Landlord ↔ Tenant Lean — by state, county, city

The 0–100 landlord score

Each state is scored 0–10 on eight statutory factors from the landlord's perspective. The mean × 10 = a 0–100 landlord score (tenant score = 100 − landlord). County and city overlays adjust that score where local ordinances diverge from state law (e.g. San Francisco's Rent Ordinance applied on top of California's AB1482). The colored mini-bars next to each state show the per-factor value at a glance — green bars = landlord-favorable on that factor, red = tenant-favorable.

The 8 Factors

Eviction timeline

How fast a non-payment eviction completes (days from notice to writ). Fast → landlord (e.g. AL 7 days), slow → tenant (NY 6+ months).

Notice period

Days a landlord must give before filing. Short → landlord (TX/FL 3 days), long → tenant (CA 30+ days).

Rent control

State-level caps or local enabling. None / preempted → landlord (TX/FL/GA), statewide cap or strict cities → tenant (CA AB1482, NY HSTPA).

Just-cause eviction required

Must landlord prove a "good reason" to end a tenancy? No / at-will OK → landlord, yes → tenant (CA / NJ / OR statewide).

Security deposit restrictions

Caps, interest, return timeline. Few → landlord, many → tenant (MD return-or-itemize in 30 days).

Right to cure non-payment

Can tenant stop the eviction by paying owed rent before judgment? Limited / no → landlord, extensive → tenant (MD dismisses on cure).

Landlord entry rights

How much notice + valid reasons to enter the unit. Broad → landlord, restricted → tenant (24h notice, listed purposes).

Court backlog

Practical wait time in the local L&T docket. Low → landlord, high → tenant (NYC Housing Court routinely 6+ months).

Political lean (PVI)

Cook Partisan Voter Index — how strongly a jurisdiction leans toward one party vs the national average.

• R+8 → 8 points more Republican-voting than national average
• D+12 → 12 points more Democratic-voting than national
• EVEN → tracks the national average

Useful because local landlord-tenant policy correlates with PVI (though imperfectly). A county PVI that diverges sharply from its state PVI often previews where future ordinances will tighten / loosen — D+27 Travis County (Austin) sitting inside R+5 Texas is a textbook example: state law preempts most tenant-protection ordinances but local court culture is noticeably slower.