United States · MA

Evicting a bad tenant in Massachusetts costs ~$11,995.

That's the typical combined hit from filing fees, 2 months of lost rent, property damage, legal costs, and turnover — per bad tenant. Here's the full breakdown and a calculator for your specific situation.
All regions

Filing fee

$195

Housing Court

Avg timeline

60 days

~9 weeks

Lost rent

$4,800

2 months at $2,400/mo

Property damage

$3,000

Beyond security deposit

Legal fees

$2,000

Attorney + court costs

Turnover

$2,000

Repairs, cleaning, re-listing

How Massachusetts handles evictions

Tenant-friendly; contested cases often take 3+ months.

Calculate your risk
Adjust the inputs to model your specific situation in Massachusetts.

Default: regional median

Filing → unit re-rented

Beyond security deposit

Court filing fee

$195

Lost rent during process

2 months at $2,400/mo

$4,800

Property damage

$3,000

Legal fees

$2,000

Turnover & re-listing

$2,000

Estimated total loss

$11,995

That's what one bad tenant typically costs a Massachusetts landlord.

Most of that loss is preventable.

Bad tenants almost always leave a paper trail — the problem is that most landlords don't check carefully. Here's what a proper screening catches before you sign the lease.

Fake pay stubs & inflated income

AI analysis catches font mismatches, math errors, and metadata red flags in uploaded income documents.

Identity that doesn't match

Cross-reference of public records and uploaded documents flags name, employer, or address inconsistencies the applicant didn't explain.

Former landlord reference gaps

Automated verification reaches out directly — applicants can't forward requests to a friend pretending to be their landlord.

The fix

$99 of screening vs $11,995 in losses.

One verified red flag pays for years of TenantFort. Start with 5 free screenings — no card required.

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