Facing Eviction in Maryland: What Can I Do?
If your landlord is trying to evict you in Maryland, this page explains what to expect. It covers the notice you should get, what happens at trial, and how you can pay to stop the case. The page also covers appeals, removal by the sheriff, and your eviction record.
-
If you fall behind on rent, Maryland law says your landlord must send you a written notice before starting an eviction case in court. The notice must say your landlord will file the case if you do not pay within 10 days after you get it.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
-
If your written lease lets your landlord end it early for breaking a rule, your landlord usually must give 30 days' written notice first. The notice must say you broke the lease and that your landlord wants the home back.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
-
Breaking your lease can show a 'clear and imminent danger,' meaning an obvious risk that is about to happen. This danger must threaten serious harm to you, another tenant, your landlord, or someone else on the property. It can also threaten the landlord's property or representatives (people acting for your landlord). If so, your landlord only needs to give 14 days' written notice, not 30, before going to court.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
-
In a failure-to-pay-rent case, the court sends you a summons (a paper telling you when to go to court). It orders you to go to your trial and explain to the judge why you should not be evicted. This is called showing cause.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
-
In a failure-to-pay-rent case, the court holds your trial 5 days after your landlord files the eviction case. The 5 days start counting on the day your landlord files, not on the day you learn about your court date.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
-
At your trial, you or someone else can pay your landlord in full. This means the rent, late fees, and court costs the judge says you owe. If you do, the eviction case ends there and the court marks it as paid in full.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
-
If you still owe rent at trial, the judge enters a judgment (the court's official decision) against you. The judge must order that your landlord get the rental back within 4 days after the trial.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
-
In a failure-to-pay-rent case, you or your landlord can appeal the judgment (the court's official decision) to the circuit court. You must file the appeal within 4 days of the judgment, counted from the day the judge decides. Filing does not by itself stop your landlord from removing you. To pause that, you must also give your landlord a bond (a written promise to pay). Someone who owns property in Maryland must sign it with you.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
-
To stop the eviction while you appeal, you must give your landlord a bond. A bond is a written promise to pay money if you do not win. Someone who owns property in Maryland must sign this promise with you. You are promising to keep going with the appeal. If you lose, you must pay what the judgment (the court's final decision) says you owe. You also pay any extra costs from the appeal.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
-
Even after the judge orders you evicted in a failure-to-pay-rent case, you can still stop it before the sheriff acts. Pay your landlord or their agent the full past-due amount plus court costs and fees. You can pay in cash, a certified check, or a money order, any time before the eviction happens.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
-
Maryland law lets you stop an eviction for unpaid rent. You must pay your landlord all past-due rent, plus court costs and fees, before the sheriff removes you. This is called your right of redemption. There is one limit on this right. Say the court entered 3 judgments (final court decisions) giving your landlord the home for unpaid rent. If that happened in the 12 months before this case, you cannot use it.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
-
If you do not leave within 7 days after the judgment (the court's official decision), the court can step in. It can order the sheriff to remove you and your things from the rental. The court must delay this if there is extreme weather, like freezing cold, a storm warning, or dangerous heat.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
-
If your failure-to-pay-rent case ends without a court order to move out, the court must remove it from public view within 60 days. This is called shielding the case.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
Is something on this page wrong or out of date? Tell us.