Estimated values: The U.S. Census suppresses field-level data for small places. Estimated from county average, pop-weighted from real underlying ACS data.
Tenant beats landlord
18.7%
/ 100 outcomes
In court-decided eviction outcomes for Princeton, KS, tenants prevail in roughly 18.7% 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
40d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Princeton, KS until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 40 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$1.2–3.9k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Princeton, KS costs landlords $1,166 to $3,911 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$1,125
18% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Princeton, KS is $1,125 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 18% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
12.5%
of households
12.5% of occupied housing units in Princeton, KS 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
8.2%
2.5% unemp.
8.2% of Princeton, KS residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 2.5%. 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 +40.1% (2024)
3.8
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
3.8
State political climate
Kansas legislature & governorship
2.0
Economic stress
8.2% poverty · 2.5% unemp.
2.7
Supply constraint
$1,125 average · 12.5% renters
4.8
Rent Control risk
17.5% of income on rent
4.2
Eviction process difficulty
40 days filing → judgment
2.0
Tenant organizing strength
12.5% renters
5.2
Housing court bias
County bench composition
4.4
Geographic context
Risk heat across Princeton and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Princeton compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Franklin County
Very Low
#8of 9 cities
#8 of 9 cities in Franklin County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Kansas
Very Low
#664of 740 cities
#664 of 740 cities in Kansas for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
1.8
/ 10 · VERY LOW
The verdict
A Very low-tier market.
Composite 1.8/10. 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
40d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $1,125/mo. A contested eviction takes 40 days and costs $1,166–$3,911 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
12.5%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 236 residents, 12.5% rent. 18% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 8.2% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
3.8
Local + regional
The politics
Light-statute interior market.
Local & regional political climate score 3.8 and 3.8 (GOP margin +40.1% (2024)). State climate at 2, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
2
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 2/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 2, housing court bias 4.4, rent-control risk 4.2. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +-3.0 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
2.7
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 2.7. Supply constraint: 4.8. The numbers behind those: 8.2% poverty, 2.5% unemployment, 18% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Princeton sits in the quick & cheap quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Princeton · 40d · ~$2.5k all-in ($63/day) · score 1.8National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Princeton, Kansas, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 1.8/10 (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.
Princeton is a city of 236 residents where 12.5% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 17.5% of income on rent. At an average rent of $1,125/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 Princeton eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 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 Princeton closes 40 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 Princeton's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 4.4/10 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 Princeton runs $1,166 to $3,911 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 40 days of typical timeline and $1,125/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 5.2/10 in Princeton, and the city has limited rent control exposure (4.2/10). 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 Kansas, 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 Princeton: 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 Kansas's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $3,911 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Princeton
Trap · 4.2/10
Comparative benchmarking matters in markets like this. Princeton's 3.3/10 is below the Kansas state average. Rent-control-risk sub-score: 4.2/10. See the nearby cities grid below for direct A-vs-B comparison.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
What if my tenant just disappears?
If a tenant abandons the property in Princeton, Kansas, you have specific steps to follow. First, you need clear evidence of abandonment (e.g., utility shut-off, removal of personal belongings, no response to communication). Then, you must post a notice of abandonment on the property and mail it to the tenant's last known address. After a specified period (usually 7 days after the rent is due and unpaid, and you have reasonable belief they've abandoned), if there's no response, you can legally retake possession. Consult an attorney to ensure you follow the exact procedure to avoid claims of illegal lockout.
Q2
Can I change the locks if the tenant is late on rent?
Absolutely not. Changing the locks, shutting off utilities, or removing a tenant's belongings without a court order is an illegal self-help eviction in Kansas. Even if a tenant is significantly behind on rent, you must go through the formal eviction process, including serving proper notices and obtaining a court judgment. Doing otherwise can lead to significant legal penalties and damages owed to the tenant.
Q3
How do I handle a tenant who pays rent late constantly?
If a tenant consistently pays late but eventually pays, you have a few options in Princeton. First, ensure your lease clearly outlines late fees and their application. Consistently apply these fees. If the late payments become a regular nuisance, you can serve a 30-day no-cause termination notice for month-to-month tenants, effectively ending the tenancy without needing a specific "for cause" reason. For tenants on a fixed-term lease, you might need to wait for the lease to expire and then choose not to renew. Document every late payment.
Q4
Is there rent control in Princeton, KS?
No. Kansas has no statewide rent control laws, and local municipalities like Princeton are generally prohibited from enacting them. This means you are free to set rent prices based on market conditions, and there are no caps on how much you can increase rent at lease renewal (provided proper notice is given). Our Kansas rent control rules page confirms this. However, always ensure any rent increases are reasonable and comply with your lease terms.
Q5
What if my tenant damages the property?
If your tenant causes damage beyond normal wear and tear, you can deduct the cost of repairs from their security deposit. Remember the 30-day deadline to return the deposit or provide an itemized list of deductions. It's crucial to have detailed move-in and move-out inspection reports, ideally with photos, to prove the damage wasn't pre-existing. If the damages exceed the security deposit, you can pursue a judgment against the tenant for the additional costs, often as part of the eviction lawsuit or in small claims court.
A 1.8/10 places Princeton in the 17th percentile of Kansas 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 Princeton (1.8/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
