In court-decided eviction outcomes for Gustavus, AK, tenants prevail in roughly 21.4% of contested cases. A higher number means landlords face stronger tenant defenses, longer calendars, and more required documentation, and landlord-friendliness drops as this rises.
Timeline
47d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Gustavus, AK until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 47 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$1.7-4.2k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Gustavus, AK costs landlords $1,722 to $4,158 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$900
51% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Gustavus, AK is $900 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 51% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
18.3%
of households
18.3% of occupied housing units in Gustavus, AK are renter-occupied (vs owner-occupied). A higher renter share usually correlates with more eviction filings, more turnover, and a more active rental market.
Poverty
10.7%
9.9% unemp.
10.7% of Gustavus, AK residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 9.9%. Both feed into the economic-stress sub-score in our Eviction Risk Score model because rent payment problems track poverty + joblessness more reliably than any other single signal.
Time machine
Scrub 50 years
197619861996200620162026
2026
● LIVE · today◀ REPLAY · historical
Nine-axis profile
9-axis profile · today
Shape of the risk surface
1 landlord · 10 tenant
Sub-scores · with sparkline
Where the score comes from
1 → 10 scale
Local political climate
1.8
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
3.7
State political climate
Alaska legislature & governorship
2.2
Economic stress
10.7% poverty · 9.9% unemp.
7.1
Supply constraint
$900 average · 18.3% renters
5.4
Rent Control risk
51.0% of income on rent
9.6
Eviction process difficulty
47 days filing → judgment
2.4
Tenant organizing strength
18.3% renters
4.1
Housing court bias
County bench composition
7.5
Geographic context
Risk heat across Gustavus and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Gustavus compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Hoonah-Angoon Census Area
High
#3of 9 cities
#3 of 9 cities in Hoonah-Angoon Census Area for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Alaska
Elevated
#146of 353 cities
#146 of 353 cities in Alaska for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
2.2
/ 10 · VERY LOW
The verdict
A Very low-tier market.
Composite 2.2/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a slow, steady climb.
50-yr trend+0.6 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steady ratchet · no large swings
47d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $900/mo. A contested eviction takes 47 days and costs $1,722-$4,158 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
18.3%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 594 residents, 18.3% rent. 51% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 10.7% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
2.8
Local + regional
The politics
Light-statute interior market.
Local & regional political climate score 1.8 and 3.7. State climate at 2.2, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
2.2
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 2.2/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 2.4, housing court bias 7.5, rent-control risk 9.6. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +-2.6 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
7.1
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 7.1. Supply constraint: 5.4. The numbers behind those: 10.7% poverty, 9.9% unemployment, 51% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Gustavus sits in the quick & cheap quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Gustavus · 47d · ~$2.9k all-in ($63/day) · score 2.2National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0-4 4-7 7-10
Landlording in Gustavus, Alaska, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 2.2/10 (VERY LOW tier), drawn from the nine sub-axes shown above, covering rent-control exposure, eviction-process difficulty, housing-court bias, tenant-organizing strength, supply constraint, economic stress, and local, regional, and state political climate. This is not a quick-fix market: it's a Mid-tier market where lease drafting, screening discipline, and well-documented notices materially change outcomes.
Gustavus is a city of 594 residents where 18.3% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 51.0% of income on rent. At an average rent of $900/month, the typical renter household here spends more than the federal 30% threshold on housing, a leading indicator of payment volatility and a precondition for the kinds of tenant defenses that show up most often in housing court.
01Process
How Gustavus eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 2.4/10, a number that combines statutory complexity (notice categories, just-cause rules, mandatory pre-filing disclosures) with operational realities (court calendar length and clerk responsiveness). The typical contested filing in Gustavus closes 47 days after the initial notice. For non-payment of rent the first step is a properly-formatted, properly-served pay-or-quit notice; for material lease breaches it's a cure-or-quit; for tenancies under just-cause protection an at-fault grounds notice (or a no-fault notice with statutory relocation assistance) is required.
The slow part of Gustavus's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 7.5/10 here, meaning judges read borderline procedural defects in the tenant's favor more often than the national norm. The practical implication: every notice and every proof of service needs to be airtight before it gets filed.
