Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Maryland

Re: evicted roomate

Presumably you were a signer on the lease, and after the initial lease period ended your roommate stayed on as a month-to-month tenant. The problem is you didn't inform the landlord that you were leaving, so they continued to assume you were living there and being responsible for the rent. When 2 or more people sign a lease, the landlord can hold either responsible for all of the rent.

You need to get a copy of the complaint to see what the suit is trying to accomplish and who is representing the landlord. Since you weren't served under court rules, they can't legally obtain a money judgment against you, but you need to check to see if there is an affidavit of service from a process server that says they served you. Call the clerk's office and ask them if such an affidavit is in the file. If not, you should be ok. I'm guessing the strange address is where your ex-roommate moved to after she got evicted. If they tell you there is an affidavit of service, you should contact the landlord's attorney and explain the situation; maybe they'll stop pursuing you.