Key Terms

10 Day Notice: (AKA Notice of Intent) This is the first step in the failure to pay rent process. This notice must be sent prior to filing a Failure to Pay Rent. This must be sent 10 days prior to filing a failure to pay rent.

60 Day Notice- (aka Notice to Vacate) his notice is served to a tenant that you do not wish to continue a leasing agreement with. Generally, this tenant needs to be living in a property on an expired or month-to-month lease. There is no reason needed to serve a 60-day-notice.

Also Serve: When you are serving a rent notice to a property that does not accept mail, such as a storage garage, you have to serve it to an address that tenant owns/leases that does accept mail.

Constable: Baltimore County does not use the Sheriff's department to do evictions. Instead, they have Constables at all 3 court district courthouses that schedule and sign off on evictions.

Default Judgment for Possession: Your tenant did not show up to court and there were no changes to your case while in front of the court. You can request your warrant filing 7 business days after this is entered.

Dismiss With Prejudice: A case that had a glaringly wrong issue, and the petitioner/landlord cannot refile.

Dismiss Without Prejudice: A case that no judgment was entered in, and can be refiled if needed. Most cases dismissed in rent court are this type of dismissal.

Full Risk Reduction: A lead inspection certificate that certifies a property has an allowable limit of lead-based paint according to the rules and laws established by the State of Maryland and MDE.

Future Rent: When you file for rent that is not due yet but will become due after a rent case is filed. This must be done at the time of filing.(Ex. You file a case on January 27th for both January and February rent, and the trial date is on or after February 6th).

HABC: Housing Authority of Baltimore City

Judgment for Possession: You received a judgment against your tenant for failure to pay rent, and you can request your warrant filing 7 business days after this is entered.

Lead-Free: A type of lead inspection certificate that certified a property is free of lead-based paint. This type of certificate exempts a landlord from future lead inspection on a property.

Ledger: A history of payment. Generally, this is what keeps track of your tenants rent payments.

Limited Lead-Free: A type of lead inspection that certifies a property is free of lead-based paint on the interior but may have lead-based paint on the exterior. The exterior of these properties need to be recertified periodically.

MDE: Maryland Department of the Environment

Money Judgment: A special proceeding filed in rent court where a tenant is personally served a copy of a rent case. This type of filing allows a landlord to possible pursue a garnishment. Due to their reputation at being somewhat fruitless and a costly, our agency does not file these types of judgments.

No Right of Redemption: When a tenant has 3 judgments (4 in Baltimore City) against them within a 12-month period a landlord can seek to foreclose a tenants right to redeem (a.k.apay-and-stay). This type of request is made during the time of file.

Notice of Intent: (aka 10 Day Notice) This is the first step in the failure to pay rent process. This notice must be sent prior to filing a Failure to Pay Rent. This must be sent 10 days prior to filing a failure to pay rent.

Special Proceeding (Special): A rent case this is either a request for future rent, a money judgment, or a no right of redemption.

Squatter: Someone that does not own, rent, or otherwise lawfully hold property. Someone that is not paying rent, but a landlord rented a property to IS NOT a squatter.

Summary Ejectment: This is the more formal name of a failure to pay rent court case brought by the landlord against a tenant for failure to pay rent.

Tenant Holding Over (THO): A legal action filed by against a tenant on an expired or month-to-month lease after the tenant has not vacated a property. The tenant must be served a proper notice; generally this is a 60-day notice for everything besides a residential property in BaltimoreCity which requires a 75-day notice. This action can not be filed by our agency; we suggest contacting an attorney for further assistance.

Warrant of Restitution: The second step in the eviction process. This can be filed anywhere between 7 and 59 days after the trial date. This is the notice that is sent to the court notifying them you are seeking to continue the eviction process. Cost for this in Baltimore City is $50, Baltimore County cost is $40.

Wrongful Detainer: A legal action filed against someone who never signed a leasing agreement or held a property lawfully. This action is something that cannot be filed by our agency; suggest contacting an attorney for further assistance.