Squatters' Rights in Maryland
Maryland rules on squatters & abandoned property for renters and landlords, with the statute or official page behind each answer. Last verified: 2026-10-23.
Short answer: Wrongful detainer action in District Court against anyone who holds real property without a right to possession, where no landlord-tenant (Title 8) remedy applies. Md. Code, Real Prop. § 14-132
The rules in Maryland
| Squatters / unauthorized occupants | Wrongful detainer action in District Court against anyone who holds real property without a right to possession, where no landlord-tenant (Title 8) remedy applies. The court must summon the occupant at once, and the hearing must be held no more than 10 business days after the complaint is filed. If the occupant cannot be found after two good-faith attempts on different days, the process server files an affidavit, sends the complaint by certified and first-class mail, and posts the summons on the property. Service must be completed within 4 business days of filing. No counterclaims are allowed. If the owner wins, the court orders restitution and issues a warrant to the sheriff or constable. Damages, costs and attorney fees are available if claimed and the occupant was personally served. Either side may appeal within 10 days. The 10-business-day hearing and 4-business-day service rules match the 2025 anti-squatting legislation described in news reports. The enacting bill number was not confirmed. Source: Md. Code, Real Prop. § 14-132 |
|---|---|
| Belongings left behind | No statewide storage-and-sale procedure. At eviction, the warrant of restitution directs the sheriff or constable to remove the tenant's belongings. At least 6 days before the scheduled eviction, the landlord must send written notice by first-class mail with certificate of mailing, post it on the front door (with a date-stamped photo), and text or email it if the landlord has that contact information. The notice must include a statutory warning that the tenant could lose all belongings left inside and that local disposal laws vary. A lease may not let the landlord take the tenant's property unless the tenancy has ended and the property was abandoned. Disposal is governed by local law. No state statute was found for property left behind after a voluntary move-out. Check county and city codes (for example Baltimore City and Montgomery County). |
Related questions
Maryland vs. neighboring states
| State | Squatters / unauthorized occupants | Belongings left behind |
|---|---|---|
| Maryland | Wrongful detainer action in District Court against anyone who holds real property without a right to possession, where no landlord-tenant (Title 8) remedy applies. The court must summon the occupant at once, and the hearing must be held no more than 10 business days after the complaint is filed. If the occupant cannot be found after two good-faith attempts on different days, the process server files an affidavit, sends the complaint by certified and first-class mail, and posts the summons on the property. Service must be completed within 4 business days of filing. No counterclaims are allowed. If the owner wins, the court orders restitution and issues a warrant to the sheriff or constable. Damages, costs and attorney fees are available if claimed and the occupant was personally served. Either side may appeal within 10 days. Md. Code, Real Prop. § 14-132 | No statewide storage-and-sale procedure. At eviction, the warrant of restitution directs the sheriff or constable to remove the tenant's belongings. At least 6 days before the scheduled eviction, the landlord must send written notice by first-class mail with certificate of mailing, post it on the front door (with a date-stamped photo), and text or email it if the landlord has that contact information. The notice must include a statutory warning that the tenant could lose all belongings left inside and that local disposal laws vary. A lease may not let the landlord take the tenant's property unless the tenancy has ended and the property was abandoned. Disposal is governed by local law. Md. Code, Real Prop. §§ 8-401(f)(1)(i), 8-407(b), 8-208(d)(6) |
| Delaware | Not verified yet | After a writ of possession is executed (24 hours' notice to the occupant), the landlord may remove and store belongings left behind at the tenant's expense for 7 days (30 days for a manufactured home); if they are not claimed and removal/storage costs reimbursed by then, the property is deemed abandoned and may be disposed of without further notice. If an appeal is pending, storage runs until 7 days after the appeal is decided. The writ must carry statutory notice language. Deceased sole tenant: 7-day storage at the estate's expense. 25 Del. C. §§ 5715(b), (e)-(f); 5507(e); 5719(c) |
| Pennsylvania | Since 2024, the Landlord and Tenant Act (including its notice-to-quit and eviction procedure) does not apply to a person who is not, and never has been, a tenant. A 'tenant' is defined as someone occupying another's premises with the owner's express or implied consent (e.g., oral or written lease or acceptance of rent by the owner/agent). So an owner is not required to use the landlord-tenant eviction process against an occupant who was never a tenant; the Act itself does not set out an alternative police-removal or affidavit procedure. 68 P.S. 250.102 ('Tenant'), 250.501(g), 250.603 (Act of July 17, 2024, P.L.944, No.88) | Property may be deemed abandoned if the tenant vacated after a written lease ended; an eviction/possession order was entered and the tenant vacated and removed substantially all property; an eviction order was executed; the tenant gave a forwarding address and vacated; or the tenant vacated without intent to return, rent is 15+ days late, and the landlord posted notice of the tenant's rights. Before removing or disposing, the landlord must send written notice by first-class mail to the premises and any forwarding/emergency address, substantially in the statutory form. The tenant has 10 days from the postmark to retrieve the property or ask that it be stored up to 30 days from the notice date (tenant pays storage; landlord must use ordinary care). If the landlord knows of a protection-from-abuse order, it must hold the property 30 days. Never dispose of property in inhabited premises. Violations: treble damages and attorney fees. Deceased tenants' property goes through probate law instead. 68 P.S. 250.505a (Landlord and Tenant Act s. 505.1) |
