In court-decided eviction outcomes for Lyle, MN, tenants prevail in roughly 34.8% 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
104d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Lyle, MN until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 104 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$4.0–11.0k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Lyle, MN costs landlords $4,013 to $11,035 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$575
23% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Lyle, MN is $575 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 23% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
27.8%
of households
27.8% of occupied housing units in Lyle, MN 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
20.0%
6.7% unemp.
20.0% of Lyle, MN 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
GOP margin +10.5% (2024)
5.2
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
5.2
State political climate
Minnesota legislature & governorship
4.3
Economic stress
20.0% poverty · 6.7% unemp.
7.8
Supply constraint
$575 average · 27.8% renters
3.6
Rent Control risk
23.4% of income on rent
3.7
Eviction process difficulty
104 days filing → judgment
3.9
Tenant organizing strength
27.8% renters
6.0
Housing court bias
County bench composition
5.8
Geographic context
Risk heat across Lyle and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Lyle compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Mower County
High
#4of 15 cities
#4 of 15 cities in Mower County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Minnesota
High
#130of 909 cities
#130 of 909 cities in Minnesota for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
5.1
/ 10 · MODERATE
The verdict
A Moderate-tier market.
Composite 5.1/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a sharp climb.
50-yr trend+2.1 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steepening since 2010 · COVID inflection visible
104d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $575/mo. A contested eviction takes 104 days and costs $4,013–$11,035 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
27.8%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 504 residents, 27.8% rent. 23% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 20.0% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
5.2
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 5.2 and 5.2 (GOP margin +10.5% (2024)). State climate at 4.3, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
4.3
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 4.3/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 3.9, housing court bias 5.8, rent-control risk 3.7. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +-1.1 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
7.8
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 7.8. Supply constraint: 3.6. The numbers behind those: 20.0% poverty, 6.7% unemployment, 23% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Lyle sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Lyle · 104d · ~$7.5k all-in ($72/day) · score 5.1National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Lyle, Minnesota, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 5.1/10 (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.
Lyle is a city of 504 residents where 27.8% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 23.4% of income on rent. At an average rent of $575/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 Lyle eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 3.9/10, 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 Lyle closes 104 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 Lyle's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 5.8/10 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 Lyle runs $4,013 to $11,035 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 104 days of typical timeline and $575/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 6/10 in Lyle, and the city has limited rent control exposure (3.7/10). 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 Minnesota, 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 Lyle: 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 Minnesota's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $11,035 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Lyle
Trap · 3.7/10
Comparative benchmarking matters in markets like this. Lyle's 4.6/10 is below the Minnesota state average. Rent-control-risk sub-score: 3.7/10. See the nearby cities grid below for direct A-vs-B comparison.
04Eviction filings
Live filings tracking · Eviction Lab
Princeton Eviction Lab Tracking System, state-level (no county tracker available). Last update 2026-05-01.
In the most recent month, 2,011 eviction cases were filed across the tracker's coverage area, 1.03× the historical baseline (near baseline). Past 12 months: 26,070 filings. Pandemic-era cumulative: 113,788.
2,011Past month
26,070Past 12 months
1.03×vs baseline (past mo)
11.5%Repeat-tenant filings
Notice requirement: no advance notice (in the case of nonpayment of rent). Filing fee: minimum filing fee of $310.
Last 36 months of filings2023-05-01 – 2026-04-01
Filings stayed roughly flat over the past 12 months.
Source: Eviction Lab Tracking System, Princeton University. Open Data Commons Attribution license.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
What if my tenant claims a maintenance issue for not paying rent?
In Minnesota, tenants generally cannot withhold rent for maintenance issues unless they've followed specific legal steps, which usually involve giving you written notice and a reasonable time to fix the problem. If they haven't, their non-payment is still a breach of the lease. Address the maintenance issue promptly, but don't let it distract from the rent non-payment. Document everything about the repair request and your response.
Q2
Can I charge a late fee in Lyle, MN?
Yes, you can charge late fees in Minnesota, but they must be reasonable and stated clearly in your lease agreement. There isn't a specific statutory cap on late fees, but courts generally view excessive fees as penalties. A common rule of thumb is 5% of the monthly rent. Make sure your lease spells out when the fee applies (e.g., "rent is late after the 5th day of the month").
Q3
Is "source of income" protection a big deal in Lyle?
Yes, it's a statewide protection in Minnesota. This means you cannot refuse to rent to someone solely because they use a Section 8 voucher, Social Security, or other legal forms of income. You must apply the same screening criteria to all applicants, regardless of their income source. Treat them like any other applicant. Failing to do so can lead to discrimination claims. Learn more about Minnesota tenant protections.
Q4
How often should I raise rent in Lyle?
Lyle does not have rent control (rent-control-risk sub-score 3.7/10), so you can raise rent as market conditions allow. However, you must provide proper notice, typically 30 days for month-to-month tenancies. Don't raise rent too aggressively in a smaller market; stability and good tenants are often worth more than pushing for top dollar every year. A modest, consistent increase is often better for tenant retention.
A 5.1/10 places Lyle in the 90th percentile of Minnesota 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 Lyle (5.1/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
