72% of households facing eviction this quarter had their cases dismissed due to the efforts of the EDDP.

Eviction filings picked up in Dane County during the past three months as the county’s major source for rental assistance finished winding down, according to the latest Tenant Resource Center data. Eviction judgments also increased.

Landlords filed for 718 evictions between July 1st and September 30th (the third quarter of the year or “Q3”). This is a 20% increase from the previous quarter. Like previous quarters, most evictions (72%) were ultimately dismissed, but judgments have increased considerably since the County’s CORE 2.0 online portal closed for new applications in May and TRC began winding down its rental assistance program. While 15% of evictions ended in judgments in Q3 of last year, 23% of evictions ended in judgments this quarter.

This increase is due in large part to an increase in tenants defaulting on stipulated dismissal agreements. We will explore this trend in an issue spotlight later in this report, but the wind down of rental assistance has resulted in more tenants being solely responsible for paying off past-due rent balances. These balances are, on average, significant: the average rent amount owed at the time of filing was $3,555, which is similar to previous quarters.

It’s easy to fall behind on rent and hard to catch back up when rent continues to be due. Without the safety net of the CORE program, more tenants are one missed payment away from a sheriff removing them from their home.

In all, 165 households received eviction judgments in Q3, including 79 tenants who defaulted on a stipulation and 73 tenants who received default judgments after not appearing at a hearing or trial. The remaining cases received judgments after an eviction trial.

Evictions also began moving faster with the wind down of rental assistance. Most evictions in Q3 were settled with only one hearing, whereas cases in previous quarters were more frequently rescheduled so rental assistance could be pursued.

Evictions by the Numbers 

• 718 evictions were filed in between July and September of 2025 involving 700 unique renter households.
• Landlords were represented by an attorney in 36% of all filings. Tenants were represented by an attorney in 12% of all filings
• 23% of evictions ended in judgments this quarter.

TRC provided no-cost legal representation for 76 households in Q3, and had staff and mediators present for more than 900 initial appearances and trials. With the wind down of rental assistance, TRC has put more emphasis on mediation, which can help reduce the power imbalance between landlords and tenants and help the parties reach a more equitable solution. TRC staff and volunteer mediators assisted with 148 negotiations this quarter, more than double the amount of mediations provided in Q3 2024.

Repeat filings continue to be an issue in Dane County: 30% percent of tenants who were in eviction court this quarter had an eviction filed against them at least one other time since the start of 2024.

Like past quarters, the vast majority (83%) of households faced eviction solely because of non-payment of rent. The remaining cases were filed due to other lease violations (2%), “holding over” past the end of their lease term (7%), or a combination of reasons.

The EDDP’s partner attorneys defended 12% of tenants this quarter and attended 257 hearings and trials. Landlords were represented by an attorney in 36% of all filings this quarter.

Although 307 unique landlords filed for eviction this quarter, the top 15 evictors accounted for more than a quarter of all evictions.

Eviction Filings by Landlord

This quarter marked the end of the CORE program, a significant lifeline for tenants in Dane County. We will continue to explore how eviction is changing without this resource, as well as finding new ways to assist housing stability for tenants.