Legal representation increases Dallas tenants’ chances of avoiding eviction
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Child Poverty Action Lab data reveals how courts rule in landlords’ favor 84% of time when tenants don’t show up; when tenants appear with legal representation, landlords win only 10% of cases.
Dallas County tenants appearing in court with legal representation during eviction proceedings significantly increases their chances of staying in their homes, according to a new report from the Child Poverty Action Lab.
A study commissioned by the Dallas non-profit showed that when tenants didn’t appear for their eviction hearing, landlords won their cases by default 84% of the time; also, when a tenant did not have legal representation at a hearing, the landlord won 79% of the time. But when a tenant had legal representation, the landlord won 10% of the time.
The report is based on quality-controlled observations from June 1 through August 5 on three justice of the peace courts: Judge Thomas Jones, precinct 1-1, in South Dallas; Judge Al Cercone, precinct 3-1, in North Dallas; and Judge Sara Martinez, precinct 5-1, in East Dallas. SMU Dedman School of Law students collected the data on 1,135 cases.
In all observed cases, the judge ruled in favor of landlords in 72% of cases and in favor of the tenant in 3% of cases.
The study shows how eviction occurs in Dallas County and spotlights challenges for tenants to avoid being evicted. The study shows that low-income renters who are evicted face an increased risk of homelessness and harmful credit reporting hampers their ability to find a new place to live.
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Dallas Knows More About Evictions Than Ever Before, Just in Time for a New Surge
CPAL’s new eviction filing dashboard is helping Dallas grasp the scale of the housing insecurity problem tenants face.
- CPAL’s dashboard allows a user to segment eviction filing data by city and county, but it can also explore more granular trends, like by ZIP codes, council districts, and school boundaries.
- In January 2022, Dallas landlords filed 2,056 evictions against tenants within the city limits. While these numbers are about half of what was filed in January 2020, this is still the highest point in the pandemic.
Legal representation increases Dallas tenants’ chances of avoiding eviction
CPAL data underscores the importance of legal representation in eviction cases which keeps tenants housed.
- CPAL data reveals how courts rule in landlords’ favor 84% of time when tenants don’t show up; when tenants appear with legal representation, landlords win only 10% of cases.
- Through August, 28,845 evictions have been filed this year in Dallas County, an average of 119 per day, a 223% increase over the same period in 2021 and a 203% increase over the same period in 2020.
Dallas County tenants who appeal evictions find better outcomes
New data from CPAL reveals powerful insights about the link between legal counsel and staving off eviction in Dallas County.
- During a year in which Dallas County evictions were at a five-year high, about 80% of times in which tenants appealed, the cases were either dismissed, abated or ruled in favor of tenants.
- Having legal counsel matters a lot: When tenants have legal representation, cases are decided in favor of the landlord just 10% of the time.