In court-decided eviction outcomes for Cambridge, IL, tenants prevail in roughly 41.0% 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
126d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Cambridge, IL until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 126 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$4.4-13.1k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Cambridge, IL costs landlords $4,378 to $13,136 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$968
34% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Cambridge, IL is $968 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 34% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
12.6%
of households
12.6% of occupied housing units in Cambridge, 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
7.4%
5.7% unemp.
7.4% of Cambridge, IL residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 5.7%. 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 +24.5% (2024)
4.5
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
4.5
State political climate
Illinois legislature & governorship
5.2
Economic stress
7.4% poverty · 5.7% unemp.
5.7
Supply constraint
$968 average · 12.6% renters
4.7
Rent Control risk
34.4% of income on rent
7.4
Eviction process difficulty
126 days filing → judgment
5.0
Tenant organizing strength
12.6% renters
3.1
Housing court bias
County bench composition
5.8
Geographic context
Risk heat across Cambridge and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Cambridge compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Henry County
Low
#13of 19 cities
#13 of 19 cities in Henry County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Illinois
Low
#905of 1,456 cities
#905 of 1,456 cities in Illinois for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
3.5
/ 10 · LOW
The verdict
A Low-tier market.
Composite 3.5/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a sharp climb.
50-yr trend+2.1 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steepening since 2010 · COVID inflection visible
126d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $968/mo. A contested eviction takes 126 days and costs $4,378-$13,136 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
12.6%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 2,128 residents, 12.6% rent. 34% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 7.4% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
4.5
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 4.5 and 4.5 (GOP margin +24.5% (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 5.8, rent-control risk 7.4. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +0.0 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
5.7
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 5.7. Supply constraint: 4.7. The numbers behind those: 7.4% poverty, 5.7% unemployment, 34% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Cambridge sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Cambridge · 126d · ~$8.8k all-in ($70/day) · score 3.5National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0-4 4-7 7-10
Landlording in Cambridge, Illinois, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 3.5/10 (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.
Cambridge is a city of 2,128 residents where 12.6% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 34.4% of income on rent. At an average rent of $968/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 Cambridge 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 Cambridge closes 126 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 Cambridge's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 5.8/10 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 Cambridge runs $4,378 to $13,136 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 126 days of typical timeline and $968/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 3.1/10 in Cambridge, and the city carries meaningful rent control exposure (7.4/10). 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 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 Cambridge: 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 Illinois's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $13,136 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Cambridge
Trap · 21.4 POINTS
Politically, Henry County voted Republican by 21.4 points in 2020, a baseline that correlates with landlord-neutral legislative pressure. Combined with 34.4% rent-to-income ratio, expect baseline enforcement of ILCS preemption + Chicago RLTO.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
Can I evict a tenant in Cambridge for not having a job?
No, you cannot evict a tenant simply because they lost their job or don't have one. Illinois has statewide source-of-income protection, which means you cannot discriminate against someone based on how they earn their money, whether it's employment income, disability, or housing assistance. You can only evict for lease violations, most commonly non-payment of rent.
Q2
What if my tenant pays part of the rent after I give the 5-day notice?
This is tricky. If you accept a partial payment, you might inadvertently waive your right to evict based on that specific 5-day notice. It's often best to refuse partial payments if your goal is eviction. If you do accept a partial payment, you likely need to issue a new 5-day notice for the remaining balance. Consult your attorney on this; it's a common landlord mistake.
Q3
How long does it take for the sheriff to remove a tenant after I get a judgment?
After you receive a judgment for possession in Henry County, you'll need to obtain a "Writ of Possession" from the court clerk. Then, you deliver this writ to the Henry County Sheriff's office. The actual lockout date depends on the Sheriff's schedule, but it typically happens within a few days to a couple of weeks. They will notify you of the exact date and time.
Q4
Can I keep the security deposit if the tenant breaks the lease and moves out early?
You can keep portions of the security deposit to cover legitimate damages beyond normal wear and tear, or unpaid rent. If the tenant breaks the lease early, you can typically charge for lost rent until a new tenant is found, assuming you make reasonable efforts to re-rent the unit (this is called "mitigating damages"). Always provide an itemized statement within 30 days, explaining all deductions. For more information, see the Henry County eviction guide.
A 3.5/10 places Cambridge in the 38th 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 Cambridge (3.5/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
