In court-decided eviction outcomes for Roodhouse, IL, tenants prevail in roughly 41.7% 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
124d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Roodhouse, IL until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 124 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$5.2–14.5k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Roodhouse, IL costs landlords $5,237 to $14,536 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$683
32% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Roodhouse, IL is $683 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
13.2%
of households
13.2% of occupied housing units in Roodhouse, IL 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
23.7%
11.9% unemp.
23.7% of Roodhouse, IL residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 11.9%. 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
GOP margin +57.8% (2024)
3.0
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
3.0
State political climate
Illinois legislature & governorship
5.2
Economic stress
23.7% poverty · 11.9% unemp.
8.8
Supply constraint
$683 average · 13.2% renters
3.1
Rent Control risk
32.2% of income on rent
7.3
Eviction process difficulty
124 days filing → judgment
5.0
Tenant organizing strength
13.2% renters
3.8
Housing court bias
County bench composition
7.9
Geographic context
Risk heat across Roodhouse and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Roodhouse compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Greene County
Very High
#1of 7 cities
#1 of 7 cities in Greene County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Illinois
High
#353of 1,456 cities
#353 of 1,456 cities in Illinois for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
4.4
/ 10 · MODERATE
The verdict
A Moderate-tier market.
Composite 4.4/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a sharp climb.
50-yr trend+2.4 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steepening since 2010 · COVID inflection visible
124d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $683/mo. A contested eviction takes 124 days and costs $5,237–$14,536 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
13.2%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 1,544 residents, 13.2% rent. 32% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 23.7% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
3
Local + regional
The politics
Light-statute interior market.
Local & regional political climate score 3 and 3 (GOP margin +57.8% (2024)). State climate at 5.2, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
5.2
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 5.2/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 5, housing court bias 7.9, rent-control risk 7.3. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +0.0 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
8.8
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the real risk.
Economic stress: 8.8. Supply constraint: 3.1. The numbers behind those: 23.7% poverty, 11.9% 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
Roodhouse sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Roodhouse · 124d · ~$9.9k all-in ($80/day) · score 4.4National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Roodhouse, Illinois, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 4.4/10 (MODERATE 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.
Roodhouse is a city of 1,544 residents where 13.2% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 32.2% of income on rent. At an average rent of $683/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 Roodhouse eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 5/10, 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 Roodhouse closes 124 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 Roodhouse's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 7.9/10 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 Roodhouse runs $5,237 to $14,536 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 124 days of typical timeline and $683/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 3.8/10 in Roodhouse, and the city carries meaningful rent control exposure (7.3/10). 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 Illinois, 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 Roodhouse: 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 MODERATE 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 Illinois's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $14,536 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Roodhouse
Trap · PRACTICAL TRAP
Compare Roodhouse to neighboring cities in Greene County via the grid below. The 5.3/10 score is computed from nine sub-factors plus a state-law multiplier under ILCS preemption + Chicago RLTO. Greene County 2020 presidential margin: R+54.9. Cross-reference the state overview link in the guides section for Illinois statutory detail.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
Can I evict a tenant in Roodhouse for not having a lease?
If there's no written lease, it's typically considered a month-to-month tenancy. You can terminate this tenancy by giving a 30-day written notice. You don't need "just cause" in Illinois for a month-to-month termination. After 30 days, if they don't move, you can file for eviction.
Q2
What if my Roodhouse tenant pays some of the rent after the 5-day notice?
If you accept a partial payment after issuing a 5-day notice, you generally waive your right to proceed with that specific eviction filing. You would need to issue a new 5-day notice for the remaining balance. It's often safer not to accept partial payments if your goal is to evict, or only accept them with a clear written agreement that doesn't waive your rights.
Q3
Do I need a lawyer for an eviction in Greene County?
While not legally required, it's highly recommended. Eviction law is complex, and even small procedural errors can lead to your case being dismissed, costing you more time and money. Given the 124-day average timeline and high costs, a lawyer can save you significant headaches and ensure the process is handled correctly.
Q4
What happens if my tenant leaves property behind after an eviction?
In Illinois, you generally need to store the tenant's property for a reasonable amount of time (often 7-14 days, though not explicitly defined by statute). You should send a notice to the tenant's last known address informing them where the property is and when they need to pick it up. After that period, if they haven't claimed it, you can typically dispose of or sell it, though this can vary by value. Consult an attorney for specific advice on abandoned property.
Q5
Can I raise the rent on my Roodhouse property?
Yes, Illinois does not have statewide rent control, so you can raise the rent. However, you must provide proper notice, typically 30 days for month-to-month tenancies. If there's a fixed-term lease, you can only raise the rent at the end of the lease term, with proper notice before renewal. For more on this, check out our Illinois rent control rules.
A 4.4/10 places Roodhouse in the 81st percentile of Illinois 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 Roodhouse (4.4/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
