In court-decided eviction outcomes for Keyport, NJ, tenants prevail in roughly 48.2% 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
167d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Keyport, NJ until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 167 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$10.0-27.5k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Keyport, NJ costs landlords $10,035 to $27,542 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$1,458
27% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Keyport, NJ is $1,458 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 27% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
49.8%
of households
49.8% of occupied housing units in Keyport, 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
9.3%
11.8% unemp.
9.3% of Keyport, NJ residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 11.8%. 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
GOP margin +11.4% (2024)
5.4
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
5.4
State political climate
New Jersey legislature & governorship
6.8
Economic stress
9.3% poverty · 11.8% unemp.
7.0
Supply constraint
$1,458 average · 49.8% renters
8.3
Rent Control risk
27.3% of income on rent
5.1
Eviction process difficulty
167 days filing → judgment
6.2
Tenant organizing strength
49.8% renters
8.7
Housing court bias
County bench composition
5.0
Geographic context
Risk heat across Keyport and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Keyport compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Monmouth County
Elevated
#19of 61 cities
#19 of 61 cities in Monmouth County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in New Jersey
Elevated
#283of 696 cities
#283 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+5.5 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steepening since 2010 · COVID inflection visible
167d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $1,458/mo. A contested eviction takes 167 days and costs $10,035-$27,542 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
49.8%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 7,171 residents, 49.8% rent. 27% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 9.3% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
5.4
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 5.4 and 5.4 (GOP margin +11.4% (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 6.2, housing court bias 5, rent-control risk 5.1. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +1.2 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
7
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 7. Supply constraint: 8.3. The numbers behind those: 9.3% poverty, 11.8% unemployment, 27% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Keyport sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Keyport · 167d · ~$18.8k all-in ($113/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 Keyport, 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.
Keyport is a city of 7,171 residents where 49.8% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 27.3% of income on rent. At an average rent of $1,458/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 Keyport eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 6.2/10, 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 Keyport closes 167 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 Keyport's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 5/10 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 Keyport runs $10,035 to $27,542 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 167 days of typical timeline and $1,458/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 8.7/10 in Keyport, 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 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 Keyport: 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 $27,542 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Keyport
Trap · 5.1/10
Comparative benchmarking matters in markets like this. Keyport's 6.8/10 is near the New Jersey state average. Rent-control-risk sub-score: 5.1/10. See the nearby cities grid below for direct A-vs-B comparison.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
Can I evict a tenant in Keyport for no reason?
No, New Jersey is a "just-cause" state. You must have a specific, legally recognized reason to evict a tenant, such as non-payment of rent, lease violations, or property damage. You cannot simply terminate a tenancy without cause, especially for long-term tenants.
Q2
How much can I charge for a security deposit in Keyport, NJ?
In Keyport, like the rest of New Jersey, you can charge a security deposit of up to 1.5 times the monthly rent. Any more than that is illegal and can lead to penalties.
Q3
What if my tenant pays part of the rent after I've started the eviction process?
Be very careful. Accepting partial rent can be seen as waiving your right to evict for that month's non-payment. If you do accept a partial payment, get a written agreement that explicitly states it does not waive your right to continue with the eviction or that it's for a specific past period and future rent is still due.
Q4
How long does an eviction typically take in Keyport?
On average, a contested eviction in Keyport takes about 167 days from the first missed payment to regaining possession of your property. This is a lengthy process, which is why early action and legal advice are crucial.
Q5
Is rent control an issue in Keyport?
Keyport does not currently have municipal rent control. However, New Jersey has a statewide just-cause eviction law, which offers significant tenant protections. While not direct rent control, it limits your ability to remove tenants, which impacts your control over the property. Keep an eye on local developments and our New Jersey rent control rules guide.
A 7.5/10 places Keyport in the 61st 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.
Neighborhoods in Keyport (1 with eviction-risk data)
Click a neighborhood to see its pop-weighted score, constituent census tracts, and demographics. Sorted by population.
