In court-decided eviction outcomes for Englewood Cliffs, NJ, tenants prevail in roughly 51.2% 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
164d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Englewood Cliffs, NJ until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 164 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$9.1–22.0k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Englewood Cliffs, NJ costs landlords $9,074 to $22,043 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$3,501
42% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Englewood Cliffs, NJ is $3,501 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 42% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
16.5%
of households
16.5% of occupied housing units in Englewood Cliffs, NJ 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
4.7%
4.5% unemp.
4.7% of Englewood Cliffs, NJ residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 4.5%. 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
Dem margin +3.4% (2024)
6.2
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
6.2
State political climate
New Jersey legislature & governorship
6.8
Economic stress
4.7% poverty · 4.5% unemp.
4.6
Supply constraint
$3,501 average · 16.5% renters
6.9
Rent Control risk
42.4% of income on rent
9.5
Eviction process difficulty
164 days filing → judgment
6.4
Tenant organizing strength
16.5% renters
3.9
Housing court bias
County bench composition
6.3
Geographic context
Risk heat across Englewood Cliffs and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Englewood Cliffs compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Bergen County
Low
#39of 62 cities
#39 of 62 cities in Bergen County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in New Jersey
High
#158of 696 cities
#158 of 696 cities in New Jersey for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
7.5
/ 10 · HIGH
The verdict
A High-tier market.
Composite 7.5/10. High statutory friction with active tenant counsel, so assume defenses on every filing. The 50-year curve shows a sharp climb.
50-yr trend+3.2 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steepening since 2010 · COVID inflection visible
164d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $3,501/mo. A contested eviction takes 164 days and costs $9,074–$22,043 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
16.5%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 5,362 residents, 16.5% rent. 42% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 4.7% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
6.2
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 6.2 and 6.2 (Dem margin +3.4% (2024)). State climate at 6.8, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
6.8
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 6.8/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 6.4, housing court bias 6.3, rent-control risk 9.5. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +1.4 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
4.6
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 4.6. Supply constraint: 6.9. The numbers behind those: 4.7% poverty, 4.5% unemployment, 42% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Englewood Cliffs sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Englewood Cliffs · 164d · ~$15.6k all-in ($95/day) · score 7.5National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, presents a high-friction environment where attorney involvement on every filing is the norm. The Eviction Risk Score is 7.5/10 (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.
Englewood Cliffs is a city of 5,362 residents where 16.5% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 42.4% of income on rent. At an average rent of $3,501/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 Englewood Cliffs eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 6.4/10, 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 Englewood Cliffs closes 164 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 Englewood Cliffs's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 6.3/10 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 Englewood Cliffs runs $9,074 to $22,043 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 164 days of typical timeline and $3,501/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 3.9/10 in Englewood Cliffs, and the city sits at the top of the rent control risk spectrum (9.5/10). 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 New Jersey, 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 Englewood Cliffs: 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, 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 New Jersey's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $22,043 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Englewood Cliffs
Trap · 16.4 POINTS
Politically, Bergen County voted Democratic by 16.4 points in 2020, a baseline that correlates with tenant-protective legislative pressure. Combined with 42.4% rent-to-income ratio, expect active enforcement of NJSA 2A:18-61.1 Anti-Eviction Act.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
What if my tenant pays rent late, but not consistently late enough for an eviction?
If your tenant frequently pays late but always within the grace period or shortly after, you may not have grounds for a non-payment eviction. New Jersey's Anti-Eviction Act requires a "habitual late payment" pattern for that specific cause. This usually means receiving written notices for late payments multiple times over a defined period (e.g., 3-5 times in 6 months). Document every single late payment, send reminders, and consider a formal "notice to cease" if it becomes a pattern, warning that continued late payments could lead to eviction.
Q2
Can I evict a tenant in Englewood Cliffs if I want to move into the property myself?
Yes, under the New Jersey Anti-Eviction Act, "owner occupancy" is a valid just cause for eviction. However, there are strict conditions. You must genuinely intend to occupy the unit yourself or for an immediate family member. You must provide a specific notice period (typically two months), and the property must not be subject to certain exemptions (e.g., if it's a two-family house and you're already occupying one unit). Consult an attorney to ensure you meet all requirements and serve the notice correctly.
Q3
What happens if I try to evict a tenant without just cause in New Jersey?
Attempting an eviction without a valid just cause under the Anti-Eviction Act will almost certainly result in your case being dismissed in court. Not only will you lose your time and legal fees, but the tenant could also sue you for wrongful eviction, seeking damages, legal fees, and potentially punitive damages. It's a costly mistake. Always ensure you have a legitimate, documented reason before proceeding with any eviction action.
Q4
How long does a tenant have to move out after a judge grants an eviction order?
After a judge grants a Judgment for Possession, the court typically issues a Warrant of Removal. Once the Warrant is issued, the tenant usually has three business days to vacate the property before the sheriff can physically remove them. However, tenants can sometimes apply for a "stay of eviction" for up to six months, especially if they are actively seeking new housing or have other extenuating circumstances. This can further prolong the process.
A 7.5/10 places Englewood Cliffs in the 79th percentile of New Jersey 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 Englewood Cliffs (7.5/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