02Cost
What it costs (and how long it takes)
An all-in eviction in Gustavus runs $1,722 to $4,158 per case once you account for filing fees, attorney time, lost rent during pendency, sheriff lockout, and unit turnover. That range is wide because the upper bound assumes a tenant answer plus motion practice, common when housing court bias is high. The lower bound assumes a default judgment after proper service.
For landlords running the numbers on holding costs vs. cash-for-keys: if your projected timeline times your monthly rent already exceeds the high-end cost number, cash-for-keys at 1-2 months' rent is typically the economically rational choice. With 47 days of typical timeline and $900/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 4.1/10 in Gustavus, and the city sits at the top of the rent control risk spectrum (9.6/10). Operations practice that survives audit in this environment looks like:
Screening discipline. Document income (verified at 2.5 to 3x rent), credit (with a clear minimum), and prior-tenancy reference checks, but do not screen on protected categories or source-of-income where banned. Keep a written, consistent screening criteria document for every applicant.
Lease specificity. Use a state-specific lease that names every term clearly: rent due date, late fees within statutory caps, deposit handling, smoke and CO disclosure, lead paint disclosure (pre-1978 stock), and a clean attorney's-fees clause.
Security deposit handling. Itemize deductions within the statutory window. Photograph move-in/move-out condition. In Alaska, deposit cap and refund window are statute, so exceed them at your own risk.
Mid-tenancy documentation. Keep date-stamped records of every rent receipt, every habitability request, every notice served. The day you need them in court is too late to start.
04Strategy
What an everyday landlord should actually do here
If you own one to four units in Gustavus: hire a property manager who knows the local court. The pricing differential between self-managing and hiring out is small relative to the cost of one botched eviction in a VERY LOW tier market. If you own five or more: build relationships with a local landlord-side attorney before you need one, since retainer fees are negligible compared to emergency-rate billing when an eviction is already moving.
The avoidable mistakes here are all upstream of the filing: weak screening, an informal lease, sloppy rent receipts, and notice templates pulled off the internet that don't match Alaska's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $4,158 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Gustavus
Trap · 18.3%
18.3% renter share against 594 residents produces roughly 109 rental occupants in Gustavus. Eviction filings tend to cluster in the multifamily rental corridor.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
What if my tenant claims they can't pay due to a job loss?
While unfortunate, a job loss doesn't legally excuse a tenant from paying rent in Alaska. You still follow the 7-day pay-or-quit notice process. You can, of course, choose to work with them on a payment plan, but this should be a written agreement, and you should understand the risks of delaying the formal eviction process.
Q2
Can I evict a tenant in Gustavus without a reason?
For a month-to-month tenancy, yes, with proper notice. Alaska does not have statewide just-cause eviction requirements. You can issue a 30-day no-cause termination notice. However, you cannot evict in retaliation or for discriminatory reasons. For lease violations like non-payment, you use the specific notice periods outlined in Alaska Stat. § 34.03.
Q3
How long does it take to get a court date for an eviction in Gustavus?
The average timeline for an eviction in Alaska is 47 days from the first notice to sheriff lockout. This includes court processing time. In a smaller court system like Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, it might be on the quicker side of that average, but it's not guaranteed. Always factor in potential delays.
Q4
Can I change the locks if my tenant is late on rent?
Absolutely not. This is an illegal "self-help" eviction and can lead to severe penalties under Alaska law, including the tenant suing you for damages. You must follow the judicial eviction process through the courts to regain possession of your property. Stick to the legal process, even if it feels slower.
Q5
Is rent control a risk in Gustavus?
Gustavus, like the rest of Alaska, currently has no statewide rent control. Our data shows a rent-control-risk sub-score of 9.6/10, which indicates a high risk of rent control being enacted at the state level in the future. While unlikely to impact Gustavus directly in the short term, it's something to monitor. Stay aware of changes at the state level by checking our Alaska rent control rules page.
A 2.2/10 places Gustavus in the 61st percentile of Alaska cities on the Eviction Risk Score index. The score is the average of the nine sub-axes, all calibrated on a national 1 to 10 scale where 1 is most landlord-friendly and 10 is most tenant-protective. The 50-year reconstruction shows this score has climbed steadily since 1976, a structural drift driven by court-calendar growth, rent-control adoption, and the rise of tenant-side legal aid. The trajectory matters more than the snapshot: the score is the climate, not the weather.
Cities with similar eviction risk to Gustavus (2.2/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
