Maryland Business Regulation Section 7-101

Article – Business Regulation § 7-101.       (a)      In this title the following words have the meanings indicated.       (b)      “Board” means the State Collection Agency Licensing Board.       (c)      “Collection agency” means a person who:             (1)      engages directly or indirectly in the business of collecting for, or soliciting from another, a consumer…

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 Donegal Assocs., LLC v. Christie-Scott, LLC

The Appellate Court of Maryland (under the then-named Maryland Court of Special Appeals) further defined the permitted-but-not-encouraged actions of self-help repossession in Donegal Assocs., LLC v. Christie-Scott, LLC, 248 Md. App. 448 (2020) by setting out a three-step inquiry approach: (1) Is the tenant in default under the terms of the lease; (2) Do the terms…

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Self-Help. Ok or Not? Commercial Property

Self-Help. Ok or Not? Commercial Property“Self-help,” in a leasing context, typically refers to the landlord’s historical remedy of locking out a defaulting tenant and obtaining possession of the premises without going through judicial procedures. Traditionally under the common law, a landlord was subject to few limitations in choosing its remedies against a defaulting tenant, including…

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Maryland Court of Appeals Re-Affirms the Landlord Self-Help Remedy

Maryland Court of Appeals Re-Affirms the Landlord Self-Help RemedyWhat is “self-help”? Self-help is the act of peacefully enforcing one’s rights without resorting to the court process.  Self-help is legal in Maryland as long as it is reasonable, peaceful, and does not violate some other law.  The difficulty or complexity in implementing self-help is not to…

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Montgomery County Council Passes 6% Cap On New Rent Increases

Story found on DCist.com – by Morgan Baskin The Montgomery County Council voted 7-4 on Tuesday to implement a sweeping rent stabilization law governing how much most property owners can charge the roughly 35% of county residents who rent their homes – making it among the largest jurisdictions in the country to pass such a…

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Baltimore couple who lost belongings under eviction rule wins $186K verdict

Madeleine O’Neill February 2, 2023The Daily Record A federal jury awarded $186,000 to a Baltimore couple who lost their belongings under a city ordinance that gives landlords the immediate right to take possession of items left behind when an eviction takes place.The couple, Marshall and Tiffany Todman, won a total of $36,000 in damages for lost…

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Baltimore sheriff pauses December evictions…

Baltimore sheriff pauses December evictions to implement new policies, train staff  Baltimore Sheriff Sam Cogen said he is pausing evictions for the remainder of December as his office implements new policies and his staff undergoes training on proper eviction procedures. The December evictions are being rescheduled, not canceled, Cogen said, and some evictions might continue…

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Frederick approves rental licensing bill

Residential landlords in Frederick will have to register and obtain a license from the city and could face sanctions if their properties don’t meet basic health and safety standards, under a new ordinance the city’s aldermen approved Thursday. The aldermen passed the ordinance 3-1, with Alderman Kelly Russell opposed and Alderman Derek Shackelford abstaining. Alderwomen…

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