Parkville, MD asked in Landlord - Tenant for Maryland

Q: Can I stop paying rent, if landlord refuses to fix stove, oven, and leaking gas?

In December I reported to Landlord that neither my oven nor stove work. Actually it stop working before December its been almost a year now. Repeatedly I informed landlord about repairs. He has left several messages and even made appointments for somebody to be at the home to do repairs. The problem is, my kitchen is very old with outdated appliances, and the entire kitchen will need to be rehabed to fix the problem. I have been unable to cook in apartment for almost a year, and have to eat out daily which has been costing me outrageously. I left numerous of messages, by phone email, and mail. As of April I have not paid any rent because I don't have rent and money to pay to eat out. What do I do? I cant afford to be evicted, but the landlord id refusing to contact me or respond.

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1 Lawyer Answer
Cedulie Renee Laumann
Cedulie Renee Laumann
Answered
  • Crownsville, MD
  • Licensed in Maryland

A: Maryland law has a procedure called rent escrow for situations where living conditions are uninhabitable / hazardous to life/health. The process is started in District Court by filing appropriate paperwork. If the facts convince a judge, it may be possible to not tender rent to the landlord until the conditions are fixed. The law does not allow a tenant to simply stop paying rent without a court order - instead the tenant pays rent to the court until the court makes a decision.

Some District Courts in this state offer a "pro se" or "self help" clinic for landlord-tenant matters with assistance selecting and filing out the appropriate forms.

While not legal advice, I hope that this general information helps.

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