Orleans County, New York Eviction Risk: High

Orleans County scores 7.8/10 (High risk) on average across its 4 cities, with individual city scores ranging from 7.4 to 8.3/10. That High label warrants attention, but context matters: ranked 54th of 60 New York counties by risk, Orleans County actually sits in the lower-risk third of the state, meaning 53 New York eviction laws counties carry more eviction risk than this one. For landlords evaluating upstate markets, that positioning is meaningful, though the county's concentrated renter base and elevated poverty still demand careful underwriting.

With an average rent of $877 and a rent burden averaging 24.7% of household income, Orleans County tenants are not under extreme financial strain by state standards, but 39.3% of households here rent rather than own, giving landlords a real tenant pool to work with. The tight intra-county score range, just 6.9 to 7.1, tells you this is a relatively uniform market, no hidden pockets of dramatically lower risk tucked away.

The cities inside Orleans County

Medina (population 5,770) and Albion (population 1,927) share the county's highest score at 8.3/10, placing them at the top of the local risk ladder. Medina is the county's largest city and commercial center, so landlords there face the widest pool of prospective tenants alongside the highest local risk. Holley, despite its smaller size, matches that risk profile score for score.

Albion (population 5,506) comes in at 8.3/10, essentially at the county average, while Lyndonville (population 771) is the relative bright spot at 6.9/10. The difference between Medina and Lyndonville is only 0.2 points, which underscores how uniform conditions are here, but even a fractional score gap can reflect meaningful differences in local court timelines, tenant demographics, or economic stress. Risk is hyper-local even within a compact county like this one.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord in Orleans County operates under New York eviction laws state law, specifically N.Y. RPL § 226 et seq. and RPAPL § 711. Notice requirements vary by circumstance: nonpayment of rent triggers a 14-day notice under RPAPL § 711(2), a material lease violation requires a 10-day notice under RPAPL § 711(1), and holdover tenants are entitled to 30, 60, or 90 days depending on whether their tenancy was under one year, one to two years, or two or more years, respectively, under RPL § 226-c. Just cause is required to remove a tenant under New York eviction laws law. Understanding the full New York eviction laws eviction process is essential before filing, as an uncontested case can take 30 to 90 days and a contested case can stretch to 90 to 210 days.

New York eviction costs add up quickly: court filing fees run $45 to $210, sheriff lockout fees add another $50 to $200, and attorney fees typically range from $1,000 to $4,000. Rent control applicability varies by locality, and New York eviction laws does not preempt local rent ordinances, so landlords should verify whether any municipal rules layer on top of state minimums. The NY State Division of Human Rights enforces both fair housing and source-of-income protections statewide.

With a poverty rate of 15% and 39.3% of county residents renting, Orleans County presents real demand for rental housing alongside genuine collection risk, and the individual city scores in the grid above reveal where that risk concentrates most.