Difficult Tenant in Elkton, Maryland

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Difficult Tenant in Elkton, Maryland

Shannon Woodward
Greenville, SC · Member since 2018 · 3 posts · 0 votes

I have a tenant moving out of my rental in Elkton, MD on Friday (I'm in South Carolina).  Tensions are high because the tenant ("Lily") is elderly and senile.  She's been in the house for a few years but I want to sell it so I had to end the lease.  More history/backstory at the end for anyone that wants to read it.  I had a property manager ("Hope") until October but am now (unwisely), managing the house myself.


Two questions:  

1) I'm flying up there on Friday to do a move out inspection.  Does the police department or sheriff's office provide an escort for situations that could get ugly?  I'm willing to pay of course.

2) My property manager is now claiming that, by law, she has to hold onto the tenant's $1400 security deposit and issue it back to the tenant within 45 days.  Does that make sense?  The deposit is for damage against my house.  I don't currently have a copy of the lease. I've been asking the property manager and she can't seem to produce it.

Thank you for reading!

Here's more backstory:

There's a daughter ("Dena") and a brother ("Kyle") of Lily both involved who both say they take care of her and the other is cheating her. MD has a law that if you are going to sell a rental property you have to first offer it to the tenant and they have 30 days to accept.  Kyle, & Linda have both told me she cannot afford to buy, thus I am ending the lease.  Rather than sell outright, the new tenant, Travis, will have a 6 month lease and a purchase agreement with an agreed upon price.  Per Hope's advice I sent Lily a certified letter on 11/12/25 saying I was ending the lease in 60 days.  The letter was refused but we had discussed it on the phone.  Per Hope, Lily also has to provide 30 days days notice of moving out, which she didn't do so I now have to consider 1/9 the move out date (Dena verbally told be this week Lily's possessions would be out by then).  Dena is claiming Lily does not owe January rent since she is moving out. Travis told me that Lily & Dena had moved the stove and fridge out of the house this week claiming Lily bought them.  She claims the Travis stole them to sell them.  Lily/Dena also took light fixtures out of the property saying she purchased them.

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Michael SmytheBusiness Member
Real Estate Agent · Metro Detroit · Member since 2023 · 4k+ posts · 3k+ votes
9mo
Quote from @Shannon Woodward:

I have a tenant moving out of my rental in Elkton, MD on Friday (I'm in South Carolina).  Tensions are high because the tenant ("Lily") is elderly and senile.  She's been in the house for a few years but I want to sell it so I had to end the lease.  More history/backstory at the end for anyone that wants to read it.  I had a property manager ("Hope") until October but am now (unwisely), managing the house myself.


Two questions:  

1) I'm flying up there on Friday to do a move out inspection.  Does the police department or sheriff's office provide an escort for situations that could get ugly?  I'm willing to pay of course.

2) My property manager is now claiming that, by law, she has to hold onto the tenant's $1400 security deposit and issue it back to the tenant within 45 days.  Does that make sense?  The deposit is for damage against my house.  I don't currently have a copy of the lease. I've been asking the property manager and she can't seem to produce it.

Thank you for reading!

Here's more backstory:

There's a daughter ("Dena") and a brother ("Kyle") of Lily both involved who both say they take care of her and the other is cheating her. MD has a law that if you are going to sell a rental property you have to first offer it to the tenant and they have 30 days to accept.  Kyle, & Linda have both told me she cannot afford to buy, thus I am ending the lease.  Rather than sell outright, the new tenant, Travis, will have a 6 month lease and a purchase agreement with an agreed upon price.  Per Hope's advice I sent Lily a certified letter on 11/12/25 saying I was ending the lease in 60 days.  The letter was refused but we had discussed it on the phone.  Per Hope, Lily also has to provide 30 days days notice of moving out, which she didn't do so I now have to consider 1/9 the move out date (Dena verbally told be this week Lily's possessions would be out by then).  Dena is claiming Lily does not owe January rent since she is moving out. Travis told me that Lily & Dena had moved the stove and fridge out of the house this week claiming Lily bought them.  She claims the Travis stole them to sell them.  Lily/Dena also took light fixtures out of the property saying she purchased them.

What happens if you fly there and the tenants have NOT moved out?

You really need to hire an eviction attorney at this point and let the experts do their thing.

Getting personally involved is highly unlikely to end well:(
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  • Michael SmytheBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent · Metro Detroit · Member since 2023 · 4k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    9mo
    Quote from @Shannon Woodward:

    I have a tenant moving out of my rental in Elkton, MD on Friday (I'm in South Carolina).  Tensions are high because the tenant ("Lily") is elderly and senile.  She's been in the house for a few years but I want to sell it so I had to end the lease.  More history/backstory at the end for anyone that wants to read it.  I had a property manager ("Hope") until October but am now (unwisely), managing the house myself.


