In court-decided eviction outcomes for Sharon, MA, tenants prevail in roughly 51.6% 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
218d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Sharon, MA until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 218 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$10.7–30.9k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Sharon, MA costs landlords $10,703 to $30,897 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$2,576
37% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Sharon, MA is $2,576 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 37% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
14.3%
of households
14.3% of occupied housing units in Sharon, 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
3.2%
1.8% unemp.
3.2% of Sharon, MA residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 1.8%. 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 +28.8% (2024)
7.1
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
7.1
State political climate
Massachusetts legislature & governorship
6.2
Economic stress
3.2% poverty · 1.8% unemp.
3.2
Supply constraint
$2,576 average · 14.3% renters
6.5
Rent Control risk
36.8% of income on rent
8.3
Eviction process difficulty
218 days filing → judgment
5.7
Tenant organizing strength
14.3% renters
3.3
Housing court bias
County bench composition
5.3
Geographic context
Risk heat across Sharon and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Sharon compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Norfolk County
Low
#14of 19 cities
#14 of 19 cities in Norfolk County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Massachusetts
Low
#171of 248 cities
#171 of 248 cities in Massachusetts for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
5.7
/ 10 · ELEVATED
The verdict
A Elevated-tier market.
Composite 5.7/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a sharp climb.
50-yr trend+2.7 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steepening since 2010 · COVID inflection visible
218d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $2,576/mo. A contested eviction takes 218 days and costs $10,703–$30,897 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
14.3%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 6,232 residents, 14.3% rent. 37% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 3.2% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
7.1
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 7.1 and 7.1 (Dem margin +28.8% (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 5.7, housing court bias 5.3, rent-control risk 8.3. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +0.7 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
3.2
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 3.2. Supply constraint: 6.5. The numbers behind those: 3.2% poverty, 1.8% unemployment, 37% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Sharon sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Sharon · 218d · ~$20.8k all-in ($95/day) · score 5.7National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Sharon, Massachusetts, presents an elevated-friction market where documented notices and proactive screening matter. The Eviction Risk Score is 5.7/10 (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.
Sharon is a city of 6,232 residents where 14.3% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 36.8% of income on rent. At an average rent of $2,576/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 Sharon eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 5.7/10, 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 Sharon closes 218 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 Sharon's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 5.3/10 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 Sharon runs $10,703 to $30,897 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 218 days of typical timeline and $2,576/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 3.3/10 in Sharon, and the city sits at the top of the rent control risk spectrum (8.3/10). 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 Sharon: 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 $30,897 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Sharon
Trap · 36.3 POINTS
Politically, Norfolk County voted Democratic by 36.3 points in 2020, a baseline that correlates with tenant-protective legislative pressure. Combined with 36.8% rent-to-income ratio, expect baseline enforcement of MGL 239 + Housing Court.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
What if my tenant just leaves without notice?
If a tenant abandons the property, you generally need to follow specific steps before re-taking possession and re-renting. Document everything: photos, attempts to contact the tenant. Massachusetts law requires you to store any abandoned personal property for a certain period. Consult an attorney before changing locks, just to be safe.
Q2
Can I raise the rent in Sharon?
Yes, Massachusetts does not have statewide rent control, as detailed in our Massachusetts rent control rules. You can raise the rent, but you must provide proper notice, typically 30 days, before the next rent due date. For month-to-month tenancies, this notice changes the terms of the tenancy. If the tenant refuses the increase, you can issue a notice to quit and pursue eviction, though this is a "no-cause" eviction and can be more challenging.
Q3
What if my tenant claims I didn't make repairs?
This is a common defense in eviction cases. Massachusetts has a strong "warranty of habitability." If you haven't made necessary repairs, the tenant might be able to withhold rent, or the court could reduce the rent owed. Always address repair requests promptly and in writing. Keep detailed records of all communications and repair work.
Q4
Can I evict a tenant for having a pet if my lease says "no pets"?
Generally, yes, if the lease explicitly prohibits pets and the pet is not a service animal or emotional support animal (which have different rules under fair housing laws). You would typically issue a notice to quit for a lease violation. However, be prepared for the tenant to argue the pet is a service animal, requiring specific documentation.
Q5
Do I have to accept Section 8 tenants in Sharon?
Yes. Massachusetts has source-of-income protection statewide. This means you cannot refuse to rent to someone solely because they use a Section 8 voucher or other rental assistance. You must treat them like any other applicant and apply your standard screening criteria fairly. For more on this and other rules, see our Massachusetts tenant protections guide.
Q6
What's the difference between District Court and Housing Court?
Housing Court specializes in landlord-tenant issues and often has judges with more experience in this area. District Courts handle a broader range of civil and criminal cases. For Sharon, you'd likely be in Dedham District Court or the Southeast Housing Court. Many landlords prefer Housing Court if available, but both have jurisdiction over evictions.
A 5.7/10 places Sharon in the 42nd 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 Sharon (5.7/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
