In court-decided eviction outcomes for South Hill, WA, tenants prevail in roughly 40.5% 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
159d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in South Hill, WA until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 159 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$6.9-21.5k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in South Hill, WA costs landlords $6,904 to $21,479 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$2,088
30% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in South Hill, WA is $2,088 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 30% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
29.5%
of households
29.5% of occupied housing units in South Hill, WA 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
6.9%
4.3% unemp.
6.9% of South Hill, WA residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 4.3%. 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
Dem margin +10.8% (2024)
6.0
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
6.0
State political climate
Washington legislature & governorship
6.0
Economic stress
6.9% poverty · 4.3% unemp.
5.0
Supply constraint
$2,088 average · 29.5% renters
7.6
Rent Control risk
29.9% of income on rent
6.3
Eviction process difficulty
159 days filing → judgment
6.1
Tenant organizing strength
29.5% renters
6.0
Housing court bias
County bench composition
5.1
Geographic context
Risk heat across South Hill and the region
Click any city to see its score
How South Hill compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Pierce County
Very High
#6of 60 cities
#6 of 60 cities in Pierce County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Washington
Very High
#14of 637 cities
#14 of 637 cities in Washington 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+6.5 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steepening since 2010 · COVID inflection visible
159d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $2,088/mo. A contested eviction takes 159 days and costs $6,904-$21,479 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
29.5%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 68,025 residents, 29.5% rent. 30% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 6.9% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
6
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 6 and 6 (Dem margin +10.8% (2024)). State climate at 6, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
6
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 6/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 6.1, housing court bias 5.1, rent-control risk 6.3. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +1.1 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
5
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 5. Supply constraint: 7.6. The numbers behind those: 6.9% poverty, 4.3% unemployment, 30% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
South Hill sits in the slow & expensive quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
South Hill · 159d · ~$14.2k all-in ($89/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 South Hill, Washington, 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.
South Hill is a city of 68,025 residents where 29.5% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 29.9% of income on rent. At an average rent of $2,088/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 South Hill eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 6.1/10, 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 South Hill closes 159 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 South Hill's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 5.1/10 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 South Hill runs $6,904 to $21,479 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 159 days of typical timeline and $2,088/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 6/10 in South Hill, and the city carries meaningful rent control exposure (6.3/10). 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 Washington, 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 South Hill: 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 Washington's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $21,479 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in South Hill
Trap · 6.9%
Local poverty rate is 6.9%, and the rent-burden distribution skews the eviction-filings curve toward moderate volume in Pierce County. Rent-control-risk sub-score: 6.3/10. Tenant organizing is most active in the rental concentration corridors.
04Eviction filings
Live filings tracking · Eviction Lab
Princeton Eviction Lab Tracking System, county-level. Last update 2026-05-01.
In the most recent month, 328 eviction cases were filed across the tracker's coverage area, 1.40× the historical baseline (above baseline). Past 12 months: 3,573 filings. Pandemic-era cumulative: 13,911.
328Past month
3,573Past 12 months
1.40×vs baseline (past mo)
10.6%Repeat-tenant filings
Notice requirement: at least 14 days notice. Filing fee: $250 filing fee.
Last 36 months of filings2023-05-01 - 2026-04-01
Filings climbed 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 just moved in and already isn't paying rent?
The process is the same: issue the 14-day pay-or-quit notice as soon as rent is late. Don't assume new tenants are immune from eviction. If your screening was thorough, this is less likely, but it can still happen. The law doesn't differentiate based on how long someone has lived there.
Q2
Can I evict a tenant for property damage or lease violations not related to rent?
Yes, but you'll need to serve a different type of notice, usually a 10-day notice to comply or vacate, as specified in RCW § 59.18. If they don't fix the violation within 10 days, you can proceed with an unlawful detainer. For serious, uncurable violations (like illegal activity), a shorter notice might apply. Always consult an attorney for these situations.
Q3
What are the common mistakes landlords make during eviction in South Hill?
The most common mistakes are incorrect notice service, accepting partial rent after serving a notice, attempting self-help evictions (like changing locks), and failing to properly document interactions and issues. Any of these can lead to your case being dismissed and you having to restart the entire, costly process.
Q4
Do I need a lawyer for an eviction in South Hill?
While not legally required, it's highly recommended. Given the complexity of Washington's Residential Landlord-Tenant Act, the just-cause requirements, and the high cost of mistakes, a landlord-tenant attorney will save you time, money, and stress in the long run. The risk of error is too high to go it alone.
Q5
What if my tenant refuses to leave after the court grants the eviction?
If the court grants an unlawful detainer, you will receive a Writ of Restitution. You then deliver this writ to the Pierce County Sheriff's office, who will schedule and execute the physical lockout. You cannot physically remove the tenant yourself. This is the final step of the legal process.
Q6
Is there any way to avoid a full eviction in South Hill?
Yes, "cash for keys" is often the best alternative. A mutual termination agreement where you pay the tenant to move out quickly and leave the property in good condition can save you significant time and money compared to a protracted court battle. Always get this agreement in writing and ensure the tenant vacates before releasing funds.
A 7.8/10 places South Hill in the 99th percentile of Washington 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 South Hill (3 with eviction-risk data)
Click a neighborhood to see its pop-weighted score, constituent census tracts, and demographics. Sorted by population.