    Two questions:  

    1) I'm flying up there on Friday to do a move out inspection.  Does the police department or sheriff's office provide an escort for situations that could get ugly?  I'm willing to pay of course.

    2) My property manager is now claiming that, by law, she has to hold onto the tenant's $1400 security deposit and issue it back to the tenant within 45 days.  Does that make sense?  The deposit is for damage against my house.  I don't currently have a copy of the lease. I've been asking the property manager and she can't seem to produce it.

    Thank you for reading!

    Here's more backstory:

    There's a daughter ("Dena") and a brother ("Kyle") of Lily both involved who both say they take care of her and the other is cheating her. MD has a law that if you are going to sell a rental property you have to first offer it to the tenant and they have 30 days to accept.  Kyle, & Linda have both told me she cannot afford to buy, thus I am ending the lease.  Rather than sell outright, the new tenant, Travis, will have a 6 month lease and a purchase agreement with an agreed upon price.  Per Hope's advice I sent Lily a certified letter on 11/12/25 saying I was ending the lease in 60 days.  The letter was refused but we had discussed it on the phone.  Per Hope, Lily also has to provide 30 days days notice of moving out, which she didn't do so I now have to consider 1/9 the move out date (Dena verbally told be this week Lily's possessions would be out by then).  Dena is claiming Lily does not owe January rent since she is moving out. Travis told me that Lily & Dena had moved the stove and fridge out of the house this week claiming Lily bought them.  She claims the Travis stole them to sell them.  Lily/Dena also took light fixtures out of the property saying she purchased them.

    What happens if you fly there and the tenants have NOT moved out?

    You really need to hire an eviction attorney at this point and let the experts do their thing.

    Getting personally involved is highly unlikely to end well:(
    Logical Property Management4.9454 Reviews
    WebsiteView Page
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  • Jules Aton
    MD/DC · Member since 2024 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    9mo

    Agree with @Michael Smythe and I'm guessing you know there are some nasty areas in Elkton so definitely be careful. You first need to determine if they actually left. Out of state real estate isn't as easy as many make it sound. 

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  • James JonesPro Member
    Investor · Collierville, TN 38017 · Member since 2017 · 678 posts · 487 votes
    8mo

    You’re dealing with two separate issues here: personal safety and deposit handling. I’ll take them one at a time.

    1) Police or sheriff escort for move-out inspection

    In most MD jurisdictions, law enforcement will not act as a paid escort for civil matters like a move-out inspection. However:

    You can call the local police department’s non-emergency line and request a civil standby.

    It’s typically time-limited and discretionary, but they will often agree if there’s a credible concern about escalation.

    Do not frame it as an eviction or confrontation. Frame it as a peace-keeping presence during a property access.

    Practical alternative:

    Hire a local licensed property manager, real estate agent, or inspector to do the walkthrough for you. Flying in personally adds risk and doesn’t improve your legal position.

    2) Security deposit and the 45-day rule

    Your former PM is largely correct on timing, but not necessarily on control.

    In Maryland:

    The security deposit must be accounted for and either returned or itemized within 45 days of move-out.

    You are allowed to deduct for unpaid rent, damage beyond normal wear and tear, and missing fixtures or appliances.

    You are required to provide an itemized statement with receipts or estimates.

    Red flags in your situation:

    The PM cannot produce a copy of the lease. That’s a serious issue.

    If the PM is holding the deposit, they are holding it in trust for the owner, not as their own asset.

    Missing appliances and fixtures are not “wear and tear”. That is deductible damage unless the tenant can prove ownership.

    What you should do immediately:

    Send a written demand to the PM for:

    A copy of the lease

    Proof the deposit is being held in a compliant escrow account

    Confirmation of who will issue the disposition letter

    Document everything at move-out with photos and video.

    Do not release the deposit early. The 45-day window exists to protect you.

    One final note

    Given the age and condition of the tenant, keep everything factual, documented, and emotion-free. Let paper win this, not conversations with family members.

    If this were my asset, I would not conduct this inspection alone or in person, and I would get control of the deposit process immediately.

    You’re right to slow down and ask questions here. This is exactly where small missteps turn into avoidable legal noise.

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  • Adam BartomeoBusiness Member
    Real Estate Broker · Cape Coral, FL · Member since 2015 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    8mo

    To avoid confrontation and to get an accurate account of the property condition we only conduct an inspection once the tenant moves out.

    The security deposit likely has to be kept in an escrow account and will have a timeline on when it needs to be returns OR if you laying claim to part or all of their deposit.

    [email protected]239-339-3969
    Bartomeo Property Management4.7150 Reviews
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