Estimated values: The U.S. Census suppresses field-level data for small places. Estimated from constituent census tracts, pop-weighted from real underlying ACS data.
Tenant beats landlord
53.5%
/ 100 outcomes
In court-decided eviction outcomes for Hutchinson, NJ, tenants prevail in roughly 53.5% 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
171d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Hutchinson, NJ until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 171 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$10.9–28.6k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Hutchinson, NJ costs landlords $10,943 to $28,593 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$1,714
35% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Hutchinson, NJ is $1,714 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 35% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
9.1%
of households
9.1% of occupied housing units in Hutchinson, 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
3.2%
6.4% unemp.
3.2% of Hutchinson, NJ residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 6.4%. 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 +20.7% (2024)
4.8
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
4.8
State political climate
New Jersey legislature & governorship
6.8
Economic stress
3.2% poverty · 6.4% unemp.
1.0
Supply constraint
$1,714 average · 9.1% renters
4.3
Rent Control risk
34.8% of income on rent
6.0
Eviction process difficulty
171 days filing → judgment
6.7
Tenant organizing strength
9.1% renters
4.3
Housing court bias
County bench composition
5.2
Geographic context
Risk heat across Hutchinson and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Hutchinson compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Warren County
Very Low
#34of 40 cities
#34 of 40 cities in Warren County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in New Jersey
Very Low
#684of 696 cities
#684 of 696 cities in New Jersey for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
6.2
/ 10 · ELEVATED
The verdict
A Elevated-tier market.
Composite 6.2/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a sharp climb.
50-yr trend+2.7 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steepening since 2010 · COVID inflection visible
171d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $1,714/mo. A contested eviction takes 171 days and costs $10,943–$28,593 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
9.1%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 114 residents, 9.1% rent. 35% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 3.2% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
4.8
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 4.8 and 4.8 (GOP margin +20.7% (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 6.7, housing court bias 5.2, rent-control risk 6. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +1.7 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
1
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 1. Supply constraint: 4.3. The numbers behind those: 3.2% poverty, 6.4% unemployment, 35% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Hutchinson sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Hutchinson · 171d · ~$19.8k all-in ($116/day) · score 6.2National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Hutchinson, New Jersey, presents an elevated-friction market where documented notices and proactive screening matter. The Eviction Risk Score is 6.2/10 (ELEVATED 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 Elevated-friction market where lease drafting, screening discipline, and well-documented notices materially change outcomes.
Hutchinson is a city of 114 residents where 9.1% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 34.8% of income on rent. At an average rent of $1,714/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 Hutchinson eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 6.7/10, 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 Hutchinson closes 171 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 Hutchinson's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 5.2/10 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 Hutchinson runs $10,943 to $28,593 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 171 days of typical timeline and $1,714/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 4.3/10 in Hutchinson, and the city carries meaningful rent control exposure (6/10). 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 Hutchinson: 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 ELEVATED 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 $28,593 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Hutchinson
Trap · NJSA 2A:18-61.1 ANTI-EVICTION ACT
The 5.9/10 score weighs nine sub-factors. The most relevant for landlords are court bias, eviction process difficulty, and supply constraint. See the sub-score breakdown above. State-level framework: NJSA 2A:18-61.1 Anti-Eviction Act.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
Can I evict a tenant in Hutchinson if their lease is up?
No, not automatically. New Jersey is a just-cause eviction state, meaning you need a specific, legally recognized reason to evict, even if a lease term has expired. Simply wanting the tenant out isn't enough. Reasons include non-payment, lease violations, or specific owner-occupancy scenarios.
Q2
How much can I charge for late fees in New Jersey?
New Jersey law allows for reasonable late fees, but there isn't a statewide fixed percentage. What's "reasonable" can be debated in court. Generally, a fee of 5% of the monthly rent is often considered acceptable for residential leases. Always specify the late fee clearly in your lease agreement.
Q3
Do I have to accept Section 8 or other housing vouchers?
Yes, New Jersey has statewide source-of-income protection. This means you cannot refuse to rent to a tenant solely because they use a Section 8 voucher or other legal form of income to pay rent. You must apply your screening criteria uniformly to all applicants.
Q4
What if my tenant damages the property? Can I evict them?
Yes, significant property damage beyond normal wear and tear is typically a just cause for eviction in New Jersey. You would usually need to serve a notice to cease the damaging behavior, and if it continues or is severe enough, a notice to quit. Document all damage with photos and repair estimates.
Q5
Can I raise the rent whenever I want in Hutchinson?
Hutchinson does not have local rent control. However, New Jersey does have specific rules around rent increases, generally requiring adequate notice (often 30 days for month-to-month tenants, or at the end of a lease term). While there's no cap in Hutchinson, be aware of broader New Jersey rent control rules that apply in some municipalities.
Q6
What if my tenant abandons the property?
If a tenant clearly abandons the property (e.g., removes all belongings, stops paying rent, makes no contact), you still need to be careful. In New Jersey, you generally can't just change the locks. It's best to consult an attorney to ensure you follow the proper legal steps to regain possession and handle any remaining personal property, avoiding claims of illegal eviction.
A 6.2/10 places Hutchinson in the 3rd 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 Hutchinson (6.2/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
