Locked Out By The Landlord
Real Prop. § 8-216 — possession only by a court's warrant, executed by a sheriff or constable
Only by a court's warrant. A Maryland landlord may take a home back from a tenant, or a tenant holding over, only under a warrant of restitution issued by a court and executed by a sheriff or constable, or when the tenant has abandoned or surrendered it. A landlord may not take possession, or threaten to, by locking the tenant out or by any other action.
That includes willful diminution of services: intentionally interrupting heat, running water, hot water, electricity or gas to force the tenant out. It does not include a landlord who stops paying for a utility after a final court order for possession, with reasonable notice and a chance for the tenant to open the account in the tenant's own name.
A tenant who wins may recover actual damages and reasonable attorney's fees and costs, and those remedies are not the only ones. A landlord may still take temporary measures, including changing the locks, to secure a unit left unsecured, if the landlord makes good faith attempts to tell the tenant the tenant may promptly be let back in.
Sources for this section (1)
- Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-216 — Repossession only by court process; lockouts
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Maryland attorney.