Chaves County, New Mexico Eviction Risk: Low

Chaves County scores 3.6/10 (Low) on eviction risk, placing it 7th of 34 counties in New Mexico eviction laws, meaning only 6 counties statewide carry more risk for landlords. Across its 5 cities and a total population of 50,634, conditions are neither uniformly hostile nor uniformly forgiving. Average rent sits at $869 per month against a rent burden of 29.7%, and renters make up 31% of households, a meaningful share that shapes local eviction volume. For landlords and investors evaluating the Pecos Valley corridor, the headline score masks a wide spread that demands city-level scrutiny.

The intra-county range runs from 3 to 3.7, a full two points of separation between the most and least landlord-friendly places in the county. That gap is large enough to change the investment calculus entirely depending on which city you operate in. A county average of 4.9 is useful as a starting orientation, but landlords should treat it as a floor for further research rather than a final answer.

The cities inside Chaves County

The highest-risk location in the county is Dexter at 3.7/10, a small community of 478 residents where the risk score edges just past the county average. Roswell, by far the dominant market here with a population of 47,638, scores 5/10, meaning the city that drives most of the county's rental activity sits squarely at the high end of the county's range. Landlords with portfolios concentrated in Roswell should expect conditions consistent with the county's elevated state ranking.

The picture shifts considerably moving to the smaller towns. Hagerman scores 3/10 with a population of 849, Midway checks in at 3.3/10 with 541 residents, and Hagerman is the most landlord-friendly community in the county at 3/10 with 1,128 residents. These lower-risk towns offer a meaningfully different operating environment, though their smaller rental markets mean fewer available units and thinner liquidity. Risk in Chaves County is genuinely hyper-local, not a county-wide condition.

State-level laws that apply here

All landlord-tenant relationships in Chaves County are governed by the New Mexico eviction laws Uniform Owner-Resident Relations Act, NMSA § 47-8. For non-payment of rent, the required notice period is 3 days. Lease violations carry a 7-day cure notice, and a no-cause termination at end of term requires 30 days. New Mexico eviction laws does not require just cause for eviction and has no active rent cap formula, which are meaningful structural advantages for landlords. The New Mexico eviction laws eviction process from filing to removal typically takes 21 to 45 days uncontested, or 45 to 120 days if contested.

On costs, the New Mexico eviction costs include a court filing fee of $132 to $200, a sheriff lockout fee of $50 to $175, and attorney fees that commonly run $500 to $3,000 depending on complexity. Landlords must provide 24 hours entry notice under state law. Reviewing the New Mexico security deposit limits and New Mexico tenant protections before signing new leases will help landlords avoid the procedural missteps that turn uncontested cases into contested ones.

With a poverty rate of 24% and renters making up 31% of Chaves County households, the economic pressure on tenants is real and contributes to the county's elevated state ranking. The city grid above breaks down each community's individual score so landlords can target markets that align with their risk tolerance.