| Virginia | No police-removal or affidavit procedure in the Code. An owner must use unlawful detainer: the person entitled to possession files a sworn statement with a magistrate or general district court clerk or judge describing the premises and the facts authorizing removal of the person in possession, and a summons issues. Self-help removal of tenants is not allowed. Va. Code § 8.01-126(B) | After the rental agreement ends and possession is delivered, property left in the unit, premises or landlord storage may be treated as abandoned and disposed of as the landlord sees fit, if the landlord gave one of: (i) a termination notice stating that property left would be disposed of within 24 hours after termination; (ii) a § 55.1-1249 notice (absence/abandonment) stating property would be disposed of within 24 hours after the 7-day notice period; or (iii) a separate written notice stating property would be disposed of 24 hours after a 10-day period. The tenant may retrieve property at reasonable times until disposal. Sale proceeds go first to amounts owed and costs; any remainder is treated as a security deposit. Does not apply after a writ of eviction is executed. Deceased sole tenant: 10 days' written notice to the authorized contact (or the tenant) before disposal. Va. Code § 55.1-1254; § 55.1-1256 |
| West Virginia | Under the 2025 'Stop Squatters Act' (HB 2434), a squatter (a person occupying a dwelling or structure without a lease right or the tenant's or owner's authorization; not a holdover periodic tenant or owner) is not a tenant, squatting is criminal trespass, and courts may not require an eviction. An owner or agent may submit a completed, verified complaint to a law-enforcement officer requesting immediate removal if the property was not open to the public at entry, the owner told the occupant to leave, the occupant is not a current or former owner or lawful tenant or an immediate family member, and no related litigation is pending. After preliminary fact-finding (e.g., reviewing any claimed lease, interviews) shows probable cause, the agency serves a notice to immediately vacate and puts the owner in possession, and may remove occupants who refuse or stand by during removal of belongings; a service fee applies. Squatters who cause damage commit a misdemeanor (under $1,000: up to 1 year/$2,500) or felony (over $1,000). Bad-faith complaints risk prosecution for false swearing; a wrongfully removed person may sue for possession, costs, damages and attorney's fees. W. Va. Code §§ 55-3C-1 to 55-3C-5 | If a tenant behind on rent abandons the unit, the landlord posts a written notice on the property requiring payment within one month; if unpaid, the landlord may take possession. To dispose of belongings, the landlord must post a written notice on the property and send it by first-class mail with a certificate of mailing, marked 'Please Forward', to the unit, any known P.O. box, and any forwarding address. The notice must say the property is considered abandoned, that belongings must be removed by a date at least 30 days after mailing (60 days if the tenant said they are on active military duty), and that unremoved property becomes the landlord's. If the property is worth more than $300 and the tenant or a secured party says they intend to remove it, the landlord must store it up to 30 more days, at their cost for reasonable storage and removal. W. Va. Code § 37-6-6 |
| District of Columbia | No squatter-specific statute identified. The possession statute covers anyone who 'detains possession of real property without right': the owner files a verified complaint in D.C. Superior Court for restitution of possession, and removal happens only by court judgment and writ executed by the U.S. Marshals. D.C. Code § 16-1501(a) | The housing provider must send a final notice at least 21 days before the eviction date (by phone/e-mail/text, first-class mail, and posting) warning that property left in the unit will be deemed abandoned 7 days after the eviction. On eviction day the locks are changed and a second notice is mailed to any emergency contact and posted. Belongings stay in the unit for 7 days (excluding Sundays and federal holidays), with reasonable care; the tenant must be given access for at least 16 hours between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. over up to 2 days, without paying rent or fees. After 7 days the property is abandoned and may be disposed of, but never placed on the street or in outdoor space other than a lawful disposal site. Missing notices entitle the tenant to an injunction staying the eviction. D.C. Code § 42-3505.01a |
City rules that may add to state law
More Maryland rental law
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- All Maryland landlord-tenant rules
- Free legal help in Maryland
Compare squatters & abandoned property in all 50 states and DC →
Squatters' Rights in Maryland FAQ
How do you remove a squatter in Maryland?
Wrongful detainer action in District Court against anyone who holds real property without a right to possession, where no landlord-tenant (Title 8) remedy applies. The court must summon the occupant at once, and the hearing must be held no more than 10 business days after the complaint is filed. If the occupant cannot be found after two good-faith attempts on different days, the process server files an affidavit, sends the complaint by certified and first-class mail, and posts the summons on the property. Service must be completed within 4 business days of filing. No counterclaims are allowed. If the owner wins, the court orders restitution and issues a warrant to the sheriff or constable. Damages, costs and attorney fees are available if claimed and the occupant was personally served. Either side may appeal within 10 days. (Md. Code, Real Prop. § 14-132)
What can a landlord do with a tenant's abandoned property in Maryland?
No statewide storage-and-sale procedure. At eviction, the warrant of restitution directs the sheriff or constable to remove the tenant's belongings. At least 6 days before the scheduled eviction, the landlord must send written notice by first-class mail with certificate of mailing, post it on the front door (with a date-stamped photo), and text or email it if the landlord has that contact information. The notice must include a statutory warning that the tenant could lose all belongings left inside and that local disposal laws vary. A lease may not let the landlord take the tenant's property unless the tenancy has ended and the property was abandoned. Disposal is governed by local law. (Md. Code, Real Prop. §§ 8-401(f)(1)(i), 8-407(b), 8-208(d)(6))
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.