Landlord and Tenant Lawyers in Gaithersburg

Find the right Tenant attorney in Gaithersburg, MD

Tenant Law in Maryland

Relations between tenants and landlords in Gaithersburg, Maryland can sometimes be touchy. The fact is that it's not easy to be a landlord or a tenant, especially because landlords and tenants often don't understand the legal rights and responsibilities that apply to them.

Landlords and tenants have to navigate a web of legal rights and obligations. It's essential that the parties to a landlord/tenant relationship know what obligations they have to one another.

Landlord's Rights in Gaithersburg, MD

First and foremost, landlords have a right to timely payment of rent from their tenants, at the agreed-upon rate. This, of course, imposes on tenants a duty to pay their rent in full, in a timely manner.

Additionally, landlords can bill the tenant for any damage they cause to the unit, whether it was intentional or negligent. The costs of repairs for such damage can be deducted from a tenant's security deposit, but it should be noted that tenants aren't accountable for normal wear and tear, over which they have little control.

Tenant's Rights in Gaithersburg, MD

At the most basic level, tenants have a basic right to what they're paying for: a habitable living environment. Thus, landlords in Gaithersburg, Maryland must ensure that the units they rent to tenants meet some basic standards for human habitation. These requirements vary from state to state, but are often fairly easy to meet. There are no legal standards that rented units be pretty, particularly spacious, or luxurious. They simply have to be fit for human beings to live in them. To be considered "habitable," rented units must have water, electricity, some form of heating (if the local climate necessitates it), and adequate protection from the elements (proper insulation, no roof leaks, windows that close, etc.).

Additionally, tenants have rights to common areas that are free of physical obstructions, as well as serious health and safety hazards. Common areas are the places in apartment buildings and other residential complexes which every tenant can access, and include hallways, stairwells, and fire escapes. In Gaithersburg, Maryland, these areas must be kept in a safe condition, at the landlord's expense.

Under federal and Maryland law, tenants are also entitled to protection against discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, marital status, or gender. Such discrimination can lead to severe civil penalties against the landlord. Landlords further cannot discriminate against tenants based on physical disability, and have to make reasonable accommodations for physically disabled tenants. For example, they have to allow disabled tenants to make minor physical alterations to the unit (at the tenant's expense) to make it more accessible. Now, they don't need to allow the tenants to have the building remodeled. We're just talking about things like installing handrails in the bathroom, and similar things. The landlord can, however, require tenants to restore the apartment to its original condition, at the tenant's expense, once the tenant leaves.

Finally, tenants are legally protected from arbitrary eviction. Landlords typically must have a very good reason to evict a tenant before the lease agreement reaches the end of its term (at this point, they are of course allowed to decline to renew the lease). Of course, if the tenant breaches the lease agreement (such as by failing to pay rent, damaging the property, or violating other reasonable rules the landlord has put in the lease), the landlord, like a party to any other contract, is free to terminate the agreement and evict the breaching tenant.

Can a Gaithersburg, Maryland Landlord/Tenant Lawyer Help?

Whether you are a landlord or a tenant, chances are that you want to avoid conflict. But if you do end up in a seemingly irresolvable conflict with the other party, a Gaithersburg, Maryland attorney can help you protect your rights.

Talk to a Real Estate Law Attorney now!

Life in Gaithersburg

Gaithersburg, Maryland is a city in Montgomery County. Its population is around 60,000 people. Gaithersburg, Maryland was founded in 1765, as a small agricultural community. By the late 1800s, BO Railroad had built a station in Gaithersburg, which accelerated its growth. The station was designed by an Ephraim Francis Baldwin, a famous architect known for designing ornate, Victorian-style train stations. In 1899, Gaithersburg was selected as one of six sites for the construction of the International Latitude Observatory, which was an international effort of scientists to precisely measure Earth's "wobble" on its axis of rotation. Six observatories were built in different parts of the world, on the exact same line of latitude. They would then all focus on the same groups of stars, and each one would measure the stars' apparent movement very precisely, using this data they could obtain very precise data about the movement of Earth's axis. The Observatory in Gaithersburg is an important site in the history of science. It has been designated a National Historic Landmark, and is a popular destination for science enthusiasts to visit. Modernly, Gaithersburg is very diverse, both economically, and demographically. For this reason, there are many competent lawyers of various specialties in Gaithersburg. This means that, if you are facing any type of legal issue, there is a Gaithersburg, Maryland lawyer who can help you with it.

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