In court-decided eviction outcomes for Jamestown, NY, tenants prevail in roughly 59.9% 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
369d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Jamestown, NY until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 369 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$17.6–35.6k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Jamestown, NY costs landlords $17,637 to $35,618 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$759
31% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Jamestown, NY is $759 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 31% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
50.7%
of households
50.7% of occupied housing units in Jamestown, NY 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
24.0%
8.6% unemp.
24.0% of Jamestown, NY residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 8.6%. 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 +22.0% (2024)
4.6
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
4.6
State political climate
New York legislature & governorship
7.3
Economic stress
24.0% poverty · 8.6% unemp.
8.5
Supply constraint
$759 average · 50.7% renters
6.1
Rent Control risk
30.7% of income on rent
6.8
Eviction process difficulty
369 days filing → judgment
6.8
Tenant organizing strength
50.7% renters
9.2
Housing court bias
County bench composition
7.6
Geographic context
Risk heat across Jamestown and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Jamestown compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Chautauqua County
High
#5of 24 cities
#5 of 24 cities in Chautauqua County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in New York
Moderate
#769of 1,285 cities
#769 of 1,285 cities in New York for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
7.9
/ 10 · HIGH
The verdict
A High-tier market.
Composite 7.9/10. High statutory friction with active tenant counsel, so assume defenses on every filing. The 50-year curve shows a sharp climb.
50-yr trend+4.9 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steepening since 2010 · COVID inflection visible
369d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $759/mo. A contested eviction takes 369 days and costs $17,637–$35,618 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
50.7%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 28,188 residents, 50.7% rent. 31% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 24.0% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
4.6
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 4.6 and 4.6 (GOP margin +22.0% (2024)). State climate at 7.3, a tenant-leaning legislature.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
7.3
State politics
The process
Long calendar, heavy friction.
State political climate 7.3/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 6.8, housing court bias 7.6, rent-control risk 6.8. The slow part is the calendar, not the motion practice.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +1.8 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
8.5
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the real risk.
Economic stress: 8.5. Supply constraint: 6.1. The numbers behind those: 24.0% poverty, 8.6% unemployment, 31% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Jamestown sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Jamestown · 369d · ~$26.6k all-in ($72/day) · score 7.9National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Jamestown, New York, presents a high-friction environment where attorney involvement on every filing is the norm. The Eviction Risk Score is 7.9/10 (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.
Jamestown is a city of 28,188 residents where 50.7% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 30.7% of income on rent. At an average rent of $759/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 Jamestown eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 6.8/10, 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 Jamestown closes 369 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 Jamestown's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 7.6/10 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 Jamestown runs $17,637 to $35,618 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 369 days of typical timeline and $759/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 9.2/10 in Jamestown, and the city carries meaningful rent control exposure (6.8/10). 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 York, 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 Jamestown: 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 York's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $35,618 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Jamestown
Trap · 50.7%
50.7% renter share against 28,188 residents produces roughly 14,286 rental occupants in Jamestown. Chautauqua County voted R 19.8% in 2020. Eviction filings tend to cluster in the multifamily rental corridor.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
Can I evict a tenant for any reason in Jamestown?
No, not for "any reason." While New York does not have a statewide "just-cause" eviction law, you still cannot evict for discriminatory reasons or in retaliation for a tenant exercising their rights. For month-to-month leases, you can typically terminate without fault by providing proper 30-day notice, but it must be for a legitimate, non-discriminatory reason.
Q2
What if my tenant pays part of the rent after I give them a 14-day notice?
Be very careful here. Accepting a partial payment after serving a 14-day pay-or-quit notice can be seen as waiving your right to evict for that specific period. If you accept a partial payment, you likely have to restart the notice process for any remaining unpaid balance. It's generally best to accept full payment or none at all, or consult an attorney before accepting partial payment.
Q3
How long does it usually take to get a court date for an eviction in Jamestown?
Getting an initial court date can vary, but given the overall 369-day average eviction timeline in Jamestown, expect delays. It's unlikely you'll be in court within a few weeks. Housing Court dockets are often backed up, and first appearances are often scheduled several weeks or even months after filing.
Q4
Can I just change the locks if a tenant stops paying rent?
Absolutely not. This is an illegal self-help eviction in New York and can result in severe penalties, including fines and the tenant suing you for damages. You must follow the legal eviction process through the courts.
Q5
What if my tenant claims they are applying for rental assistance?
Many tenants will apply for rental assistance programs. While this can provide a solution, it also often delays the eviction process. Courts may grant adjournments to allow time for assistance applications to be processed. Stay in communication with the tenant and the assistance program, but continue with the eviction process until you have confirmed payment or a concrete agreement.
Q6
Is "cash for keys" legal in New York?
Yes, "cash for keys" is a legal and often recommended strategy. It's a voluntary agreement where you pay a tenant a sum of money in exchange for them voluntarily vacating the property by a specific date, often leaving it in good condition. Get the agreement in writing, signed by both parties, and only release the funds after the tenant has moved out and you've confirmed the property condition.
A 7.9/10 places Jamestown in the 44th percentile of New York 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 Jamestown (3 with eviction-risk data)
Click a neighborhood to see its pop-weighted score, constituent census tracts, and demographics. Sorted by population.
