Based on a new analysis from the Colorado Futures Center, A New Normal: How Eviction Court Filing Data Can Advance a More Stable Housing Ecosystem for all Coloradans makes robust data about state eviction court filings available to the public for the first time. The report highlights the seriousness of housing instability in the state and the need for consistent data on evictions and recommends long-term measures to reduce evictions and their impact, advance housing stability and create a more equitable housing ecosystem statewide.

A New Normal uses data from the nearly 150,000 evictions filed in county courts statewide from July 2017-June 2021 to analyze eviction filings by quantity, geography, certain case outcomes and whether landlords and renters had legal representation. The analysis finds that the legal eviction system has historically been biased towards landlords, but pandemic-related rental and legal assistance helped to reduce the number of evictions and their harms in a way that could prove instructive for the future. The report also notes that court filings cannot capture the full scope and impact of evictions or housing instability, as evictions occur in many ways outside the legal process.   

Both the Enterprise report and Colorado Futures Center analysis were generously supported by The Colorado Health Foundation.

Download a PDF of the white paper

A New Normal: How Eviction Court Filing Data Can Advance a More Stable Housing Ecosystem for all Coloradans

Download the two-page summary

A New Normal report summary

Download the infographics in the white paper

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Total evictions filed across Colorado county courts from 2017 to 2021

Total Evictions Filed Across
Colorado County Courts

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Eviction cases filed per 1000 renter households by county in Colorado from 2018 to 2020

Eviction Cases Filed
per 1000 Renter Households

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Figure 3 depicts 76 percent of landlords have legal representation much more often than renters

Landlords Have Legal Representation
Much More Often than Renters

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Figure 4 renters with legal counsel have better outcomes in eviction cases from 2017 to 2021

Renters with Legal Counsel Have
Better Outcomes in Eviction Cases

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Figure 5 - Judgements for possession: total issued and as a share of all eviction cases filed decreased from 69 percent in 2017 to 52 percent in 2021

Judgements for Possession:
Total Issued and as a Share
of All Eviction Cases Filed

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Figure 6: average total money judgement when renters did not have legal counsel is higher than renters with legal counsel and increased from 2017 to 2021

Average Total Money Judgment
When Renters Did Not Have Legal Counsel

Originally Published
October 26, 2022
Authors
Enterprise Community Partners
Colorado Futures Center
Markets
Impact Areas
Eviction Prevention
Capabilities
Resource Type
  • Report