In court-decided eviction outcomes for Pembroke, KY, tenants prevail in roughly 13.4% 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
31d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Pembroke, KY until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 31 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$1.2-2.8k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Pembroke, KY costs landlords $1,222 to $2,824 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$813
27% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Pembroke, KY is $813 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 27% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
28.4%
of households
28.4% of occupied housing units in Pembroke, KY 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
11.2%
3.4% unemp.
11.2% of Pembroke, KY residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 3.4%. 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
GOP margin +33.6% (2024)
4.2
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
4.2
State political climate
Kentucky legislature & governorship
2.1
Economic stress
11.2% poverty · 3.4% unemp.
5.4
Supply constraint
$813 average · 28.4% renters
6.1
Rent Control risk
27.0% of income on rent
3.5
Eviction process difficulty
31 days filing → judgment
1.7
Tenant organizing strength
28.4% renters
7.1
Housing court bias
County bench composition
4.5
Geographic context
Risk heat across Pembroke and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Pembroke compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Christian County
Moderate
#4of 6 cities
#4 of 6 cities in Christian County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Kentucky
Elevated
#159of 553 cities
#159 of 553 cities in Kentucky for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
3.4
/ 10 · LOW
The verdict
A Low-tier market.
Composite 3.4/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a slow, steady climb.
50-yr trend+0.6 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steady ratchet · no large swings
31d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $813/mo. A contested eviction takes 31 days and costs $1,222-$2,824 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
28.4%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 732 residents, 28.4% rent. 27% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 11.2% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
4.2
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 4.2 and 4.2 (GOP margin +33.6% (2024)). State climate at 2.1, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
2.1
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 2.1/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 1.7, housing court bias 4.5, rent-control risk 3.5. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +-3.3 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
5.4
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 5.4. Supply constraint: 6.1. The numbers behind those: 11.2% poverty, 3.4% unemployment, 27% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Pembroke sits in the quick & cheap quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Pembroke · 31d · ~$2.0k all-in ($65/day) · score 3.4National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0-4 4-7 7-10
Landlording in Pembroke, Kentucky, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 3.4/10 (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.
Pembroke is a city of 732 residents where 28.4% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 27.0% of income on rent. At an average rent of $813/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 Pembroke eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 1.7/10, 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 Pembroke closes 31 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 Pembroke's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 4.5/10 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 Pembroke runs $1,222 to $2,824 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 31 days of typical timeline and $813/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 7.1/10 in Pembroke, and the city has limited rent control exposure (3.5/10). 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 Kentucky, 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 Pembroke: 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 Kentucky's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $2,824 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Pembroke
Trap · 3.5/10
The 4.9/10 score weighs nine sub-factors including political climate, court bias, supply constraint, and tenant organizing strength. Pembroke's rent-control-risk sub-score is 3.5/10, driven by state preemption and market dynamics.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
What if my tenant claims a maintenance issue for not paying rent?
In Kentucky, tenants generally cannot withhold rent for maintenance issues unless they have followed specific legal procedures, which usually involve giving you written notice of the problem and a reasonable time to fix it, and sometimes even placing rent into an escrow account. If they haven't done that, their non-payment is still grounds for eviction. Address maintenance issues promptly regardless, but don't let it derail your eviction process for non-payment.
Q2
Can I evict a tenant for having unauthorized pets?
Yes, if your lease prohibits pets or specifies certain types of pets, and the tenant violates that clause, it's a lease violation. You'd typically serve a notice to cure or quit, giving them a chance to remove the pet or face eviction. The specific notice period depends on your lease and Kentucky law, but often it's a 14-day notice for a material non-compliance.
Q3
How often do tenants appeal eviction judgments in Pembroke?
Appeals are less common for everyday landlords in smaller towns like Pembroke compared to major metropolitan areas with strong tenant advocacy. However, they do happen. An appeal will delay the process significantly and usually requires further legal action from your attorney. It's another reason why "cash for keys" can be a smart move: it eliminates the risk of an appeal.
Q4
Is there rent control in Pembroke, KY?
No, Kentucky has no statewide rent control laws, and Pembroke does not have local rent control ordinances. This means you are generally free to set market rates for rent and increase rent as long as you provide proper notice according to your lease and state law (typically 30 days for month-to-month leases). For more details, see our Kentucky rent control rules.
Q5
What if the tenant abandons the property?
If a tenant abandons the property (e.g., moves out, removes belongings, stops paying rent, and doesn't respond to communication), you generally have procedures to follow before re-taking possession. You'll typically need to send a notice of abandonment and wait a specified period (often 10-14 days) before you can legally re-enter and re-rent the unit. Document everything, including photos of the empty unit, to protect yourself. Consult an attorney if you're unsure.
Q6
Are there any new tenant protections I should be aware of in Kentucky?
Kentucky's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA) is fairly stable, but laws can change. Always stay updated. Currently, there are no statewide "just-cause" eviction requirements or source-of-income protections that would complicate your eviction process beyond what's outlined here. For general updates, keep an eye on our Kentucky tenant protections page.
A 3.4/10 places Pembroke in the 74th percentile of Kentucky 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 Pembroke (3.4/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
