Essex, MD asked in Landlord - Tenant for Maryland

Q: If a family member shared a joint bank account - and house bills were paid out of it does that make them a tenant?

My Aunt and her child have been living with my grandfather, they have been HORRIBLE guests. Bringing people in without permission, making the house dirty, and most importantly their dog was causing health problems forcing my grandfather to go to the hospital. So he wants her to leave, I am assuming since there was no rent payment or lease agreement its a simple 30 day written notice and then police if necessary but she is arguing that the paid bills so we would have to do a full eviction. I looked into this and my grandfather and her shared a bank account so there is no way to tell who paid what! So basically im trying to find out if this is true or not before I go down to the Courthouse. **Also we tried to verbally and in text make agreements but she refused and got ugly and belligerent.

Related Topics:
1 Lawyer Answer
Mark Oakley
Mark Oakley
Answered
  • Rockville, MD
  • Licensed in Maryland

A: Your aunt and her daughter are legally "tenants-at-will", meaning they were granted permission to move in and live there, but have no formal lease. This assumes that they did not simply come for a planned visit of a few days and then simply overstayed their welcome--but if your grandfather then allowed them to stay for months, then he acquiesced in their living there. As a result, they are tenants, and must be given 30 days written notice to vacate, and then an action must be filed in the district court, landlord-tenant desk.

Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.

The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.

Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.