In court-decided eviction outcomes for Brewster, MA, tenants prevail in roughly 51.2% 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
213d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Brewster, MA until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 213 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$12.1–31.1k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Brewster, MA costs landlords $12,136 to $31,121 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$1,276
29% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Brewster, MA is $1,276 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 29% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
19.6%
of households
19.6% of occupied housing units in Brewster, MA 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
6.4%
6.7% unemp.
6.4% of Brewster, MA residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 6.7%. 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
Dem margin +20.8% (2024)
6.6
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
6.6
State political climate
Massachusetts legislature & governorship
6.2
Economic stress
6.4% poverty · 6.7% unemp.
5.7
Supply constraint
$1,276 average · 19.6% renters
6.0
Rent Control risk
29.4% of income on rent
5.9
Eviction process difficulty
213 days filing → judgment
6.2
Tenant organizing strength
19.6% renters
4.3
Housing court bias
County bench composition
4.8
Geographic context
Risk heat across Brewster and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Brewster compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Barnstable County
Elevated
#10of 34 cities
#10 of 34 cities in Barnstable County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Massachusetts
Elevated
#82of 248 cities
#82 of 248 cities in Massachusetts for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
5.9
/ 10 · ELEVATED
The verdict
A Elevated-tier market.
Composite 5.9/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a sharp climb.
50-yr trend+2.9 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steepening since 2010 · COVID inflection visible
213d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $1,276/mo. A contested eviction takes 213 days and costs $12,136–$31,121 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
19.6%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 1,994 residents, 19.6% rent. 29% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 6.4% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
6.6
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 6.6 and 6.6 (Dem margin +20.8% (2024)). State climate at 6.2, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
6.2
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 6.2/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 6.2, housing court bias 4.8, rent-control risk 5.9. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +1.2 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: 6. The numbers behind those: 6.4% poverty, 6.7% unemployment, 29% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Brewster sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Brewster · 213d · ~$21.6k all-in ($102/day) · score 5.9National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Brewster, Massachusetts, presents an elevated-friction market where documented notices and proactive screening matter. The Eviction Risk Score is 5.9/10 (ELEVATED 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 Elevated-friction market where lease drafting, screening discipline, and well-documented notices materially change outcomes.
Brewster is a city of 1,994 residents where 19.6% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 29.4% of income on rent. At an average rent of $1,276/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 Brewster eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 6.2/10, 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 Brewster closes 213 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 Brewster's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 4.8/10 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 Brewster runs $12,136 to $31,121 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 213 days of typical timeline and $1,276/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 4.3/10 in Brewster, and the city has limited rent control exposure (5.9/10). 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 Massachusetts, 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 Brewster: 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 ELEVATED 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 Massachusetts's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $31,121 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Brewster
Trap · PRACTICAL TRAP
Cost-versus-timeline trade-off: at 213 days and roughly $31,121 on the high end, cash-for-keys at $12,448 to $18,672 typically beats the legal route for non-aggravated cases. Default judgment frequency is high under MGL 239 + Housing Court.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
Can I evict a tenant for any reason in Brewster, MA?
No, not for "any reason." While Massachusetts doesn't have statewide "just-cause" eviction, you cannot evict for discriminatory reasons, in retaliation, or without proper notice. For non-payment or lease violations, you must follow the specific notice periods (e.g., 14-day for non-payment). For month-to-month tenancies, you generally need a 30-day notice, but you must still avoid illegal discrimination or retaliation.
Q2
What if my tenant pays part of the rent after I give them a 14-day notice?
This is tricky in Massachusetts. If you accept a partial payment after issuing a 14-day notice, you might unintentionally waive your right to evict based on that notice. The tenant could argue you've reinstated their tenancy. It's generally safer to decline partial payments once the 14-day notice is issued unless you have a clear, written agreement that accepting partial payment does not waive your right to proceed with eviction for the remaining balance. Consult an attorney before accepting partial payments once the eviction process has begun.
Q3
How do I deal with a tenant who is constantly late with rent but always pays eventually?
Consistency is key. If your lease specifies rent is due on the 1st and late on the 5th, enforce it. Issue a late fee notice promptly. If they continue to be late, even if they pay, you can still issue the 14-day Notice to Quit every time rent is late. While they might pay within the 14 days, you are establishing a pattern of non-compliance with the lease terms. If it becomes chronic, you might choose not to renew their lease (with proper 30-day notice for a month-to-month) or pursue eviction for repeated lease violations, though the latter is more difficult than non-payment.
Q4
Can I require tenants to pay first, last, and security deposit?
Massachusetts law specifically limits what you can collect at the start of a tenancy to: first month's rent, last month's rent, a security deposit equal to one month's rent, and the cost of installing a new lock. You cannot charge more than these four items. This means you can't ask for two months' security deposit or an additional "pet deposit" beyond the one-month security deposit limit.
Q5
What are the biggest mistakes landlords make in Brewster?
The biggest mistakes include: not following strict notice requirements (like the 14-day pay-or-quit), improperly handling security deposits (leading to treble damages), attempting "self-help" evictions (illegal lockouts, utility shut-offs), and failing to screen tenants thoroughly. Also, underestimating the time and cost of eviction in Massachusetts is a common error. Many landlords also fail to understand Massachusetts tenant protections, especially around source-of-income.
Q6
Is rent control a risk in Brewster?
While there is no statewide rent control in Massachusetts currently, the risk is rated 5.9 out of 10 for Brewster, indicating an elevated potential for future implementation. It's something to monitor at both the state and local levels. For now, you can adjust rents as market conditions allow, provided you give proper notice for rent increases. Stay informed about legislative changes by checking resources like our Massachusetts rent control rules guide.
A 5.9/10 places Brewster in the 69th percentile of Massachusetts 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 Brewster (5.9/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
