In court-decided eviction outcomes for Cambridge, MA, tenants prevail in roughly 85.0% of contested cases. A higher number means landlords face stronger tenant defenses, longer calendars, and more required documentation — landlord-friendliness drops as this rises.
Timeline
212d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Cambridge, MA until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 212 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$12.7–26.8k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Cambridge, MA costs landlords $12,703 to $26,807 all-in — court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$2,787
28% stretched on rent
Median gross rent in Cambridge, MA is $2,787 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 28% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent — the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
66.5%
of households
66.5% of occupied housing units in Cambridge, 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
12.5%
3.4% unemp.
12.5% of Cambridge, MA 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
Dem margin +39.5% (2024)
9.0
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
8.5
State political climate
Massachusetts legislature & governorship
8.0
Economic stress
12.5% poverty · 3.4% unemp.
6.0
Supply constraint
$2,787 average · 66.5% renters
9.5
Rent Control risk
27.9% of income on rent
8.5
Eviction process difficulty
212 days filing → judgment
8.5
Tenant organizing strength
66.5% renters
8.5
Housing court bias
County bench composition
8.0
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 Middlesex County
Very High
#1of 35 cities
#1 of 35 cities in Middlesex County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Massachusetts
Very High
#1of 248 cities
#1 of 248 cities in Massachusetts for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
8.2
/ 10 · HIGH
The verdict
A High-tier market.
Composite 8.2/10. High statutory friction with active tenant counsel — assume defenses on every filing. The 50-year curve shows a sharp climb.
50-yr trend+5.6 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steepening since 2010 · COVID inflection visible
212d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $2,787/mo. A contested eviction takes 212 days and costs $12,703–$26,807 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
66.5%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 118,796 residents, 66.5% rent. 28% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 12.5% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
8.8
Local + regional
The politics
Strong-tenant coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 9.0 and 8.5 (Dem margin +39.5% (2024)). State climate at 8.0 — tenant-leaning legislature.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
8.0
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 8.0/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies — and shows up in process. Eviction process difficulty reads 8.5, housing court bias 8.0, rent-control risk 8.5. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +3.5 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
6.0
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 6.0. Supply constraint: 9.5. The numbers behind those: 12.5% poverty, 3.4% unemployment, 28% 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 · 212d · ~$19.8k all-in ($93/day) · score 8.2National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Cambridge, Massachusetts, presents a high-friction environment where attorney involvement on every filing is the norm. The Eviction Risk Score is 8.2/10 (HIGH 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 High-friction landlord market where lease drafting, screening discipline, and well-documented notices materially change outcomes.
Cambridge is a city of 118,796 residents where 66.5% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 27.9% of income on rent. At an average rent of $2,787/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 8.5/10 — 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 212 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 8.0/10 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 $12,703 to $26,807 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 212 days of typical timeline and $2,787/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 8.5/10 in Cambridge, and the city sits at the top of the rent control risk spectrum (8.5/10). Operations practice that survives audit in this environment looks like:
Screening discipline. Document income (verified at 2.5–3x 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 — exceed 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 HIGH tier market. If you own five or more: build relationships with a local landlord-side attorney before you need one — 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 $26,807 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Cambridge
Trap · 5.4/10
The 6.4/10 score weighs nine sub-factors including political climate, court bias, supply constraint, and tenant organizing strength. Cambridge's rent-control-risk sub-score is 5.4/10, driven by state preemption and market dynamics.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
Can I evict a tenant in Cambridge for any reason?
No. While Massachusetts doesn't have statewide just-cause eviction, you still need a valid reason like non-payment of rent, lease violations, or end of lease term (with proper notice). You cannot discriminate or retaliate against tenants. Source-of-income is a protected class statewide.
Q2
How long does it take to evict someone in Cambridge for non-payment?
The typical timeline in Cambridge is 212 days. This includes the 14-day notice period, court proceedings, potential appeals, and the final physical lockout. It is not a fast process.
Q3
What's the maximum security deposit I can charge in Cambridge?
You can only charge up to one month's rent as a security deposit. This is a strict limit under Massachusetts law. You must also place it in a separate, interest-bearing account and provide the tenant with the account details.
Q4
Do I need an attorney for an eviction in Cambridge?
While you can represent yourself, it's highly advised to hire an experienced landlord-tenant attorney. The eviction process in Massachusetts, especially in Cambridge, is complex, time-consuming, and heavily favors tenants. Mistakes can lead to significant delays and financial penalties.
Q5
What if my tenant claims their apartment is uninhabitable?
This is a common tenant defense. If a tenant withholds rent due to habitability issues, they must typically prove they notified you of the problems and you failed to fix them. Always respond promptly to maintenance requests and keep detailed records of repairs. Ignoring maintenance is a quick way to lose an eviction case.
Q6
Can I offer a tenant money to move out instead of evicting them?
Yes, this is often called "cash for keys" and can be a smart move in Cambridge. Given the high costs and long timelines of eviction (212 days, $12,703–$26,807), offering a tenant a few thousand dollars to vacate voluntarily can save you significant time, money, and stress. Get any agreement in writing.
A 8.2/10 places Cambridge in the 100th 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 1–10 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.
Neighborhoods in Cambridge (10 with eviction-risk data)
Click a neighborhood to see its pop-weighted score, constituent census tracts, and demographics. Sorted by population.
