I've filed an escrow petition, but it has not yet gone to court. If I do not pay my rent, I understand that my landlord can sue me for failure to pay rent. What does the law say about situations like that? Does the application for the escrow petition protect me from a lawsuit for failure to... View More 
answered on Oct 1, 2020
You cannot unilaterally withhold the rent. That's what the rent escrow petition is for. However, as soon as you get the first hearing establishing the escrow, you can put the rent into the escrow account.
answered on Sep 29, 2020
Well, as long as there was an agreement to pay rent, there is a lease, albeit an oral one. What that means is that you would be considered a month-to-month tenant, so the Landlord has the right to give you notice to vacate. If so, it would be a 30 day notice.
April. Loud car, car lights shine in tenants windows, does not keep common area like bathroom clean.
answered on Sep 20, 2020
I would need a bit more information to answer this one. Are you asking if the Landlord can do that? Or are you asking if there is a way for you to get rid of this roommate, or it something else.
Got a $290 ticket for doing 63 in a 30. If I request a hearing, do I need to show in court or can I just send a lawyer?
answered on Sep 17, 2020
No, you don't need a lawyer. However, a lawyer can be very helpful in terms of explaining the law, preparing your defense and presenting your best front to a judge.
Hope that helps!
answered on Sep 14, 2020
So, the Landlord can make use of the Failure to Pay Rent statute, but you can make use of the stay of eviction offered by Governor Hogan's state of emergency to prevent you actually getting evicted.
I’m in a tricky situation. I was scheduled to begin a lease Sept 6. I had signed it but noted on the lease clause 35 that inspection was not complete and told him I could not sign that portion since the tenants hadn’t moved and he had not completed the work promised on the property yet. Long... View More
answered on Sep 7, 2020
That's a tricky one. If there was a modification of the agreement, even orally, it can be enforceable, but the burden of proof would be on you to show that there was a) an offer to rescind the lease, b) that you accepted the offer and c) that there was some consideration (ie value) that would... View More
I got scheduled a court date for 39:3-40 back in March for my insurance I believe. Pandemic came and they scheduled it again for June but courts weren’t open. Just paid that ticket from the courts and it was $153 plus $33 court fees. Before me paying that ticket, I got pulled over again for my... View More
answered on Sep 6, 2020
Hi there,
That sounds frustrating. I doubt you will lose your license. In all likelihood, you will show up at the mandated hearing, explain what happened to the prosecutor and if you can show proof that everything is in good order (ie. license is back in good standing, registration is good,... View More
I live in Montgomery County MD, and the landlord gave 2 months notice to terminate the lease. The lease contract went until April 2021. What are my rights as a renter? Do I have to allow showings of the house under covid conditions when I did not initiate this termination?
answered on Sep 6, 2020
Under MD law, a lease survives the sale of the property (with one or 2 exceptions). So, if you have a lease that is good until 4/21, the Landlord cannot really give you a notice of termination (unless you have breached the lease in a major way, such as smoking in a non-smoking house, etc.)... View More
answered on Sep 6, 2020
Hi there,
I would be happy to answer this, but I can't seem to find any information as to the nature of the ticket. Can you provide some more information?
Best,
-Leonard
Carpet was incredibly cheap and stained easily. While stained by tenants carpet also had mold growth due to leaking tub landlord didn't fix and poor installments of siding, sliding glass doors and windows. Is land lord allowed to keep all of the security deposit plus charge extra for a 5 year... View More
answered on Aug 20, 2020
So, the short answer is: no, but...
When you rent a place, it is assumed that there will be normal wear-and-tear. If the carpet was old and stained when you moved in and just proceeded along that path, then it would not be fair to withhold for that.
If the carpet was in good... View More
I moved into an apartment with “damaged” carpet. It has pet fur throughout the entire apartment that I cannot sweep or vacuum away. Pet fur from the previous tenant. I didn’t notice until it was in our socks and clothing. What can I do?
answered on Aug 16, 2020
That sounds very frustrating.
Unfortunately, there is not a rule about replacing carpets. The court generally assumes that you have reviewed the premises prior to rental and were good with the condition. That being said, you can definitely try to pressure the Landlord (LL) into making... View More
answered on Aug 16, 2020
That sounds very frustrating. This is actually a fairly common scheme. I imagine someone offered you to rent the house, showed it to you, got you to sign a lease and collected rent. Then, when the real owner showed up, you realized that you were scammed.
Unfortunately, legally speaking, you... View More
answered on Aug 16, 2020
Yes, your Landlord (LL) can certainly do that.
However, the LL cannot evict you without a court order. What would need to happen would be the LL filing a Tenant Holding Over action (THOA) where the LL ask the Court to rule that you were given proper notice and failed to leave. After that,... View More
I found out she hasn’t paid in 2 months and she’s not answering my calls and I can’t get in touch with her
answered on Dec 26, 2019
That is very frustrating.
So, you have to pay the rent or risk getting evicted.
What you can do is locate your former roommate and file suit against her for absconding with the rent.
Hope that helps!
My spouse and I appeared at the hearing but neither defendant was present. We were prepared to discuss our case but since they did not show, the judge said there was no contest and ruled affidavit judgement that they needed to return our deposit and court fees. Now, when I search the case online to... View More
answered on Dec 14, 2019
I've seen that happen before. Basically, if they get the Notice of Intention to Defend (NOID) in at just the right moment, the Court just decides to set a court date.
As counsel states, you will want to get all your documents in order and may want to consider looking into consulting... View More
Condominium in Prince Georges County maryland
answered on Dec 3, 2019
Nothing "happens" so to speak. If your Landlord (LL) is unlicensed, you still have to pay rent and are still a tenant. The major difference lies in what your LL can do to you if you don't pay rent. In PG, if the LL doesn't have the license, he/she cannot make use of the Failure... View More
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