The Real Cost Has Changed
The TransUnion SmartMove study and 2024 NAA operator data converge on a median eviction cost of $7,500-$11,000 in 2025 — meaningfully higher than the $3,500 figure that gets quoted from older studies. The increase is mostly in three line items: legal fees (up roughly 40% since 2020 in most jurisdictions), extended court timelines, and a tighter rental market that has not lowered turnover costs.
Here is the line-item breakdown in a typical case in a moderate-cost state like Texas, Arizona, or Florida:
- Unpaid rent during the process: 2-4 months × monthly rent ($4,500-$9,000)
- Attorney and court filing fees: $1,200-$2,500
- Sheriff/marshal lockout fee: $150-$400
- Damages beyond deposit: $1,500-$3,500 (industry average)
- Make-ready and vacancy after lockout: $1,800-$3,200
- Lost leasing fee margin on a rushed re-lease: $300-$800
In rent-controlled or tenant-protective jurisdictions (California, Oregon, New York City, parts of Washington), the timelines are longer and the median cost runs $14,000-$22,000.
Most Evictions Were Preventable Two Months Earlier
Operator data is fairly consistent that 55-65% of evictions filed could have been resolved through structured intervention if the conversation had started by day 7 of nonpayment. The single most effective intervention is a phone call (not an email) from someone the tenant has met. The conversion rate on "what is going on?" calls in week one is 3-4x the conversion rate on demand letters in week three.
The Early-Warning Workflow
- Day 1 past due: Automated SMS reminder. About 60% of late tenants pay within 48 hours.
- Day 4: Late-fee notice generated. Phone call from the assigned PM. The goal is to identify hardship cases versus chronic-late cases — they need different interventions.
- Day 8: Payment plan offered to hardship cases (typically 30-60 days to catch up, with documented agreement). Chronic-late cases get the formal pay-or-quit notice.
- Day 15: Statutory notice served if no payment plan executed. In most states this is the no-going-back point.
- Day 30+: Formal filing.
Firms running this workflow report eviction filing rates of 0.8-1.5% of doors per year, compared to industry averages of 3-5%.
Screening Is Where the Real Prevention Happens
The single best predictor of eviction risk in 2025 screening data is not credit score in isolation — it is the combination of: rent-to-income ratio above 40%, any eviction filing in the last 5 years, and 2+ collections on the credit file. A tenant with all three is roughly 11x more likely to be evicted than a tenant with none. Most screening services will give you these as separate fields; combine them yourself.
The CARES Act Aftermath Still Matters
Properties with any federal financing (LIHTC, HUD-insured, project-based Section 8) still operate under the CARES Act 30-day notice requirement for nonpayment evictions. The number of times this trips up operators in mixed portfolios is surprising — a single LIHTC property in a 100-door book needs a completely different notice timeline than the rest, and missing it can void your filing.
What Owners Should Be Told
Owners reflexively want fast evictions when a tenant goes nonpayment. The honest framing is: an eviction in 2025 costs $7,500-$22,000 depending on jurisdiction, and a structured 60-day payment plan that succeeds avoids most of that cost. The numbers favor patience and process, not speed.