In court-decided eviction outcomes for Burnham, PA, tenants prevail in roughly 27.9% 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
64d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Burnham, PA until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 64 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$2.8–8.1k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Burnham, PA costs landlords $2,814 to $8,059 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$776
24% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Burnham, PA is $776 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 24% 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 Burnham, PA 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
11.3%
1.2% unemp.
11.3% of Burnham, PA residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 1.2%. 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 +56.4% (2024)
3.0
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
3.0
State political climate
Pennsylvania legislature & governorship
3.4
Economic stress
11.3% poverty · 1.2% unemp.
4.5
Supply constraint
$776 average · 26.2% renters
4.5
Rent Control risk
23.6% of income on rent
3.5
Eviction process difficulty
64 days filing → judgment
2.9
Tenant organizing strength
26.2% renters
6.1
Housing court bias
County bench composition
4.6
Geographic context
Risk heat across Burnham and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Burnham compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Mifflin County
Low
#15of 24 cities
#15 of 24 cities in Mifflin County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Pennsylvania
Very Low
#1588of 1,952 cities
#1588 of 1,952 cities in Pennsylvania for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
3.5
/ 10 · LOW
The verdict
A Low-tier market.
Composite 3.5/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a slow, steady climb.
50-yr trend+1.1 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steady ratchet · no large swings
64d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $776/mo. A contested eviction takes 64 days and costs $2,814–$8,059 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 1,744 residents, 26.2% rent. 24% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 11.3% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
3
Local + regional
The politics
Light-statute interior market.
Local & regional political climate score 3 and 3 (GOP margin +56.4% (2024)). State climate at 3.4, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
3.4
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 3.4/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 2.9, housing court bias 4.6, rent-control risk 3.5. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +-2.1 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
4.5
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 4.5. Supply constraint: 4.5. The numbers behind those: 11.3% poverty, 1.2% unemployment, 24% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Burnham sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Burnham · 64d · ~$5.4k all-in ($85/day) · score 3.5National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Burnham, Pennsylvania, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 3.5/10 (LOW 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 Mid-tier market where lease drafting, screening discipline, and well-documented notices materially change outcomes.
Burnham is a city of 1,744 residents where 26.2% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 23.6% of income on rent. At an average rent of $776/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 Burnham eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 2.9/10, 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 Burnham closes 64 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 Burnham'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 Burnham runs $2,814 to $8,059 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 64 days of typical timeline and $776/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 6.1/10 in Burnham, and the city has limited rent control exposure (3.5/10). 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 Pennsylvania, 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 Burnham: 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 LOW 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 Pennsylvania's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $8,059 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Burnham
Trap · 3.5/10
For landlords, the 3.7/10 score is most actionable when combined with Mifflin County's specific court behavior. Housing-court bias sub-score: 3.5/10. Standard documentation and prompt action typically resolve cases quickly.
04Eviction filings
Live filings tracking · Eviction Lab
Princeton Eviction Lab Tracking System, state-level (no county tracker available). Last update 2026-05-01.
In the most recent month, 8,054 eviction cases were filed across the tracker's coverage area, 0.94× the historical baseline (below baseline). Past 12 months: 108,576 filings. Pandemic-era cumulative: 577,537.
8,054Past month
108,576Past 12 months
0.94×vs baseline (past mo)
Notice requirement: at least ten days notice (in some cases more). Filing fee: $162 filing fee on average.
Last 36 months of filings2023-05-01 – 2026-04-01
Filings dropped 12% over the past 12 months.
Source: Eviction Lab Tracking System, Princeton University. Open Data Commons Attribution license.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
What if my tenant claims a maintenance issue as a reason for not paying rent?
In Pennsylvania, a tenant generally cannot withhold rent due to maintenance issues unless the property is deemed uninhabitable and they followed specific legal steps (e.g., notifying you in writing, giving you time to fix it). Document all repair requests and your responses. If you have proof you addressed issues or they were minor, their claim likely won't hold up in court as a defense for non-payment.
Q2
Can I evict a tenant in Burnham if their lease is expired?
Yes, if the lease has expired and you do not wish to renew, you typically need to provide a 15-day notice to quit for tenancies of one year or less. If they remain past the notice period, you can proceed with an eviction filing. Pennsylvania does not have statewide "just-cause" eviction requirements, making this process more straightforward than in some other states.
Q3
How long does it take after I get a judgment for possession to actually remove the tenant?
After the Magisterial District Judge grants you an Order for Possession, the tenant typically has 10 days to appeal or move out. If they don't, you can then file for an "Order for Possession" with the court, which is given to the Sheriff or local constable. They will then schedule a physical lockout, which can take another 1-2 weeks depending on their schedule. The full process from judgment to lockout is usually 2-3 weeks.
Q4
What should I do if the tenant leaves personal belongings after an eviction?
Pennsylvania law requires you to send a notice to the tenant's last known address, informing them that their property is being held and where it can be retrieved. You must store the property for at least 10 days (if the property's value is under $100) or 30 days (if over $100). After this period, if the tenant hasn't claimed it, you can dispose of or sell the property. Consult an attorney for specific procedures to avoid liability.
A 3.5/10 places Burnham in the 20th percentile of Pennsylvania 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 climbed steadily 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 Burnham (3.5/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
