Maryland law prohibits a residential landlord from evicting you without a sheriff and court order, and you may be able to sue your landlord if you are locked out or evicted by your landlord without the sheriff and a court order, even if you were behind on rent when it happened. The Law Offices of Joseph S. Mack have successfully represented numerous Maryland tenants who have lost their belongings or been locked out of their home as a result of an illegal eviction, often without cost to the client because of fee shifting.

Md. Code, Real Property § 8-216 prohibits a residential landlord from changing the locks or otherwise evicting their tenant, or even threatening to do so, unless it is done through the sheriff’s office in accordance with a court-ordered warrant of restitution or the tenant voluntarily abandoned or surrendered the property. If a tenant is illegally evicted or locked out in violation of Md. Code, Real Property § 8-216, they can file a lawsuit seeking actual damages (which includes not only things like the value of lost property and hotel bills, but also the emotional distress of being wrongfully evicted) and attorneys’ fees. This “fee shifting” provision means that the Law Offices of Joseph S. Mack is often able to represent tenants who were illegally evicted or locked out without needing to cost to the client.

If you have been illegally locked out or illegally evicted in Maryland and would like to speak with us about potential representation, please fill out the following form: