Find the MUSA Practicum Homepage here

Visit the Eviction Watch Dashboard here

This project has been developed in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania’s Master of Urban Spatial Analytics Spring 2023 Practicum (MUSA 801), instructed by Michael Fichman and Matt Harris. We extend our sincere gratitude to Lauren Parker of Community Legal Services, Jonathan Pyle from Philadelphia Legal Assistance, and Steven Suffian of Who Owns Philadelphia. Their invaluable contributions have been instrumental in bringing this project to fruition.

The document includes collection of appendices such as data cleaning, data visualization, feature engineering, and model outcomes. To ensure reproducibility, the complete code is furnished at the end of the report. To navigate this document, you may utilize the table of contents situated on the left or scroll through the content in a sequential manner.

For more information on this project contact , or .

1. A Quick Brief

1.1 Evictions and Housing Displacement

Eviction is a critical issue that has far-reaching consequences for individuals, families, and communities. Evictions can lead to displacement, financial strain, and long-lasting negative impacts on mental and physical well-being. In recent years, the need for effective eviction prevention strategies has become even more pressing, particularly in urban areas like Philadelphia, where the cost of living continues to rise and vulnerable populations are at increased risk of losing their homes.

As of May 1st, 2023, a study by The Eviction Lab shows that in the 10 states and 34 cities that they track, there were 7,456 evictions in the past week alone.1 Evictions have a disproportionately adverse effect on people of color and single-family households. Black households account for 68% of eviction filings in Philadelphia. Additionally, 60% of the evictees identify as female, according to the same study.2

In response to this pressing need, our team is developing an innovative app, “Eviction Watch” designed to predict evictions at the property level, ultimately assisting Community Legal Services in Philadelphia to anticipate and prevent these evictions. By leveraging advanced analytics and machine learning techniques, our app aims to provide accurate and timely information about eviction risks, empowering legal services and stakeholders to make proactive and data-driven decisions about resource allocation.

1.2 The Story in Philadelphia

There are an estimated 311,986 renter households in the city, with a typical monthly rent of $1,181. Over the past 12 months, the average eviction filing rate has been 5% per 100 renter households. From 2016 to 2022, the eviction court in Philadelphia has received over 111,000 eviction filings. These statistics shed light on the prevalence and impact of evictions on Philadelphia’s renters.

To highlight the issue of housing instability in Philadelphia, this section presents two fictional stories of individuals living in the city. It is important to note that these characters are purely fictional and are not based on any real-life instances.

Property Address: 4815 Pine Street
Owner Name: Cityscape Developments Inc.
Owner Type: For Profit
No. of Code Violations: 0
Subsidy Expiration: 12th June, 2022
Evicted On: 7th July, 2022

Kate, a single mother of two, resided in an affordable housing unit in University City owned by a private development company. She is employed in an administrative role at the local VA Hospital. Her children attended Harrington Elementary School, which was conveniently situated near their home. Unfortunately, the subsidy on Kate’s housing unit was set to expire in June of 2022, which placed her at risk of eviction. The escalating rental prices in the University City area made it increasingly challenging for Kate to secure alternative affordable housing options within the vicinity. Maintaining residence in the area was crucial to ensure manageable commuting times to her workplace and her children’s educational institution. Kate was evicted in july of 2022. Kate’s predicament exemplifies the struggles faced by single parents in urban environments amidst the rising costs of living.


Property Address: 841 N American Street
Owner Name: Cedar Grove Management Company
Owner Type: For Profit
No. of Eviction Filings on Property: 6
No. of Code Violations: 3
Active Subsidies: 0

Andrew, a fitness trainer, resides in a studio apartment in the Northern Liberties neighborhood, situated within a property owned by Cedar Grove Management Company. He works as a fitness trainer based in the Southwest Center City area, which necessitates daily commuting. Over the past year, the management company has pursued several eviction cases, with the apparent intent to renovate and upgrade properties to attract new tenants at higher rental rates. Consequently, Andrew faces a significant risk of eviction by the end of the year. This phenomenon is not uncommon in gentrifying neighborhoods throughout Philadelphia, where socio-economic dynamics often lead to the displacement of long-standing residents.

1.3 Eviction Process in Philadelphia

The diagram below illustrates the eviction process in Philadelphia, it can be broken down into four major steps. It is crucial to understand the eviction process in Philadelphia to comprehend the time and legal limitations that present challenges for an intervention against an eviction filing to occur. 3

  1. Eviction Notice: It begins when a tenant receives a written eviction notice, which states that their landlord wants them to move out of their unit within a specified time frame usually specified in the lease agreement or at least 10 days.
  2. Eviction Complaint Filed: If the tenant does not move out in the specified time, this could escalate into an eviction complaint filed against a tenant in the municipal court. Which is when the legal process of eviction begins. The Court send a notice to tenant by mail which states the reasons for eviction, and the date and time the tenant must appear in court.
  3. Hearing Date: The tenant be present in court hearing to defend against any claims made against them by the landlord. Failure to attend the hearing date or late arrival would lead to a default judgement against the tenant. If the tenant loses at the hearing, they have 10 calendar days to file an appeal to a higher court.
  4. Eviction: After the 10-day appeal period has expired in the event of a ruling against the tenant, the landlord may file for a Writ of Possession. This notifies the tenant that an eviction will take place on or after 11 days from the day the Writ of Possession is served. The eviction of the tenant cannot occur before 21 days after the court judgement, which includes the time period for an appeal to take place and the Writ of Possession.

1.4 Client and Use Case

The client, Community Legal Services (CLS) provides free legal civil services to low income residents of Philadelphia. The CLS Housing Unit represents private, public, and subsidized housing tenants in matters involving eviction, illegal lockouts, and substandard housing. The unit also uses systems advocacy and litigation to address issues ranging from lead paint elimination, to federal housing policy changes, to tenant eviction laws.4 For more information, visit the CLS website.

Community Legal Services currently provides legal assistance, advocacy, and representation as needed. That is, their ability to provide their services is limited to the calls and walk-ins they receive from tenants in need of their services.

Using EvictionWatch, Community Legal Services will anticipate eviction filing frequency at a property level, in order to proactively allocate legal resources to tenants at risk of facing eviction.


1.5 Point of Intervention

Time is of the essence when intervening against an eviction, the earlier CLS can step in, the better the outcome tenants can have. CLS would like to have a more proactive approach to intervention, which would mean that they can perform outreach when an eviction notice is given, or even before that happens. A reactive approach to intervention would be to step in after an eviction complaint is filed to the municipal court or after a negative judgment is passed against the tenant. We hope to provide CLS with a proactive advertisement methodology for outreach and intervention.

Utilizing the EvictionWatch application, Community Legal Services (CLS) is positioned to deliver timely intervention and support to tenants facing eviction risks. By providing legal assistance and representation, CLS can facilitate negotiations for payment arrangements, mediate between defendants and plaintiffs, and ultimately contribute to the prevention of eviction. This targeted intervention strategy aims to empower vulnerable tenants and promote housing stability in the face of ongoing displacement pressures. Ultimately, CLS could increase impact by providing its services to a wider range of tenants at risk in Philadelphia.

2. Exploratory Data Analysis

2.1 Municipal Court Filings

The primary dataset utilized in this study is derived from municipal court filings spanning the years 2016-2022. This comprehensive dataset features individual-level data, including the filing dates, defendant and plaintiff names, and addresses, as well as information pertaining to the outcome of each court case. Moreover, the dataset provides building-level information, such as the rental amount due, geographic location, property classification (i.e., commercial or residential), and ownership status, indicating whether the property is managed by a public housing agency, such as the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA). The dataset also comprises a column labeled EVICTION_COUNT, which enumerates the eviction cases filed during the specified time frame. By analyzing this rich dataset, we were able to gain valuable insights into the patterns and trends associated with eviction filings and outcomes, as well as the potential factors that contribute to housing instability within the city of Philadelphia.


An examination of the annual eviction filing counts reveals distinct trends over time. Notably, there was a 62.5% decrease in the number of filings during 2020. This substantial reduction can largely be attributed to the eviction moratorium instituted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Designed to protect eligible tenants from eviction due to non-payment of rent, the CDC’s moratorium took effect in September 2020 and was subsequently extended on multiple occasions before ultimately expiring on July 31, 2021. There was an increase in eviction filings commencing in 2021, highlighting the potential impact of the moratorium’s expiration on housing stability.



The frequency of evictions appears to be subject to seasonal variations, with certain months exhibiting consistently higher counts compared to others. Notably, there is a marked increase in evictions between the months of August and October each year, while April sees the lowest numbers. While it is difficult to draw definitive conclusions about the underlying factors that drive these trends, it is possible that the higher eviction numbers in the fall months could be due, in part, to the influx of students returning to universities and colleges. Further research is needed to explore the underlying causes and dynamics of these patterns in greater detail.



The graph displayed illustrates the relationship between eviction filings and owner type for properties in Philadelphia. The findings indicate that properties owned by profit agencies have a higher likelihood of experiencing eviction filings compared to public entities such as the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA).The lower history of eviction filings by public entities like PHA may suggest a more tenant-friendly approach in public housing management, compared to private ownership models. Additionally, it is noteworthy that a significant proportion of eviction filings occur in non-subsidized units, which warrants further exploration in subsequent sections.


2.2 Property Level Data

The dataset used for this study was obtained from the Office of Property Assessments (OPA) and comprises of property-level information for all properties in Philadelphia. This dataset is dynamic and is updated frequently to capture the latest information on property sales, assessed property value, and zoning type. Our analysis shows that certain variables such as MARKET_VALUE, CATEGORY_CODE, SALES_PRICE and TOTAL_AREA demonstrate a correlation with evictions, which may provide insight into the factors that contribute to the likelihood of eviction. From this data, we can see that 4.3% of properties have at least one eviction filed since 2016.

The bar charts below displays the relationship between market values and eviction filings of properties in Philadelphia. The plot suggests that properties with lower market values are more prone to eviction filings than higher valued properties. Specifically, the plot indicates that the majority of eviction filings occur in properties valued below $5 million, which is consistent with the trend seen with variables that are directly related to market value such as taxable land and livable area. This suggests that lower property values may be an indicator of housing instability and a higher risk of eviction filings. However, there also seems to be an increase in eviction filings in properties valued higher than 20 million. This finding is a contradiction to the fact that higher valued properties tend to have more stable tenants, and are therefore less likely to experience eviction filings. Further analysis may be needed to determine the factors that contribute to this trend.