In court-decided eviction outcomes for Plentywood, MT, tenants prevail in roughly 14.4% 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
28d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Plentywood, MT until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 28 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$0.9–2.4k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Plentywood, MT costs landlords $878 to $2,422 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$760
38% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Plentywood, MT is $760 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 38% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
33.1%
of households
33.1% of occupied housing units in Plentywood, MT 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%
4.4% unemp.
12.5% of Plentywood, MT residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 4.4%. 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
GOP margin +42.5% (2024)
3.7
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
3.7
State political climate
Montana legislature & governorship
1.7
Economic stress
12.5% poverty · 4.4% unemp.
6.1
Supply constraint
$760 average · 33.1% renters
4.8
Rent Control risk
37.5% of income on rent
7.5
Eviction process difficulty
28 days filing → judgment
2.1
Tenant organizing strength
33.1% renters
6.5
Housing court bias
County bench composition
6.8
Geographic context
Risk heat across Plentywood and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Plentywood compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Sheridan County
High
#2of 9 cities
#2 of 9 cities in Sheridan County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Montana
High
#115of 496 cities
#115 of 496 cities in Montana for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
2.3
/ 10 · VERY LOW
The verdict
A Very low-tier market.
Composite 2.3/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a slow, steady climb.
50-yr trend+0.2 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steady ratchet · no large swings
28d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $760/mo. A contested eviction takes 28 days and costs $878–$2,422 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
33.1%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 1,654 residents, 33.1% rent. 38% 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.
3.7
Local + regional
The politics
Light-statute interior market.
Local & regional political climate score 3.7 and 3.7 (GOP margin +42.5% (2024)). State climate at 1.7, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
1.7
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 1.7/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 2.1, housing court bias 6.8, rent-control risk 7.5. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +-2.9 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
6.1
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 6.1. Supply constraint: 4.8. The numbers behind those: 12.5% poverty, 4.4% unemployment, 38% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Plentywood sits in the quick & cheap quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Plentywood · 28d · ~$1.7k all-in ($59/day) · score 2.3National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Plentywood, Montana, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 2.3/10 (VERY LOW 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.
Plentywood is a city of 1,654 residents where 33.1% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 37.5% of income on rent. At an average rent of $760/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 Plentywood eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 2.1/10, 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 Plentywood closes 28 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 Plentywood's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 6.8/10 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 Plentywood runs $878 to $2,422 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 28 days of typical timeline and $760/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 6.5/10 in Plentywood, and the city carries meaningful rent control exposure (7.5/10). 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 Montana, 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 Plentywood: 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 VERY LOW 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 Montana's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $2,422 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Plentywood
Trap · 12.5%
Local poverty rate is 12.5%, and the rent-burden distribution skews the eviction-filings curve toward higher volume in Sheridan County. Rent-control-risk sub-score: 7.5/10. Tenant organizing is most active in the rental concentration corridors.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
Can I evict a tenant in Plentywood without going to court?
No. You cannot physically remove a tenant or change locks without a court order. That's an illegal "self-help" eviction and can lead to significant penalties. You must follow the legal eviction process through the Justice Court.
Q2
How long do I have to return a security deposit in Plentywood?
You have 10 days to return the security deposit if there are no deductions. If you plan to deduct for damages or unpaid rent, you have 30 days to provide an itemized list of deductions and the remaining balance.
Q3
Is there rent control in Plentywood, MT?
No, there is no statewide rent control in Montana. This means you are generally free to set rent prices as you see fit, subject to your lease agreement. However, be aware of a moderate rent control risk sub-score (7.5) which suggests potential future changes, so stay informed via resources like our Montana rent control rules guide.
Q4
What if my tenant pays part of the rent after I give a 3-day notice?
If you accept a partial payment after issuing a 3-day pay-or-quit notice, it can sometimes be interpreted as waiving your right to evict based on that specific notice. It's generally safer to refuse partial payments if your goal is eviction, or enter into a written payment plan that explicitly states the eviction process is paused, not waived, pending full payment.
Q5
Can I charge late fees on rent in Plentywood?
Yes, you can charge late fees if they are clearly stated in your lease agreement. Montana law does not specify a maximum late fee amount, but they must be reasonable and reflect the actual damages incurred by the landlord due to the late payment.
A 2.3/10 places Plentywood in the 81st percentile of Montana 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 Plentywood (2.3/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
