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
54.3%
/ 100 outcomes
In court-decided eviction outcomes for MacDonnell Heights, NY, tenants prevail in roughly 54.3% 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
370d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in MacDonnell Heights, NY until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 370 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$17.3–36.2k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in MacDonnell Heights, NY costs landlords $17,323 to $36,159 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$1,841
52% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in MacDonnell Heights, NY is $1,841 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 52% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
37.8%
of households
37.8% of occupied housing units in MacDonnell Heights, 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
6.0%
5.3% unemp.
6.0% of MacDonnell Heights, NY residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 5.3%. 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
Dem margin +5.4% (2024)
5.9
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
5.9
State political climate
New York legislature & governorship
7.3
Economic stress
6.0% poverty · 5.3% unemp.
3.9
Supply constraint
$1,841 average · 37.8% renters
1.0
Rent Control risk
52.3% of income on rent
5.5
Eviction process difficulty
370 days filing → judgment
6.8
Tenant organizing strength
37.8% renters
1.0
Housing court bias
County bench composition
4.5
Geographic context
Risk heat across MacDonnell Heights and the region
Click any city to see its score
How MacDonnell Heights compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Dutchess County
Moderate
#25of 44 cities
#25 of 44 cities in Dutchess County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in New York
Low
#910of 1,285 cities
#910 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
7.8
/ 10 · HIGH
The verdict
A High-tier market.
Composite 7.8/10. High statutory friction with active tenant counsel, so assume defenses on every filing. The 50-year curve shows a sharp climb.
50-yr trend+4.7 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steepening since 2010 · COVID inflection visible
370d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $1,841/mo. A contested eviction takes 370 days and costs $17,323–$36,159 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
37.8%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 1,429 residents, 37.8% rent. 52% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 6.0% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
5.9
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 5.9 and 5.9 (Dem margin +5.4% (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 4.5, rent-control risk 5.5. 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.
3.9
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 3.9. Supply constraint: 1. The numbers behind those: 6.0% poverty, 5.3% unemployment, 52% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
MacDonnell Heights sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
MacDonnell Heights · 370d · ~$26.7k all-in ($72/day) · score 7.8National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in MacDonnell Heights, New York, presents a high-friction environment where attorney involvement on every filing is the norm. The Eviction Risk Score is 7.8/10 (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.
MacDonnell Heights is a city of 1,429 residents where 37.8% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 52.3% of income on rent. At an average rent of $1,841/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 MacDonnell Heights 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 MacDonnell Heights closes 370 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 MacDonnell Heights's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 4.5/10 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 MacDonnell Heights runs $17,323 to $36,159 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 370 days of typical timeline and $1,841/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 1/10 in MacDonnell Heights, and the city has limited rent control exposure (5.5/10). 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 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 MacDonnell Heights: 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 $36,159 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in MacDonnell Heights
Trap · HSTPA 2019 + GOOD CAUSE 2024
The $1/10 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: HSTPA 2019 + Good Cause 2024.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
Is MacDonnell Heights rent-controlled?
No, MacDonnell Heights does not have specific local rent control ordinances. New York state has some rent control and rent stabilization laws, but these primarily apply to New York City and a few other specific municipalities, usually those with higher populations. Our data shows a rent-control-risk sub-score of 5.5/10 for the state, reflecting the potential for future legislation, but currently, MacDonnell Heights is not subject to these rules. Always check the New York rent control rules for the latest updates.
Q2
Can I evict a tenant for being a nuisance in MacDonnell Heights?
Yes, but it's more complex than non-payment. You would typically need to serve a "notice to cure" or "notice of termination" depending on the lease violation and the nature of the nuisance. This notice must give the tenant a reasonable amount of time to stop the behavior. If they fail to cure the violation, you can then proceed with an eviction filing. Document every incident thoroughly, dates, times, specific behaviors, and any witnesses. Vague complaints won't hold up in court.
Q3
What if my tenant refuses to leave after the lease ends?
If your tenant remains after their lease term expires and you do not wish to renew, they become a "holdover tenant." You cannot simply change the locks. You must serve them a notice of termination (30, 60, or 90 days depending on their tenancy length, as mentioned above) and then file a holdover eviction case in court if they don't vacate. This is a separate process from non-payment and also requires proper legal procedure.
Q4
How long does it take for the sheriff to remove a tenant after a judgment?
Once you secure a judgment of possession from the court, the judge will issue a warrant of eviction. This warrant must then be delivered to the local sheriff or marshal. There is usually a statutory waiting period (often 14 days) before the sheriff can execute the warrant. After that, it depends on the sheriff's schedule and workload. It can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks for the actual physical lockout. This final step is part of the 370-day average timeline.
A 7.8/10 places MacDonnell Heights in the 35th 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.
Cities with similar eviction risk to MacDonnell Heights (7.8/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
