The home of Bowie State University, Bowie is the third-largest city in Maryland in terms of area. The sprawling suburban city stretches from Laurel to Glenn Dale. Bowie gained prominence as a railroad stop on the train to Annapolis and soon became known as the home of Maryland horse racing. Today, it is home to a large town center and a minor league baseball team.
Bowie and neighboring Crofton, Greenbelt, and Odenton feature many house and apartment rentals. The landlords who own and manage them have to follow certain laws if they find the need to evict their tenants. There is a process that must be followed. A landlord is never above the law. The lawyers at Whitney, LLP help tenants fight back after wrongful evictions and can file a lawsuit to recover compensation.
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.
Bowie, MD, Eviction Laws
Just like you need to follow the terms of your lease, so does your landlord. The law gives a tenant legal rights for eviction, and you have remedies available if they are taken away. The major law that landlords must follow is that they cannot evict you without a court order. T
his means that they cannot change the locks on their own or move your property into the street without going through the full court process. If your legal rights have been violated by a landlord acting on its own or trying to bully and intimidate you, an illegal eviction lawyer can help you file a lawsuit for wrongful eviction
Can a Tenant Sue for a Wrongful Eviction?
Yes. A lease is a contract like any other. Not only can a Bowie, Crofton, or Beltsville landlord be made to answer for breaking that contract, but it can also be served with a lawsuit for a wrongful eviction under any one of a number of different legal theories.
The ability to file a lawsuit is a two-way street. A Laurel landlord is not the only one with the power to go to court. When its actions cross the line of legality, a landlord can be made to pay. You should contact a wrongful eviction attorney to get help after a wrongful eviction.
The law gives you the ability to file a complaint in court against the landlord. There is a comprehensive legal process that a case goes through before a verdict is reached. Your attorney will develop the record before the trial by obtaining certain information from the landlord in discovery. A lawyer may even take the landlord’s deposition to get its testimony on the record. This leads up to a civil trial, where a judge or jury will decide whether to rule in your favor. If they do, you can receive damages.
Compensation for a Wrongful Eviction
The damages for wrongful evictions can be considerable. A landlord can be required to pay damages for the emotional distress that you suffered from being forcibly removed from your home without the proper legal process. If your possessions were damaged during the eviction, and you incurred expenses after being illegally evicted, the landlord can be held responsible for that as well. Moreover, if its conduct was fraudulent or if it went to great lengths to bully and humiliate you, the landlord may even have to pay punitive damages.
An Illegal Eviction Lawyer Near Me in Bowie, MD
While it seems like your landlord has all the power, that is not entirely correct. To get help after an illegal eviction, you need an attorney on your side who knows how to use the law to benefit you.
The lawyers at Whitney, LLP have helped numerous victimized tenants over the years. Call us today at (410) 583-8000 to request your free initial consultation. You will not have to bear any out-of-pocket fees or expenses.