What a typical eviction actually costs
Landlords routinely tell new investors that eviction costs “a few hundred bucks.” They are quoting the filing fee and nothing else. TransUnion’s SmartMove 2024 data put the average all-in cost of a single eviction between $3,500 and $10,000, and that figure rises sharply in tenant-friendly jurisdictions where cases drag on for four to six months. The honest breakdown: filing fee $50–$400, service of process $40–$150, attorney fees $500–$5,000, lost rent $2,000–$8,000, turnover and damage $1,000–$4,500, and writ of possession plus sheriff lockout $75–$350. Add it up and a smooth, uncontested eviction on a $1,800/month unit in Texas still lands near $4,200 once the unit is re-rented.
State-by-state variation in filing and court fees
Filing fees are the most visible number but they vary more than most landlords realize. A small-claims-style eviction in Arizona Justice Court is $35. Florida county court charges $185 plus $10 per defendant for service. California unlawful detainer filings are $240 for most amount-in-controversy brackets. New York City Housing Court collects just $45 to file, but that cheap entry is offset by median case lengths of 120–180 days. Texas JP court is $54–$121 depending on county. Massachusetts Housing Court runs $135 plus $35 for each additional defendant. Illinois circuit court fees run $237–$388 depending on county classification. Pennsylvania magisterial district court is $84–$122. The state you file in can swing your fixed fees by 5x before a lawyer ever bills an hour.
Attorney fees: flat fee vs. hourly vs. DIY
For an uncontested non-payment case, most landlord attorneys in affordable markets quote a flat fee of $350–$750 plus costs. In New York City, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles and DC, the same uncontested matter quotes at $1,200–$2,500 flat. Once the tenant answers, asserts habitability defenses, or files a jury demand, you leave flat-fee land and move to hourly billing at $250–$550/hour. A contested trial with discovery, depositions and a jury can easily burn 40–80 attorney hours, producing a legal bill of $10,000–$35,000. DIY eviction is legal in most states for individual owners, but LLC-owned properties are usually required to appear through counsel. The trade-off of DIY is real: owners who self-represent lose on technicalities roughly 30% of the time in housing court studies, forcing a refile and another 30–60 days of lost rent.
The hidden killer: lost rent during the process
Lost rent is almost always the largest line item and the one landlords underestimate. Timeline math: a three-day pay-or-quit notice in Texas, followed by a 10–21 day JP trial setting, plus five days for the writ and lockout, means roughly 30–45 days of missed rent on top of whatever was already owed when you filed. In California, the same sequence routinely takes 75–120 days. In New Jersey, 90–180. On a $2,200/month unit in California at 100 days from notice to possession, that is $7,300 in lost rent alone, and your tenant is often not paying during this window even if ordered to. Judgments for back rent are collectible on paper, but real-world recovery runs below 20% according to the National Apartment Association’s 2024 survey.
Turnover costs once you get the keys back
Tenants who are evicted rarely leave a unit in rent-ready condition. Typical turnover after a contested eviction: interior paint $800–$2,200, carpet cleaning or replacement $400–$2,500, appliance repair or replacement $0–$2,000, locks and smart-lock reprogramming $150–$400, trash-out and haul-away $250–$1,500, and a new listing plus screening package at $150–$400. Cash-for-keys settlements averaging $500–$2,500 are often cheaper than litigation when the timeline is the main risk. Factor in one month of marketing vacancy between possession and the next lease start, because a freshly evicted unit rarely re-rents the week it turns.
Comparative state timelines and total cost ranges
Using a $1,800/month unit as a baseline, these are realistic all-in ranges for an uncontested non-payment eviction in 2026: Texas $2,800–$4,500 (30–45 days), Florida $3,200–$5,200 (35–55 days), Georgia $2,600–$4,200 (25–40 days), Arizona $2,400–$3,900 (30–45 days), Ohio $2,900–$4,600 (35–50 days), Pennsylvania $3,400–$5,500 (40–60 days), Illinois $4,500–$7,800 (60–100 days), New York $7,000–$14,000 (120–240 days), New Jersey $5,500–$10,000 (90–180 days), California $6,800–$12,500 (75–150 days), Massachusetts $6,000–$11,000 (90–160 days), and Washington DC $7,500–$13,500 (120–200 days). Contested matters add 2–4x to these numbers.
How to lower the cost in practice
The cheapest eviction is the one you avoid. Three interventions pay for themselves: first, a proper 3x-rent income screen and credit pull before move-in prevents roughly 60% of future non-payment cases. Second, a serious pay-or-quit notice delivered on day six of non-payment (not day thirty) sets a tone and surfaces communication before arrears become uncollectable. Third, cash-for-keys offers of $500–$1,500 resolve about 40% of non-payment situations within ten days, which is always cheaper than a contested case. If eviction is unavoidable, use a landlord-specialized attorney, not a general practice lawyer; specialists know the local judges, standing orders, and common tenant defenses, which shortens cases by weeks.
Related calculators
- Security deposit return — figure out what you can lawfully keep after turnover.
- Attorney fee estimator — benchmark hourly and flat quotes from landlord-tenant counsel.
- Small claims guide — chase the money judgment after the tenant moves out.
- Court fee estimator — look up the exact filing and service cost in your county.