 3460.641: 20 ############################# 3460.641 - 7104.280: 24 ################################## 7104.280 - 14583.124: 13 ################### 14583.124 - 29934.015: 1 # 29934.015 - 61442.880: 2 ### Non-payment: Count: 375 Range: 0.000 - 95040.910; Mean: 7221.710; Median: 4356.560; Stddev: 9562.405 Percentiles: 90th: 15606.680; 95th: 22457.000; 99th: 49661.240 0.000 - 337.208: 13 ######## 337.208 - 631.798: 12 ######## 631.798 - 1182.985: 23 ############### 1182.985 - 2214.274: 51 ################################ 2214.274 - 4143.849: 77 ################################################# 4143.849 - 7754.147: 84 ##################################################### 7754.147 - 14509.130: 68 ########################################### 14509.130 - 27147.922: 28 ################## 27147.922 - 50795.510: 10 ###### 50795.510 - 95040.910: 3 ## Judgments By Outcome Dismissed: Count: 83 Range: 190.000 - 25577.830; Mean: 4378.424; Median: 2558.400; Stddev: 5038.561 Percentiles: 90th: 12000.000; 95th: 13909.980; 99th: 25577.830 190.000 - 310.687: 14 ############################################ 310.687 - 507.631: 3 ######### 507.631 - 829.018: 4 ############ 829.018 - 1353.479: 7 ###################### 1353.479 - 2209.330: 7 ###################### 2209.330 - 3605.964: 17 ##################################################### 3605.964 - 5885.084: 10 ############################### 5885.084 - 9604.306: 9 ############################ 9604.306 - 15673.581: 9 ############################ 15673.581 - 25577.830: 3 ######### Defaulted: Count: 347 Range: 0.000 - 61442.880; Mean: 5356.396; Median: 3175.850; Stddev: 7457.935 Percentiles: 90th: 12927.500; 95th: 19174.170; 99th: 42777.710 0.000 - 94.014: 1 # 94.014 - 194.023: 29 ##################### 194.023 - 399.299: 56 ######################################## 399.299 - 820.644: 8 ###### 820.644 - 1685.487: 34 ######################## 1685.487 - 3460.641: 51 ##################################### 3460.641 - 7104.280: 74 ##################################################### 7104.280 - 14583.124: 61 ############################################ 14583.124 - 29934.015: 21 ############### 29934.015 - 61442.880: 4 ### Mediated: Count: 192 Range: 0.000 - 95040.910; Mean: 5588.114; Median: 2570.840; Stddev: 10563.142 Percentiles: 90th: 12000.000; 95th: 18751.630; 99th: 66316.810 0.000 - 325.076: 41 ##################################################### 325.076 - 611.580: 5 ###### 611.580 - 1149.818: 10 ############# 1149.818 - 2160.976: 29 ##################################### 2160.976 - 4060.579: 29 ##################################### 4060.579 - 7629.253: 33 ########################################### 7629.253 - 14333.515: 22 ############################ 14333.515 - 26928.424: 9 ############ 26928.424 - 50589.749: 5 ###### 50589.749 - 95040.910: 2 ### Heard: Count: 18 Range: 0.000 - 60084.840; Mean: 6597.700; Median: 2965.105; Stddev: 13899.708 Percentiles: 90th: 11754.810; 95th: 60084.840; 99th: 60084.840 0.000 - 362.203: 6 ##################################################### 362.203 - 3516.254: 1 ######### 3516.254 - 6203.651: 5 ############################################ 6203.651 - 10944.386: 1 ######### 10944.386 - 19307.332: 2 ################## 19307.332 - 60084.840: 1 ######### Executions A levy of execution is a forced (court ordered) move-out, what is commonly meant by "eviction". If an execution is requested but not issued, the court has denied the landlord's request. If an execution is issued but not levied, the renters have left on their own. If an execution is levied, the renters and their belongings were removed per the move-and-store laws. Possession of the housing was returned to the owner. It is not possible to know from court records whether belongings were stored in a licensed and bonded warehouse (renter has not yet obtained new housing) or delivered per the renter's instructions (renter has obtained new housing). The