Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in Maryland

I am leaving my rented room this month, my landlord is attempting to charge me for every little thing including what I think is normal wear & tear after two years of renting this small bedroom in the basement with one entry and no window. (I do know the room is not a fire code approved room but do not wish to disclose that to her as that would be an ace up my sleeve for any legal matters.)

While I have been living in the bedroom of her home the plumbing has backed up 3 or 4 times and flooded the basement while no one was home. She is trying to have me pay for her plumbing issues because it happened in my bathroom. I have had a plumber come out and he stated it was a cheaply and poorly constructed bathroom and the drain problems and toilet issues are not a result from anything I could have done. She also hired a plumber and he said it was not a result of anything that I have done either. (She had him check for tampons. I have told her I do not flush them. She has written in a documented abusive letter to me stating that I am a fat lazy slob miserable excuse for a tenant and has always been very verbally abusive even though I have always tried to take the high road and treat her like I would like to be treated.) During one of the times she told me it was unsafe to live in a room with no plumbing to stay in a hotel because their was no water and she wanted to wait a week for a friend plumber to fix the plumbing. (All at my cost, she never gave me a discount on my rent.) I could not afford to pay for a hotel and pay for the rented room.

When one of the toilet incidents happened, she called me at work and screamed at me to come home and rent industrial equipment (Carpet Turbo Dryer) to dry out the rugs in the basement because my toilet was running all day and made a mess in the basement. It must have done it all by itself after I left for work that morning as it was not running when I left. I took all the clothing and fabric I could find to soak up all the water and clean it up. I then took all the clothing and had them laundered. I even took the comforter set to the dry cleaners to have them organically cleaned because I am leaving and wanted the comforter to be cleaned professionally. I did everything I could to correct the situation even though it was not my fault, I still felt bad that it happened at all. (It was proven it was not my fault by two plumbers.) She is now insisting I have torn and sewn up the comforter set I had taken to the dry cleaners even though I did not ever sew anything and I didn't see anything torn either when I've had it in my room or when I gave it to the organic dry cleaners. (I did not check or open the bag when it was returned. I just gave it back to her.)

I have had all the walls painted to match the room color because the tape I used on the walls peeled off some of the paint. I wanted to leave the room in the same condition I rented it in only with normal wear and tear. She is stating she will be charging me out of my security deposit for half the mattress, 2 sheets sets, 1 comforter set due to accidental bleeding on the sheets and mattress because she came into my room and took pictures of the mattress and sheet sets with the blood stains on them. Even though they have been removed and I have had them professionally cleaned and the receipts to prove it. (Hospital approved cleaning)

Other issues we have "discussed" were lack of snow removal of the 3 feet of snow from the driveway and path/my entrance way. (The only way I have to enter the bedroom I pay $650 per month for.) I fell in the snow covered driveway/path coming in after this snow storm due to the entrance area not being cleared for me to access the rented room in the basement entrance on the far side of the house. I sprained my ankle and had xrays and doctor bills.

I have bent over backwards trying to make any and all issues right for her so I could get my $650 deposit returned but now am facing a letter she wrote with less than 1/2 of the money to be returned and am continually having additional false accusations. I feel this is a lose/lose situation.

Do I have any recourse, I cannot afford to get an attorney but feel I have been raked over the coals? Please help, what can I do?

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