Preston County, West Virginia Eviction Risk: Low

Preston County scores 3.1/10 (Low risk) across its 12 tracked cities, placing it among the more landlord-friendly markets in West Virginia eviction laws. With 37 of the state's 55 counties carrying higher eviction-risk scores, Preston sits comfortably in the lower-risk third statewide, rank 38 of 55. For landlords and investors, that translates to a rental environment where tenant-side economic stress is real but comparatively contained, with an average rent burden of 26.1% of income and average rents near $753 per month.

That said, the county-wide average conceals meaningful variation. Individual city scores range from 1.9 to 3.7, a spread wide enough to matter when choosing a submarket. Investors who treat the county as monolithic will miss the pockets of elevated pressure that the city-level data reveals.

The cities inside Preston County

At the higher end, Terra Alta (population 1,841) and Bruceton Mills both score 3.7/10, the county's ceiling. Rowlesburg (population 773), Masontown (population 518), and Newburg each register 3.5/10. In these communities, tenants face above-average economic pressure relative to the rest of the county, and landlords should budget accordingly for vacancy risk and turnover.

The lower-risk anchor is Arthurdale, which scores 1.9/10 with a population of 982, the lowest figure in the county by a notable margin. Tunnelton (population 404) scores 2.3/10 and Aurora (population 284) comes in at 2.5/10. The county seat, Kingwood (population 2,973), sits at the county average of 3.1/10. Risk is genuinely hyper-local here: a few miles and a change in community can shift a landlord's operating conditions considerably.

State-level laws that apply here

Every landlord operating in Preston County works under West Virginia eviction laws state law, specifically W. Va. Code § 37-6 (Landlord and Tenant). For non-payment of rent, no advance notice period is required before filing. A lease-violation cure notice requires 14 days, and a no-cause end-of-term termination requires 30 days. West Virginia eviction laws does not require just cause to end a tenancy, and the state preempts any local rent control ordinance, so there is no rent cap to navigate at the county or city level. Understanding the full West Virginia eviction laws eviction process before acquiring property here is essential, because an uncontested filing still takes 21 to 45 days from filing to writ, and a contested case can run 45 to 100 days.

On the cost side, West Virginia eviction costs for a single filing include a court filing fee of $75 to $150, a sheriff lockout fee of $30 to $125, and attorney fees typically ranging from $500 to $2,500 depending on complexity and whether the matter is contested. Landlords should also be aware of West Virginia security deposit limits and West Virginia tenant protections under W. Va. Code § 37-6-30, which establishes the habitability standard tenants may raise as a defense.

With a poverty rate averaging 18.7% and roughly 26.3% of households renting, Preston County's tenant base is cost-sensitive but the county as a whole leans landlord-friendly by West Virginia eviction laws standards; review the city grid above to identify the specific submarkets that fit your risk tolerance.