In court-decided eviction outcomes for Belle Glade, FL, tenants prevail in roughly 15.4% 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
30d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Belle Glade, FL until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 30 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$1.3–4.0k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Belle Glade, FL costs landlords $1,335 to $4,022 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$898
32% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Belle Glade, FL is $898 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 32% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
57.4%
of households
57.4% of occupied housing units in Belle Glade, FL 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
28.4%
12.4% unemp.
28.4% of Belle Glade, FL residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 12.4%. 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
Dem margin +0.8% (2024)
6.1
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
6.1
State political climate
Florida legislature & governorship
1.5
Economic stress
28.4% poverty · 12.4% unemp.
9.1
Supply constraint
$898 average · 57.4% renters
7.1
Rent Control risk
31.5% of income on rent
6.6
Eviction process difficulty
30 days filing → judgment
1.2
Tenant organizing strength
57.4% renters
9.6
Housing court bias
County bench composition
7.8
Geographic context
Risk heat across Belle Glade and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Belle Glade compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Palm Beach County
High
#7of 55 cities
#7 of 55 cities in Palm Beach County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Florida
Very High
#28of 949 cities
#28 of 949 cities in Florida for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
2.8
/ 10 · LOW
The verdict
A Low-tier market.
Composite 2.8/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a slow, steady climb.
50-yr trend+0.2 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steady ratchet · no large swings
30d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $898/mo. A contested eviction takes 30 days and costs $1,335–$4,022 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
57.4%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 16,972 residents, 57.4% rent. 32% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 28.4% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
6.1
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 6.1 and 6.1 (Dem margin +0.8% (2024)). State climate at 1.5, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
1.5
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 1.5/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 1.2, housing court bias 7.8, rent-control risk 6.6. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +-3.8 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
9.1
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the real risk.
Economic stress: 9.1. Supply constraint: 7.1. The numbers behind those: 28.4% poverty, 12.4% unemployment, 32% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Belle Glade sits in the quick & cheap quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Belle Glade · 30d · ~$2.7k all-in ($89/day) · score 2.8National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Belle Glade, Florida, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 2.8/10 (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.
Belle Glade is a city of 16,972 residents where 57.4% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 31.5% of income on rent. At an average rent of $898/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 Belle Glade eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 1.2/10, 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 Belle Glade closes 30 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 Belle Glade's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 7.8/10 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 Belle Glade runs $1,335 to $4,022 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 30 days of typical timeline and $898/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 9.6/10 in Belle Glade, and the city carries meaningful rent control exposure (6.6/10). 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 Florida, 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 Belle Glade: 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 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 Florida's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $4,022 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Belle Glade
Trap · 6.6/10
The 5.8/10 score weighs nine sub-factors including political climate, court bias, supply constraint, and tenant organizing strength. Belle Glade's rent-control-risk sub-score is 6.6/10, driven by demographic and political pressure for tenant relief.
04Eviction filings
Live filings tracking · Eviction Lab
Princeton Eviction Lab Tracking System, county-level. Last update 2026-01-01.
In the most recent month, 652 eviction cases were filed across the tracker's coverage area, 0.86× the historical baseline (below baseline). Past 12 months: 7,894 filings. Pandemic-era cumulative: 41,012.
652Past month
7,894Past 12 months
0.86×vs baseline (past mo)
15.5%Repeat-tenant filings
Notice requirement: at least three days notice (in some cases more). Filing fee: $185 filing fee.
Last 36 months of filings2023-01-01 – 2025-12-01
Filings dropped 14% over the past 12 months.
Source: Eviction Lab Tracking System, Princeton University. Open Data Commons Attribution license.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
What's the quickest way to evict a tenant in Belle Glade?
The quickest way is often through a "cash for keys" agreement, where you pay the tenant to vacate voluntarily. Otherwise, for non-payment, serving a proper 3-day notice immediately and then promptly filing with the court is the fastest legal route. Any delay or mistake on your part will extend the timeline.
Q2
Can I turn off utilities if a tenant stops paying rent?
Absolutely not. In Florida, it is illegal for a landlord to intentionally interrupt utility services (water, electricity, gas) to a tenant, even if they are not paying rent. Doing so can lead to significant penalties, including monetary damages and potential criminal charges. Always follow the legal eviction process.
Q3
Do I need a lawyer for an eviction in Belle Glade?
While you can legally represent yourself in some eviction proceedings, it's highly recommended to hire an attorney in Belle Glade. The elevated housing court bias and tenant organizing strength mean the process can be more complex than it appears. An attorney ensures proper procedure, saving you time and money in the long run by avoiding costly mistakes or delays.
Q4
What if my tenant claims they can't pay due to a job loss?
While unfortunate, a tenant's job loss does not exempt them from their lease obligations in Florida. You must still follow the legal process for non-payment of rent. You can choose to be empathetic and work out a payment plan, but you are not legally required to. If you do, get any agreement in writing. Remember, there's no statewide source-of-income protection in Florida.
Q5
Is rent control a risk in Belle Glade?
Florida has a strong statewide preemption against local rent control ordinances, meaning cities like Belle Glade cannot enact rent control. Our data shows a rent-control-risk sub-score of 6.6, which reflects the potential for political pressure, but current state law makes it highly unlikely. You can read more about Florida rent control rules here.
A 2.8/10 places Belle Glade in the 97th percentile of Florida 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.
Neighborhoods in Belle Glade (1 with eviction-risk data)
Click a neighborhood to see its pop-weighted score, constituent census tracts, and demographics. Sorted by population.
