Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in Maryland

Hi Wende-

Just because the tenant appears to have moved, it does not mean that her tenancy is technically over. What does that mean? It means that before you change the locks or dispose of the tenant's belongings, I would take the little bit of time and money and file a "dispossessory action". HIRE A MARYLAND LAWYER TO DO IT FOR YOU. This is a fancy term for a proceeding in which a judge approves your evicting the tenant. As part of that proceeding, you can ask the judge to allow you to throw the tenant's stuff away, change the locks, re-let the apartment, etc. You can also obtain a judgment against the tenant for any past due rent that the tenant may or may not have paid. If you do not go through this process, the tenant may come back and sue you for breach of contract (the lease) and for theft/conversion of the tenant's property. I know it's tempting to go the quick and easy route, but my experience is that these things tend to come back and bite you in the you-know-where if you don't handle its correctly by going through the courts. Consider it the cost of doing business.

Best of luck.*****The above is for informational purposes only and does not establish an attorney-client relationship.**************