Consumer Alert – Maryland’s Moratorium
on Residential Evictions Set to Expire August 15, 2021 July
1, 2021 -
The Governor of Maryland’s Executive
Order prohibiting residential evictions for non-payment of rent will expire
on August 15, 2021. At that time, Maryland courts will be able to order
evictions in cases filed since the temporary prohibition was ordered in March
2020, even if the residential tenant has suffered a significant loss of
income due to the COVID pandemic. Eviction
is a legal procedure. A landlord cannot just tell tenants they must move,
change the locks, cut off the utilities, or put belongings out on the street.
A landlord can file a failure to pay rent action in court as soon as the rent
due date has passed and the tenant has not paid all of the rent. Currently,
the landlord does not have to give advance notice of unpaid rent to the
tenant before filing a failure to pay rent eviction. For more information
about residential evictions in Maryland, including the CDC eviction
moratorium that expires July 31, 2021, visit https://bit.ly/3foQbJU. Tenants
who are currently behind on their rent may qualify for rental assistance and
may be able to obtain legal help once a failure to pay rent action is filed.
The Office of the Attorney General is providing this list of resources for
tenants in need of assistance. Tenants should seek help as soon as possible. Rental
Assistance
Legal
Help
More
legal assistance resources may be found on The Maryland Legal Services
Corporation website: www.mlsc.org/news-resources/find-legal-help/. For
help in resolving other landlord-tenant issues, please see our guide at https://bit.ly/3zwkshZ
(en español: https://bit.ly/3xpbpgW),
or contact our Consumer Protection Division at consumer@oag.state.md.us or
410-528-8662. https://www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/press/2021/070121CA.pdf
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