In court-decided eviction outcomes for Monument Beach, MA, tenants prevail in roughly 49.9% 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
183d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Monument Beach, MA until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 183 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$12.9–32.1k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Monument Beach, MA costs landlords $12,886 to $32,098 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$1,704
51% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Monument Beach, MA is $1,704 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 51% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
23.6%
of households
23.6% of occupied housing units in Monument Beach, 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
3.1%
1.6% unemp.
3.1% of Monument Beach, MA residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 1.6%. 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)
6.3
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
6.3
State political climate
Massachusetts legislature & governorship
6.2
Economic stress
3.1% poverty · 1.6% unemp.
3.0
Supply constraint
$1,704 average · 23.6% renters
7.1
Rent Control risk
51.0% of income on rent
9.6
Eviction process difficulty
183 days filing → judgment
5.8
Tenant organizing strength
23.6% renters
5.3
Housing court bias
County bench composition
6.0
Geographic context
Risk heat across Monument Beach and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Monument Beach compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Barnstable County
Very Low
#31of 34 cities
#31 of 34 cities in Barnstable County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Massachusetts
Very Low
#234of 248 cities
#234 of 248 cities in Massachusetts for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
5.4
/ 10 · MODERATE
The verdict
A Moderate-tier market.
Composite 5.4/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a sharp climb.
50-yr trend+2.3 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steepening since 2010 · COVID inflection visible
183d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $1,704/mo. A contested eviction takes 183 days and costs $12,886–$32,098 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
23.6%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 3,277 residents, 23.6% rent. 51% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 3.1% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
6.3
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 6.3 and 6.3 (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 5.8, housing court bias 6, rent-control risk 9.6. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +0.8 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
3
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 3. Supply constraint: 7.1. The numbers behind those: 3.1% poverty, 1.6% unemployment, 51% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Monument Beach sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Monument Beach · 183d · ~$22.5k all-in ($123/day) · score 5.4National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Monument Beach, Massachusetts, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 5.4/10 (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.
Monument Beach is a city of 3,277 residents where 23.6% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 51.0% of income on rent. At an average rent of $1,704/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 Monument Beach eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 5.8/10, 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 Monument Beach closes 183 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 Monument Beach's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 6/10 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 Monument Beach runs $12,886 to $32,098 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 183 days of typical timeline and $1,704/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 5.3/10 in Monument Beach, and the city sits at the top of the rent control risk spectrum (9.6/10). 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 Monument Beach: 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 Massachusetts's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $32,098 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Monument Beach
Trap · PRACTICAL TRAP
Compare Monument Beach to neighboring cities in Plymouth County via the grid below. The 6.3/10 score is computed from nine sub-factors plus a state-law multiplier under MGL 239 + Housing Court. Plymouth County 2020 presidential margin: D+17.4. Cross-reference the state overview link in the guides section for Massachusetts statutory detail.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
What if my tenant pays part of the rent after the 14-day notice?
Accepting partial rent after serving a 14-day notice can "waive" your right to evict for that month's non-payment, meaning you'd have to start the notice process all over again. Be very careful. If you accept a partial payment, get a written agreement stating it doesn't waive your right to pursue the eviction or that it's for a specific past period. Better yet, consult your attorney.
Q2
Can I charge late fees in Monument Beach?
Yes, Massachusetts law allows for late fees. However, they must be reasonable, typically not more than $50 or 5% of the monthly rent, whichever is less. Your lease must clearly state the late fee policy. You can only charge a late fee if the rent is more than 30 days late.
Q3
How long does it take for a sheriff to remove a tenant after I win in court?
Even after you get a judgment for possession, there's a mandatory appeal period (usually 10 days). After that, you'll need to get an Execution for Possession from the court and then schedule the physical lockout with the local sheriff or constable. This usually adds another 1-3 weeks to the process. The total timeline of 183 days accounts for all these steps.
Q4
Is rent control a risk in Monument Beach?
Massachusetts currently has a statewide ban on rent control, meaning cities like Monument Beach cannot enact their own rent control ordinances. Our rent-control-risk sub-score for Monument Beach is 9.6/10, which reflects the *statewide* political pressure for rent control, not a local ordinance. This is a high-risk area for future rent control legislation at the state level. Stay informed on state legislative changes. See our Massachusetts rent control rules for more.
Q5
What if my tenant claims the property has problems to delay eviction?
This is a common tactic. Tenants can raise "counterclaims" about the property's condition (e.g., lead paint, heat issues, pests) as a defense or to seek damages. Ensure your property is well-maintained and you respond promptly to all repair requests in writing. Keep detailed records of all communication and maintenance performed. If they raise this in court, you'll need evidence to counter their claims.
A 5.4/10 places Monument Beach in the 10th 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 Monument Beach (5.4/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
