April
Waldorf,#2Consumer Suggestion
Fri, July 05, 2002
Let me start by saying, I'm sorry for what this has done to your family, exspecially your small child, i have 3 small children and know how you feel as a parent. I have a few things to note that may help you in the long run. First, Did you get a court issued eviction notice? If not, in the state of Maryland, the landlord, no matter what the lease states, can NOT kick you out because they want to. They HAVE to go to court and file for eviction, if they did and they did win, then a certified letter would have been sent to you giving you a day and time to be out by or the police help the landlord by throwing your stuff on the curveside. If none of this happened, they went way outside of Maryland state laws. I hope you kept all these papers. I read that this was over 18 months ago, you really might want to call legal aide. You see Maryland has a statue of 3 years to sue the landlord. If all that I have read from your report is true and you infact even have proof to all this, you'll want to go after them. You can sue them for alot. For starts, all the information I am giving you, these are all in accordance to the Maryland State Law, Real Property. It's very easy to get these exact codes and by-laws, the best place is your local library. If and when you seek an attorney they will tell you that you have a good case, if your have all the documents, pictures, letters, lead paint information, etc., that makes your case even stronger. You can sue for the following; 1) Wrongful eviction, 2) Trespassing (landlord MUST give you at least 24 hours notice of going into your property, and soemone Must be there), 3) The sewage backup (this is also a health code violation and the health department will get involved), 4) Slander and defirmation of character (the things they've said about you and your family to others), 5) Poor and Unlivable Conditions, and 6) you can sue them for a portion to all of the total amount you've paid for rent til you were removed (the attorney will let you know what you can get). He/She will also let you know what else, if any, you can sue them for. I hope this information was useful and I wish you the best of luck!