landlord customarily pays for the cost of moving and storage. Executions are considered levied if a return of service appears in the record. Executions for possession only must be returned to the court even if not actually served. Executions for money may be kept (not returned) for attempts to collect. Percentages of judgments in excess of 100% indicate that the judgment for one or more cases was not officially recorded when the record was examined, or was recorded ambiguously. Count Percentage of Judgments Percentage of Disposed Percentage of Filed Requested 654 81.5% 42.2% 37.4% Issued 549 68.5% 35.5% 31.4% Levied 112 14.0% 7.2% 6.4% Levied by reason: Count Percentage of Levied Percentage of Judgments Percentage of Disposed Percentage of Filed Cause 35 31.2% 4.4% 2.3% 2.0% Foreclosure 2 1.8% 0.2% 0.1% 0.1% No Fault 27 24.1% 3.4% 1.7% 1.5% Non-payment 48 42.9% 6.0% 3.1% 2.7% Unknown/Other 0 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% All Reasons 112 100.0% 14.0% 7.2% 6.4% Read as X% of cases filed are levied for nonpayment, for example. Levied by outcome: Count Percentage of Levied Percentage of Judgments Percentage of Disposed Percentage of Filed Dismissed 17 15.2% 2.1% 1.1% 1.0% Defaulted 52 46.4% 6.5% 3.4% 3.0% Mediated 41 36.6% 5.1% 2.6% 2.3% Heard 2 1.8% 0.2% 0.1% 0.1% Other 0 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% All Outcomes 112 100.0% 14.0% 7.2% 6.4% Read as X% of cases filed are levied following default, for example. Conditional probabilities: 'Given a case is about X, what are the odds of a forced move-out?' Levies Filings Percentage Chance Foreclosure 2 10 20.0% Cause 35 354 9.9% No Fault 27 355 7.6% Non-payment 48 1032 4.7% Unknown/Other 0 0 0.0% Percentage chance is not intended to be summed across reasons. Conditional probabilities: 'Given a case ends with X, what are the odds of a forced move-out?' Levies Filings Percentage Chance Defaulted 52 381 13.6% Mediated 41 511 8.0% Heard 2 45 4.4% Dismissed 17 610 2.8% Other 0 1 0.0% Percentage chance is not intended to be summed across outcomes. Causality cannot be inferred from this data (e.g., did mediation prevent a levy? or was mediation avoided because one party assumed a levy was inevitable?). Court Duration for Disposed Cases (days) Nothing leading up to the filing of the summary process case is considered. Nothing following the summary process case is considered. Excludes grace period, notice period, and entry delays. Excludes execution and appeal period, if any. Actual eviction duration will be at least 40 days longer than indicated for a 30 day notice to quit and 10 day appeal period. Zero may indicate either 0 or no data, see histogram below. (days) Shortest Longest Average Std Dev Cause 0 661 93 98 Non-payment 1 563 84 80 No Fault 0 562 85 85 Foreclosure 22 235 92 70 Unknown/Other 0 0 0 0 All Reasons 0 661 86 85 (days) Shortest Longest Average Std Dev Dismissed 0 467 82 75 Defaulted 7 560 70 62 Mediated 7 661 96 98 Heard 0 595 132 148 Other 0 0 0 0 All Outcomes 0 661 86 85 All Cases: Count: 1548 Range: 0.000 - 661.000; Mean: 86.203; Median: 55.500; Stddev: 85.301 Percentiles: 90th: 198.000; 95th: 259.000; 99th: 440.000 0.000 - 2.573: 4 | 2.573 - 5.383: 5 # 5.383 - 10.402: 26 ### 10.402 - 19.369: 144 ############### 19.369 - 35.387: 184 ################### 35.387 - 64.002: 521 ##################################################### 64.002 - 115.121: 336 ################################## 115.121 - 206.440: 186 ################### 206.440 - 369.574: 109 ########### 369.574 - 661.000: 31 ### By Reason Cause: Count: 283 Range: 0.000 - 661.000; Mean: 93.279; Median: 56.000; Stddev: 98.930 Percentiles: 90th: 231.000; 95th: 284.000; 99th: 475.000 0.000 - 7.150: 3 ## 7.150 - 12.285: 4 ### 12.285 - 20.654: 25 ################# 20.654 - 34.296: 35 ####################### 34.296 - 56.533: 79 ##################################################### 56.533 - 92.778: 49 ################################# 92.778 - 151.859: 42 ############################ 151.859 - 248.161: 23 ############### 248.161 - 405.134: 18 ############ 405.134 - 661.000: 4 ### Non-payment: Count: 908 Range: 1.000 - 563.000; Mean: 84.336; Median: 55.000; Stddev: 80.615 Percentiles: 90th: 185.000; 95th: 244.000; 99th: 393.000 1.000 - 2.516: 4 # 2.516 - 5.181: 3 # 5.181 - 9.867: 15 ### 9.867 - 18.104: 73 ############## 18.104 - 32.586: 109 ##################### 32.586 - 58.045: 276 ##################################################### 58.045 - 102.802: 192 ##################################### 102.802 - 181.486: 137 ########################## 181.486 - 319.815: 82 ################ 319.815 - 563.000: 17 ### No Fault: Count: 347 Range: 0.000 - 562.000; Mean: 85.141; Median: 56.000; Stddev: 85.667 Percentiles: 90th: 184.000; 95th: 280.000; 99th: 424.000 0.000 - 7.019: 3 ## 7.019 - 11.861: 1 # 11.861 - 19.627: 33 ################## 19.627 - 32.082: 29 ################ 32.082 - 52.057: 96 ##################################################### 52.057 - 84.093: 82 ############################################# 84.093 - 135.473: 48 ########################### 135.473 - 217.877: 26 ############## 217.877 - 350.038: 17 ######### 350.038 - 562.000: 11 ###### Foreclosure: Count: 10 Range: 22.000 - 235.000; Mean: 92.400; Median: 71.000; Stddev: 70.315 Percentiles: 90th: 195.000; 95th: 235.000; 99th: 235.000 22.000 - 28.030: 2 ################################### 28.030 - 57.372: 1 ################## 57.372 - 72.675: 3 ##################################################### 72.675 - 116.370: 2 ################################### 116.370 - 235.000: 2 ################################### By Outcome Dismissed: Count: 610 Range: 0.000 - 467.000; Mean: 82.956; Median: 55.000; Stddev: 75.901 Percentiles: 90th: 188.000; 95th: 244.000; 99th: 343.000 0.000 - 2.451: 4 ## 2.451 - 4.955: 4 ## 4.955 - 9.275: 20 ######## 9.275 - 16.730: 33 ############# 16.730 - 29.594: 87 ################################# 29.594 - 51.791: 125 ################################################ 51.791 - 90.092: 138 ##################################################### 90.092 - 156.182: 108 ######################################### 156.182 - 270.222: 69 ########################### 270.222 - 467.000: 21 ######## Defaulted: Count: 381 Range: 7.000 - 560.000; Mean: 70.934; Median: 51.000; Stddev: 62.761 Percentiles: 90th: 134.000; 95th: 197.000; 99th: 327.000 7.000 - 11.237: 1 | 11.237 - 17.718: 8 ### 17.718 - 27.632: 59 ######################## 27.632 - 42.796: 49 #################### 42.796 - 65.993: 132 ##################################################### 65.993 - 101.474: 66 ########################### 101.474 - 155.748: 36 ############## 155.748 - 238.766: 21 ######## 238.766 - 365.755: 6 ## 365.755 - 560.000: 3 # Mediated: Count: 511 Range: 7.000 - 661.000; Mean: 96.906; Median: 58.000; Stddev: 98.803 Percentiles: 90th: 228.000; 95th: 316.000; 99th: 487.000 7.000 - 11.441: 1 | 11.441 - 18.348: 44 ############### 18.348 - 29.090: 40 ############# 29.090 - 45.795: 56 ################### 45.795 - 71.774: 158 ##################################################### 71.774 - 112.175: 86 ############################# 112.175 - 175.006: 50 ################# 175.006 - 272.719: 43 ############## 272.719 - 424.678: 25 ######## 424.678 - 661.000: 8 ### Heard: Count: 45 Range: 0.000 - 595.000; Mean: 132.889; Median: 81.000; Stddev: 148.342 Percentiles: 90th: 346.000; 95th: 562.000; 99th: 595.000 0.000 - 14.050: 2 ######## 14.050 - 21.649: 2 ######## 21.649 - 33.086: 3 ############ 33.086 - 50.298: 3 ############ 50.298 - 76.201: 10 ######################################### 76.201 - 115.184: 13 ##################################################### 115.184 - 173.853: 1 #### 173.853 - 262.146: 3 ############ 262.146 - 395.024: 4 ################ 395.024 - 595.000: 3 ############ -- 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/.