In court-decided eviction outcomes for Wakefield-Peace Dale, RI, tenants prevail in roughly 41.4% 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
111d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Wakefield-Peace Dale, RI until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 111 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$5.3–11.3k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Wakefield-Peace Dale, RI costs landlords $5,338 to $11,283 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$1,258
29% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Wakefield-Peace Dale, RI is $1,258 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 29% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
33.7%
of households
33.7% of occupied housing units in Wakefield-Peace Dale, RI 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
6.7%
6.6% unemp.
6.7% of Wakefield-Peace Dale, RI residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 6.6%. 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 +15.0% (2024)
6.4
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
6.4
State political climate
Rhode Island legislature & governorship
5.5
Economic stress
6.7% poverty · 6.6% unemp.
5.8
Supply constraint
$1,258 average · 33.7% renters
7.1
Rent Control risk
28.5% of income on rent
5.6
Eviction process difficulty
111 days filing → judgment
5.5
Tenant organizing strength
33.7% renters
6.9
Housing court bias
County bench composition
4.7
Geographic context
Risk heat across Wakefield-Peace Dale and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Wakefield-Peace Dale compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Washington County
Elevated
#7of 15 cities
#7 of 15 cities in Washington County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Rhode Island
Elevated
#16of 36 cities
#16 of 36 cities in Rhode Island for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
5.4
/ 10 · MODERATE
The verdict
A Moderate-tier market.
Composite 5.4/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a sharp climb.
50-yr trend+2.5 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steepening since 2010 · COVID inflection visible
111d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $1,258/mo. A contested eviction takes 111 days and costs $5,338–$11,283 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
33.7%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 9,302 residents, 33.7% rent. 29% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 6.7% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
6.4
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 6.4 and 6.4 (Dem margin +15.0% (2024)). State climate at 5.5, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
5.5
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 5.5/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 5.5, housing court bias 4.7, rent-control risk 5.6. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +0.5 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
5.8
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 5.8. Supply constraint: 7.1. The numbers behind those: 6.7% poverty, 6.6% unemployment, 29% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Wakefield-Peace Dale sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Wakefield-Peace Dale · 111d · ~$8.3k all-in ($75/day) · score 5.4National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Wakefield-Peace Dale, Rhode Island, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 5.4/10 (MODERATE 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.
Wakefield-Peace Dale is a city of 9,302 residents where 33.7% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 28.5% of income on rent. At an average rent of $1,258/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 Wakefield-Peace Dale eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 5.5/10, 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 Wakefield-Peace Dale closes 111 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 Wakefield-Peace Dale's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 4.7/10 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 Wakefield-Peace Dale runs $5,338 to $11,283 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 111 days of typical timeline and $1,258/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 6.9/10 in Wakefield-Peace Dale, and the city has limited rent control exposure (5.6/10). 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 Rhode Island, 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 Wakefield-Peace Dale: 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 MODERATE 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 Rhode Island's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $11,283 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Wakefield-Peace Dale
Trap · 33.7%
33.7% renter share against 9,302 residents produces roughly 3,132 rental occupants in Wakefield-Peace Dale. Washington County voted D 19.4% in 2020. Eviction filings tend to cluster in the multifamily rental corridor.
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, 503 eviction cases were filed across the tracker's coverage area, 0.88× the historical baseline (below baseline). Past 12 months: 6,531 filings. Pandemic-era cumulative: 39,556.
503Past month
6,531Past 12 months
0.88×vs baseline (past mo)
20.3%Repeat-tenant filings
Notice requirement: at least five days notice (in some cases more). Filing fee: $101 filing fee on average.
Last 36 months of filings2023-05-01 – 2026-04-01
Filings stayed roughly flat over the past 12 months.
Source: Eviction Lab Tracking System, Princeton University. Open Data Commons Attribution license.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
Can I evict a tenant for any reason in Wakefield-Peace Dale?
Rhode Island does not have a statewide just-cause eviction requirement for all tenancies, meaning for month-to-month leases, you can typically terminate with a 30-day notice without stating a specific "cause." However, for fixed-term leases, you generally need a lease violation or non-payment of rent to evict. Always consult your lease and state law, R.I.G.L. § 34-18.
Q2
How much can I charge for a late fee in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island law allows for a late fee of up to 5% of the monthly rent. This fee can only be charged if the rent is not paid within 15 days of the due date. Make sure this is clearly spelled out in your lease agreement.
Q3
Do I need a lawyer to evict a tenant in Wakefield-Peace Dale?
While you are legally allowed to represent yourself in court, it is highly recommended to hire an attorney for an eviction in Rhode Island. The process is complex, and even small errors can lead to significant delays and costs. Given the 111-day average timeline and high cost range, legal expertise is a worthwhile investment.
Q4
What if my tenant claims a maintenance issue as a reason for not paying rent?
Tenants in Rhode Island do have rights regarding property maintenance. If a tenant withholds rent due to an alleged maintenance issue, they must typically follow specific procedures, such as providing written notice to you and giving you reasonable time to fix it, or placing the rent in an escrow account with the court. They cannot simply stop paying. Refer to Rhode Island tenant protections for details, and consult your attorney immediately if this occurs.
Q5
Can I increase the rent in Wakefield-Peace Dale?
Yes, Rhode Island does not have statewide rent control, so you can increase rent. However, you must provide proper notice, typically 30 days for month-to-month tenancies, before the increase takes effect. For fixed-term leases, you can only increase rent upon renewal of the lease unless the lease specifically allows for increases during the term.
A 5.4/10 places Wakefield-Peace Dale in the 69th percentile of Rhode Island 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.
Neighborhoods in Wakefield-Peace Dale (1 with eviction-risk data)
Click a neighborhood to see its pop-weighted score, constituent census tracts, and demographics. Sorted by population.
