In court-decided eviction outcomes for Calexico, CA, tenants prevail in roughly 56.8% 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
255d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Calexico, CA until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 255 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$16.6–31.1k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Calexico, CA costs landlords $16,601 to $31,131 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$1,093
36% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Calexico, CA is $1,093 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 36% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
49.8%
of households
49.8% of occupied housing units in Calexico, CA 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
21.0%
18.3% unemp.
21.0% of Calexico, CA residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 18.3%. 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
GOP margin +0.9% (2024)
6.6
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
6.6
State political climate
California legislature & governorship
6.8
Economic stress
21.0% poverty · 18.3% unemp.
8.9
Supply constraint
$1,093 average · 49.8% renters
7.7
Rent Control risk
36.0% of income on rent
8.4
Eviction process difficulty
255 days filing → judgment
6.6
Tenant organizing strength
49.8% renters
9.0
Housing court bias
County bench composition
8.2
Geographic context
Risk heat across Calexico and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Calexico compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Imperial County
High
#4of 19 cities
#4 of 19 cities in Imperial County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in California
Very High
#21of 1,594 cities
#21 of 1,594 cities in California for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
8.7
/ 10 · VERY HIGH
The verdict
A Very high-tier market.
Composite 8.7/10. Among the 10% riskiest markets nationally, with heavy tenant exposure, so every notice, hearing, and lease termination needs an attorney in the loop. The 50-year curve shows a sharp climb.
50-yr trend+6.0 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steepening since 2010 · COVID inflection visible
255d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $1,093/mo. A contested eviction takes 255 days and costs $16,601–$31,131 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
49.8%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 38,585 residents, 49.8% rent. 36% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 21.0% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
6.6
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 6.6 and 6.6 (GOP margin +0.9% (2024)). State climate at 6.8, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
6.8
State politics
The process
Long calendar, heavy friction.
State political climate 6.8/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 6.6, housing court bias 8.2, rent-control risk 8.4. The slow part is the calendar, not the motion practice.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +1.6 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
8.9
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the real risk.
Economic stress: 8.9. Supply constraint: 7.7. The numbers behind those: 21.0% poverty, 18.3% unemployment, 36% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Calexico sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Calexico · 255d · ~$23.9k all-in ($94/day) · score 8.7National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Calexico, California, presents one of the toughest environments for property owners in the nation. The Eviction Risk Score is 8.7/10 (VERY HIGH 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 Among the toughest 10% of US markets where lease drafting, screening discipline, and well-documented notices materially change outcomes.
Calexico is a city of 38,585 residents where 49.8% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 36.0% of income on rent. At an average rent of $1,093/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 Calexico eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 6.6/10, 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 Calexico closes 255 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 Calexico's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 8.2/10 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 Calexico runs $16,601 to $31,131 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 255 days of typical timeline and $1,093/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 9/10 in Calexico, and the city sits at the top of the rent control risk spectrum (8.4/10). 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 California, 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 Calexico: 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 HIGH 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 California's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $31,131 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Calexico
Trap · 8.2/10
For landlords, the 6.2/10 score is most actionable when combined with Imperial County's specific court behavior. Housing-court bias sub-score: 8.2/10. Use proactive screening and documented notices.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
Can I evict a tenant in Calexico without a reason?
No, California has statewide just-cause eviction requirements. You must have a legally recognized reason, such as non-payment of rent, a lease violation, or intent to move into the unit yourself (owner move-in). Simply wanting the tenant out is not enough.
Q2
What's the maximum late fee I can charge in Calexico?
California law states that late fees must be "reasonable" and bear a "reasonable relationship" to the costs incurred by the landlord due to the late payment. There's no specific dollar cap, but typically, a fee of 5-10% of the monthly rent is considered reasonable. Excessive late fees can be challenged by tenants.
Q3
Can I refuse to rent to someone using a Section 8 voucher in Calexico?
No. California has statewide source-of-income protection. This means you cannot discriminate against a prospective tenant solely because they use a Section 8 voucher or other lawful form of income assistance. You must consider their application like any other, based on your standard screening criteria (credit, rental history, etc.).
Q4
How long do I have to return a security deposit in Calexico?
You have 21 calendar days from the date the tenant vacates the property to either return the full security deposit or provide an itemized statement of deductions along with any remaining balance. Failing to meet this deadline can result in penalties.
Q5
What if my Calexico tenant damages the property beyond the security deposit amount?
If the cost of damages exceeds the security deposit, you can pursue the tenant for the remaining balance. This would typically involve filing a small claims court action (for amounts under the small claims limit) or pursuing it as part of your unlawful detainer action if it's related to the eviction. Keep meticulous records and photos of all damages.
A 8.7/10 places Calexico in the 99th percentile of California 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 risen sharply 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 Calexico (8.7/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
