Estimated values: The U.S. Census suppresses field-level data for small places. Estimated from county average, pop-weighted from real underlying ACS data.
Tenant beats landlord
49.3%
/ 100 outcomes
In court-decided eviction outcomes for Hortonville, NY, tenants prevail in roughly 49.3% 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
425d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Hortonville, NY until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 425 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$17.9–42.4k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Hortonville, NY costs landlords $17,879 to $42,389 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$1,166
35% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Hortonville, NY is $1,166 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 35% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
14.5%
of households
14.5% of occupied housing units in Hortonville, 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
5.6%
8.2% unemp.
5.6% of Hortonville, NY residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 8.2%. 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 +16.7% (2024)
5.1
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
5.1
State political climate
New York legislature & governorship
7.3
Economic stress
5.6% poverty · 8.2% unemp.
2.2
Supply constraint
$1,166 average · 14.5% renters
3.1
Rent Control risk
34.5% of income on rent
5.2
Eviction process difficulty
425 days filing → judgment
6.9
Tenant organizing strength
14.5% renters
3.1
Housing court bias
County bench composition
4.1
Geographic context
Risk heat across Hortonville and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Hortonville compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Sullivan County
Very Low
#26of 30 cities
#26 of 30 cities in Sullivan County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in New York
Low
#900of 1,285 cities
#900 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+4.8 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steepening since 2010 · COVID inflection visible
425d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $1,166/mo. A contested eviction takes 425 days and costs $17,879–$42,389 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
14.5%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 205 residents, 14.5% rent. 35% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 5.6% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
5.1
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 5.1 and 5.1 (GOP margin +16.7% (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 6.9, housing court bias 4.1, rent-control risk 5.2. The slow part is the calendar, not the motion practice.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +1.9 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
2.2
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 2.2. Supply constraint: 3.1. The numbers behind those: 5.6% poverty, 8.2% unemployment, 35% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Hortonville sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Hortonville · 425d · ~$30.1k all-in ($71/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 Hortonville, 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.
Hortonville is a city of 205 residents where 14.5% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 34.5% of income on rent. At an average rent of $1,166/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 Hortonville eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 6.9/10, 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 Hortonville closes 425 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 Hortonville's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 4.1/10 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 Hortonville runs $17,879 to $42,389 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 425 days of typical timeline and $1,166/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 3.1/10 in Hortonville, 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 Hortonville: 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 $42,389 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Hortonville
Trap · HSTPA 2019 + GOOD CAUSE 2024
Compare Hortonville to nearby cities in Sullivan County via the related-cities grid below. Each municipality scores separately on the same nine sub-factors. State context: HSTPA 2019 + Good Cause 2024.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
What if my tenant just disappears?
If your tenant abandons the property and leaves their belongings, you still can't just change the locks. New York law has specific procedures for abandoned property. You usually need to send a notice to the tenant's last known address, giving them time to reclaim their items. After a certain period, you can dispose of the property. Consult an attorney before you do anything, as improper handling can lead to legal trouble.
Q2
Can I evict a tenant for being noisy or breaking other lease rules?
Yes, but the process is different from non-payment. For lease violations (like excessive noise, unauthorized pets, or property damage), you typically need to serve a "notice to cure" or "notice of termination," depending on the severity and curability of the breach. This gives the tenant a chance to fix the problem. If they don't, you can then proceed with an eviction filing. Again, proper notice is critical.
Q3
What's the deal with rent control in New York? Does it apply in Hortonville?
While Hortonville itself likely doesn't have local rent control ordinances due to its small size, New York state has "rent stabilization" laws that can apply to certain buildings, particularly older ones in certain areas. It's less common in rural areas, but it's crucial to understand if your property falls under any statewide regulations. Our New York rent control rules page explains the nuances.
Q4
Can I increase the rent in Hortonville?
Generally, yes, assuming your property isn't subject to rent control or stabilization. For month-to-month tenants, you typically need to provide proper written notice (e.g., 30, 60, or 90 days, depending on how long the tenant has lived there) before the rent increase takes effect. For tenants on a fixed-term lease, you can only increase the rent when the lease term expires and a new lease is offered.
Q5
How do I handle a tenant who refuses to move out after their lease expires?
This is called a "holdover" tenant. If a tenant stays past their lease end date without your permission, you must serve them a notice of termination of tenancy. If they still don't leave, you'll need to file a holdover eviction case in court. You cannot self-help by changing locks or removing their belongings. The court process is similar to a non-payment eviction, but the legal grounds are different.
A 7.8/10 places Hortonville 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 Hortonville (7.8/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
