In court-decided eviction outcomes for Mountainair, NM, tenants prevail in roughly 26.8% 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
77d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Mountainair, NM until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 77 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$2.9–9.1k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Mountainair, NM costs landlords $2,919 to $9,062 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$832
33% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Mountainair, NM is $832 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 33% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
18.3%
of households
18.3% of occupied housing units in Mountainair, NM 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
26.0%
11.0% unemp.
26.0% of Mountainair, NM residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 11.0%. 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 +38.1% (2024)
4.0
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
4.0
State political climate
New Mexico legislature & governorship
3.9
Economic stress
26.0% poverty · 11.0% unemp.
8.9
Supply constraint
$832 average · 18.3% renters
4.4
Rent Control risk
33.2% of income on rent
2.5
Eviction process difficulty
77 days filing → judgment
3.7
Tenant organizing strength
18.3% renters
3.8
Housing court bias
County bench composition
5.6
Geographic context
Risk heat across Mountainair and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Mountainair compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Torrance County
High
#3of 12 cities
#3 of 12 cities in Torrance County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in New Mexico
Very High
#14of 518 cities
#14 of 518 cities in New Mexico for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
4
/ 10 · MODERATE
The verdict
A Moderate-tier market.
Composite 4/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a slow, steady climb.
50-yr trend+1.8 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steady ratchet · no large swings
77d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $832/mo. A contested eviction takes 77 days and costs $2,919–$9,062 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
18.3%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 1,178 residents, 18.3% rent. 33% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 26.0% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
4
Local + regional
The politics
Light-statute interior market.
Local & regional political climate score 4 and 4 (GOP margin +38.1% (2024)). State climate at 3.9, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
3.9
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 3.9/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 3.7, housing court bias 5.6, rent-control risk 2.5. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +-1.3 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
8.9
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the real risk.
Economic stress: 8.9. Supply constraint: 4.4. The numbers behind those: 26.0% poverty, 11.0% unemployment, 33% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Mountainair sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Mountainair · 77d · ~$6.0k all-in ($78/day) · score 4National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Mountainair, New Mexico, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 4/10 (MODERATE 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.
Mountainair is a city of 1,178 residents where 18.3% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 33.2% of income on rent. At an average rent of $832/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 Mountainair eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 3.7/10, 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 Mountainair closes 77 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 Mountainair's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 5.6/10 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 Mountainair runs $2,919 to $9,062 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 77 days of typical timeline and $832/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 3.8/10 in Mountainair, and the city has limited rent control exposure (2.5/10). 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 Mexico, 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 Mountainair: 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 MODERATE 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 Mexico's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $9,062 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Mountainair
Trap · 26.0%
Local poverty rate is 26.0%, and the rent-burden distribution skews the eviction-filings curve toward higher volume in Torrance County. Rent-control-risk sub-score: 2.5/10. Tenant organizing is most active in the rental concentration corridors.
04Eviction filings
Live filings tracking · Eviction Lab
Princeton Eviction Lab Tracking System, state-level (no county tracker available). Last update 2026-05-01.
In the most recent month, 1,016 eviction cases were filed across the tracker's coverage area, 0.91× the historical baseline (below baseline). Past 12 months: 12,651 filings. Pandemic-era cumulative: 74,831.
1,016Past month
12,651Past 12 months
0.91×vs baseline (past mo)
21.2%Repeat-tenant filings
Notice requirement: at least three days notice (in some cases more). Filing fee: minimum filing fee of $77 (depending on the court level).
Last 36 months of filings2023-05-01 – 2026-04-01
Filings climbed 5% over the past 12 months.
Source: Eviction Lab Tracking System, Princeton University. Open Data Commons Attribution license.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
Can I evict a tenant in Mountainair without a reason?
For a month-to-month tenancy, yes, you can terminate without cause by giving a 30-day notice. For a fixed-term lease, you generally need a reason like non-payment of rent or a lease violation. New Mexico does not have statewide just-cause eviction requirements for all tenancies.
Q2
How long does it take to get a tenant out for not paying rent?
The typical timeline in Mountainair is 77 days. This includes the 3-day notice period, court proceedings, and the time before a sheriff lockout. This can vary based on court schedules and if the tenant contests the eviction.
Q3
What if my tenant refuses to leave after the eviction order?
Once the court issues a Writ of Restitution, you'll need the Torrance County Sheriff's Department to perform the lockout. You cannot physically remove the tenant yourself. The sheriff will give final notice and then oversee the removal.
Q4
Can I keep the security deposit for unpaid rent?
Yes, New Mexico law allows you to deduct unpaid rent, damages beyond normal wear and tear, and other legitimate costs from the security deposit. You must provide an itemized statement within 30 days of the tenant moving out.
Q5
Do I need a lawyer for an eviction in Mountainair?
While not legally required, it's highly recommended. Landlord-tenant law can be complex, and errors in notice or procedure can cause significant delays and costs. Given the typical cost range of $2,919, $9,062, a lawyer can save you money and headaches in the long run. See the New Mexico eviction risk overview for more.
Q6
Is there rent control in Mountainair?
No, there is no rent control in Mountainair or anywhere else in New Mexico at the state level. Landlords are generally free to set rent prices, subject to the terms of the lease agreement.
A 4/10 places Mountainair in the 99th percentile of New Mexico 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 Mountainair (4/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
