Ellicott City is the county seat of Howard County, Maryland, and it is the home of the oldest surviving railroad station in the United States. Ellicott City has more than 70,000 residents and is often ranked as one of the best places to live in the United States because of its quaint historic district and other amenities. There are many renters in Ellicott City and the surrounding areas.
However, your landlord in Ellicott City, Columbia, Arbutus, or Elkridge may violate your tenant legal rights for eviction and evict you without a court order. When that happens, you need help for the wrongful eviction. The lawyers at Whitney, LLP have filed lawsuits against many landlords and slumlords in Maryland to recover compensation in a variety of claims.
Here are reviews from some of our past clients, and here is a link to an article The Baltimore Sun published on an illegal eviction lawsuit our attorneys recently filed. Whitney, LLP’s wrongful eviction lawyers offer Legal Consultations, and our eviction clients pay no out of pocket costs or expenses. Call 410 583 8000, or use our Quick Contact Form, for help with your illegal eviction claims.
What Are the Eviction Laws in Ellicott City, MD?
Your landlord cannot summarily throw you out without a court order. It cannot engage in “self-help” to evict you before petitioning the court. Even after a landlord files with the court, it needs to notify you of the lawsuit, and you have the opportunity to be heard. A landlord can only carry out the eviction after the court has granted its request for a court order. In the meantime, you can usually pay the rent up until the time that the sheriff shows up to carry out the eviction, in order to stop it.
Whether you are a tenant in Ellicott City, Milford Mill, Lochearn, or Calverton, just like you have obligations to the landlord, it also has obligations to you. If it fails to follow the laws and evicts you illegally, you can file a lawsuit for a wrongful eviction.
What Are Your Tenant Legal Rights for Evictions in Ellicott City, MD?
Maryland law allows you to sue for compensation for a wrongful eviction. Once you hire a wrongful eviction attorney to take action, you can begin the court process. Your case will start when the illegal eviction attorney files a complaint with the court. You can file under any one of a number of legal theories, including fraud and breach of contract, as well as negligence.
The process can then include discovery and depositions, where you and the landlord may exchange information. Then the court will hold a trial, which can be either a bench or jury trial. This is a complicated process, and why it is often best to have experienced legal representation to present your case.
Compensation for a Wrongful Eviction in Ellicott City, MD
If the court rules in your favor, the landlord will need to pay you damages for the wrongful eviction. The purpose of these damages would be to pay you back for all of your losses, both financial and emotional.
A landlord can be made to pay you for damage to your property and for the emotional distress that you suffered, as well as economic losses including hotel costs. If there was excessively bad behavior or fraud, the landlord can even be made to pay punitive damages.
Illegal Eviction Attorney Near Me in Ellicott City, MD
You do not have to let your landlord get away with illegal evictions. Instead, when you file a lawsuit for a wrongful eviction, your landlord can be made to pay for what it did to you.
The wrongful eviction attorneys at Whitney, LLP can help you every step of the way. Contact us online, or call us today at (410) 583-8000 to request a free initial consultation. You will not incur any out-of-pocket fees or expenses.