In court-decided eviction outcomes for Morris, MN, tenants prevail in roughly 36.4% 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
99d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Morris, MN until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 99 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$4.1–8.7k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Morris, MN costs landlords $4,111 to $8,718 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$950
29% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Morris, MN is $950 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
50.2%
of households
50.2% of occupied housing units in Morris, 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
15.6%
0.5% unemp.
15.6% of Morris, MN residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 0.5%. 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 +27.1% (2024)
4.5
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
4.5
State political climate
Minnesota legislature & governorship
4.3
Economic stress
15.6% poverty · 0.5% unemp.
5.0
Supply constraint
$950 average · 50.2% renters
6.5
Rent Control risk
29.1% of income on rent
5.1
Eviction process difficulty
99 days filing → judgment
4.2
Tenant organizing strength
50.2% renters
8.8
Housing court bias
County bench composition
6.0
Geographic context
Risk heat across Morris and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Morris compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Stevens County
Moderate
#3of 5 cities
#3 of 5 cities in Stevens County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Minnesota
Moderate
#521of 909 cities
#521 of 909 cities in Minnesota for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
4.7
/ 10 · MODERATE
The verdict
A Moderate-tier market.
Composite 4.7/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a slow, steady climb.
50-yr trend+1.8 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steady ratchet · no large swings
99d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $950/mo. A contested eviction takes 99 days and costs $4,111–$8,718 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
50.2%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 5,128 residents, 50.2% rent. 29% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 15.6% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
4.5
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 4.5 and 4.5 (GOP margin +27.1% (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 4.2, housing court bias 6, rent-control risk 5.1. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +-0.8 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
5
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 5. Supply constraint: 6.5. The numbers behind those: 15.6% poverty, 0.5% 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
Morris sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Morris · 99d · ~$6.4k all-in ($65/day) · score 4.7National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Morris, Minnesota, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 4.7/10 (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.
Morris is a city of 5,128 residents where 50.2% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 29.1% of income on rent. At an average rent of $950/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 Morris eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 4.2/10, 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 Morris closes 99 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 Morris'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 Morris runs $4,111 to $8,718 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 99 days of typical timeline and $950/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 8.8/10 in Morris, and the city has limited rent control exposure (5.1/10). 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 Morris: 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 $8,718 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Morris
Trap · 15.6%
Local poverty rate is 15.6%, and the rent-burden distribution skews the eviction-filings curve toward moderate volume in Stevens County. Rent-control-risk sub-score: 5.1/10. Tenant organizing is most active in the rental concentration corridors.
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's the biggest risk for landlords in Morris, MN?
The biggest risk isn't necessarily a high likelihood of eviction (our score is 3.9/10), but rather the significant cost and time involved when an eviction does occur. With a 99-day timeline and costs up to $8,718, a single eviction can wipe out months of profit. The "tenant-organizing-strength" score of 8.8 also suggests tenants are likely to know their rights and potentially challenge evictions.
Q2
Can I refuse to rent to someone with a housing voucher in Morris?
No. Minnesota has statewide source-of-income protection. This means you cannot discriminate against a prospective tenant solely because they use a housing voucher, Section 8, or other forms of public assistance to pay rent. You must apply the same screening criteria to all applicants, regardless of their income source.
Q3
Is there rent control in Morris, MN?
No, there is no rent control in Morris, MN. Minnesota does not have statewide rent control, and no local ordinances have been enacted. Our "rent-control-risk" sub-score is 5.1, which is moderate, indicating a potential for future changes, but currently, you are free to set market rates. Keep an eye on our Minnesota rent control rules page for any updates.
Q4
How long do I have to return a security deposit in Morris?
You have 21 days from the date the tenant vacates the property to return the security deposit or provide a written, itemized statement explaining any deductions. Failure to meet this deadline can result in penalties, including having to pay the tenant double the amount wrongfully withheld, plus their attorney fees.
Q5
When should I call an attorney for an eviction in Morris?
For an eviction in Morris, it's highly advisable to call an attorney as soon as the 14-day pay-or-quit notice expires and the tenant has not complied. Given the complexity of Minnesota law, the potential for court bias, and the high costs involved, a good attorney can save you time and money by ensuring the process is handled correctly from the start. Don't wait until you're in court and facing dismissal.
A 4.7/10 places Morris in the 50th 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 climbed steadily 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 Morris (4.7/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
