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 Morristown, 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
412d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Morristown, NY until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 412 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$21.1–36.6k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Morristown, NY costs landlords $21,109 to $36,608 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$1,125
51% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Morristown, NY is $1,125 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 51% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
26.2%
of households
26.2% of occupied housing units in Morristown, 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
31.0%
7.3% unemp.
31.0% of Morristown, NY residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 7.3%. 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
GOP margin +18.0% (2024)
5.0
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
5.0
State political climate
New York legislature & governorship
7.3
Economic stress
31.0% poverty · 7.3% unemp.
4.4
Supply constraint
$1,125 average · 26.2% renters
3.1
Rent Control risk
51.0% of income on rent
5.2
Eviction process difficulty
412 days filing → judgment
6.8
Tenant organizing strength
26.2% renters
1.6
Housing court bias
County bench composition
4.6
Geographic context
Risk heat across Morristown and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Morristown compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in St. Lawrence County
Moderate
#14of 26 cities
#14 of 26 cities in St. Lawrence County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in New York
Elevated
#343of 1,285 cities
#343 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
8.3
/ 10 · HIGH
The verdict
A High-tier market.
Composite 8.3/10. High statutory friction with active tenant counsel, so assume defenses on every filing. The 50-year curve shows a sharp climb.
50-yr trend+5.1 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steepening since 2010 · COVID inflection visible
412d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $1,125/mo. A contested eviction takes 412 days and costs $21,109–$36,608 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
26.2%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 384 residents, 26.2% rent. 51% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 31.0% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
5
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 5 and 5 (GOP margin +18.0% (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 4.6, rent-control risk 5.2. 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.
4.4
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 4.4. Supply constraint: 3.1. The numbers behind those: 31.0% poverty, 7.3% unemployment, 51% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Morristown sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Morristown · 412d · ~$28.9k all-in ($70/day) · score 8.3National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Morristown, New York, presents a high-friction environment where attorney involvement on every filing is the norm. The Eviction Risk Score is 8.3/10 (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.
Morristown is a city of 384 residents where 26.2% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 51.0% of income on rent. At an average rent of $1,125/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 Morristown 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 Morristown closes 412 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 Morristown's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 4.6/10 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 Morristown runs $21,109 to $36,608 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 412 days of typical timeline and $1,125/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 1.6/10 in Morristown, and the city has limited rent control exposure (5.2/10). 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 Morristown: 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 $36,608 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Morristown
Trap · 5.2/10
and the rent-burden distribution skews the eviction-filings curve toward higher volume in St. Lawrence County. Rent-control-risk sub-score: 5.2/10. Tenant organizing is most active in the rental concentration corridors.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
Can I evict a tenant for any reason in Morristown, NY?
No, not for "any" reason, but New York does not have a statewide "just-cause" eviction law for most tenancies. This means you generally don't need a specific "cause" like a lease violation to terminate a tenancy at the end of a lease term, as long as you provide proper notice (usually 30 days). However, you cannot evict for discriminatory or retaliatory reasons. Non-payment of rent or significant lease violations are always valid reasons.
Q2
How long does the 14-day pay-or-quit notice actually give the tenant?
The 14-day notice means the tenant has 14 full calendar days from the day they receive the notice to either pay the full amount of rent owed or vacate the property. If they pay, the tenancy continues. If they don't, you can then proceed with filing an eviction lawsuit in court. You cannot file before those 14 days are up.
Q3
What if my tenant damages the property beyond the security deposit amount?
If the damages exceed the security deposit, you can sue the tenant in small claims court for the difference. However, collecting on such a judgment can be difficult if the tenant has limited assets or income. This is why thorough tenant screening and proper landlord insurance are crucial. Document all damages with photos and repair estimates.
Q4
Can I change the locks if a tenant doesn't pay rent?
Absolutely not. This is an illegal eviction (self-help eviction) in New York and can result in severe penalties, including fines and having to pay the tenant's damages and legal fees. You must follow the legal eviction process through the courts, even if it's slow and expensive. Always get a court order for possession before attempting to remove a tenant or their belongings.
Q5
Is rent control a risk in Morristown?
While Morristown itself doesn't have local rent control, New York State has a framework for it, particularly in NYC and surrounding areas. Our data shows a rent-control-risk sub-score of 5.2/10 for Morristown, indicating a moderate underlying risk due to the state's broader regulatory environment. Always stay updated on New York rent control rules, as state laws can change and impact even smaller communities over time.
A 8.3/10 places Morristown in the 77th 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 Morristown (8.3/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
