Looking for a strong attorney who specializes in landlord/tenant issues in MD

[Anonymous]

* I apologize in advance that I can't go into more detail but my friend is concerned that anything I write could make her identifiable to her landlord, and fears if he realizes what she's doing (looking for an attorney) that he'll make their tenant/landlord relationship even more difficult.

A close friend of mine is dealing with a smug, manipulative bully of a landlord, who seems to have an expertise in gaslighting and twisting facts around.
My friend is kinda timid, shy & non-confrontational, so she definitely doesn't know how to deal with someone who has such an aggressive & confrontational personality. It almost feels like he's personally offended by how nice she is and that's why he's made things so difficult for her (fyi, her current landlord wasn't the owner when she signed her rental agreement, the property was purchased by the current landlord sometime into the first year of her multi-year lease).

I've read all of the text messages between my them.
I've read all of the reasonable, rational, basic & straightforward questions my friend has asked, as well as every one of the difficult, perplexing and downright exasperating replies he's sent back.

She's now asked for my help, because I've always stood up for her in the past when she had an issue bullies, but honestly... even I don't know how to deal with someone THIS problematic & difficult.
He seems to have made toxicity his entire personality.

I can't even tell you how much anxiety I had reading through his replies, and I'm not even personally involved!
So it's fairly easy to imagine how difficult it's been for my friend -- who truly is the kindest, sweetest & most lovely woman you'll ever meet (in her free time, she hand crochets blankets for our local no-kill animal shelter, so every animal there has their own blanket for their cage).

It's obvious to me that he takes her kindness for weakness, and it's starting to have a detrimental affect on her mental health.
I really want to help her, but I just don't know how to, so we think an attorney is the way.
She doesn't want to go to the county again or the tenant/landlord organizations she's already reached out to... at this point, she'd rather just hire a very strong attorney who can send her landlord a harshly worded, consequential, almost threatening letter on her behalf.
Someone who's used to dealing with the difficult personality of someone who tries to manipulate anything anyone ever says to them.

If you've ever seen the show "Suits" she's looking for an aggressive, Lewis Lit type of attorney, to take the wind right out of this guy's smug sails, plus scare him enough that he backs the eff off.
Unfortunately for us, they don't exactly advertise like that on Google. 😁

So, any recommendations?
Thank you so much in advance for any & all replies!

[Anonymous]

What’s the issue with the landlord? Because unless it’s a high dollar issue there’s no way it’s worth pursuing a lawyer.

[Anonymous]

She may not need to go the attorney route. Way back when I was a tenant in Bethesda, my landlord was non-responsive regarding repairs required under the lease, then threatened to withhold deposit for normal wear and tear, and advised they would not return deposit until a month after lease ended.
I contacted MOCO landlord tenant relations. They were incredibly helpful, suggested I forward correspondence, and then contacted my landlord, cc:ing me, to advise landlord to get with it and follow the law. And ordered LL to pay me interest on security deposit.
Try checking Landlord Tenant office for your friend’s jurisdiction as a starting point.

[Anonymous]

It is unwise to warn of consequences one is not positioned to impose. A lawyer letter without willingness to litigate may turn out to be an expensive waste of time. And as PP’s have observed, lawyers are expensive.

[Anonymous]

You might want to look for a *good* attorney vs a *strong* attorney. Just because an attorney can bench press a lot of weight doesn't mean they can help you.
----From another attorney

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She may not need to go the attorney route. Way back when I was a tenant in Bethesda, my landlord was non-responsive regarding repairs required under the lease, then threatened to withhold deposit for normal wear and tear, and advised they would not return deposit until a month after lease ended.
I contacted MOCO landlord tenant relations. They were incredibly helpful, suggested I forward correspondence, and then contacted my landlord, cc:ing me, to advise landlord to get with it and follow the law. And ordered LL to pay me interest on security deposit.
Try checking Landlord Tenant office for your friend’s jurisdiction as a starting point.

Thanks so much for your feedback.

I went to their website after reading your post two days ago, and it's very convoluted and confusing.
They don't have a direct number to contact their office, and I didn't see an email address anywhere that would put me in touch with someone who could help me.

After about 10 minutes of scrolling & clicking on different pages, I finally found a list of phone numbers for people who work in their office, but I didn't know which person to reach out to, so I just started dialing each one, one by one... but nobody picked up any of their phones, and not one returned our messages and it's two days later now.

Do you mind telling me how you were able to get in touch with them?
I'd really appreciate it. 😊

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She may not need to go the attorney route. Way back when I was a tenant in Bethesda, my landlord was non-responsive regarding repairs required under the lease, then threatened to withhold deposit for normal wear and tear, and advised they would not return deposit until a month after lease ended.
I contacted MOCO landlord tenant relations. They were incredibly helpful, suggested I forward correspondence, and then contacted my landlord, cc:ing me, to advise landlord to get with it and follow the law. And ordered LL to pay me interest on security deposit.
Try checking Landlord Tenant office for your friend’s jurisdiction as a starting point.

Thanks so much for your feedback.

I went to their website after reading your post two days ago, and it's very convoluted and confusing.
They don't have a direct number to contact their office, and I didn't see an email address anywhere that would put me in touch with someone who could help me.

After about 10 minutes of scrolling & clicking on different pages, I finally found a list of phone numbers for people who work in their office, but I didn't know which person to reach out to, so I just started dialing each one, one by one... but nobody picked up any of their phones, and not one returned our messages and it's two days later now.

Do you mind telling me how you were able to get in touch with them?
I'd really appreciate it. 😊

I am not PP, but a quick look (if we are talking about Montgomery County, MD) took me here:

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/DHCA/housing/landlordtenant/tenant_rights_responsibilities.html

Copying and pasting from that site:

DHCA offers the following services:
Investigate and resolve formal complaints from tenants and landlords.
Mediate disputes between landlords and tenants.
When a resolution is not forthcoming, refer the complaints to the Commission on Landlord-Tenant Affairs (COLTA) for adjudication.
Approve rental housing licenses.
Inspect rental properties to ensure compliance with all applicable housing codes.
Answer questions from the public regarding Landlord-Tenant issues, Licensing and Registration, Housing Code Enforcement, Affordable Housing and any other housing issues.
Refer tenants to available Emergency services as necessary.
Maintain a website that provides public access to numerous printed and downloadable publications.

For more information, call 311 or [phone], email us at [e-mail], or use the links below:

DHCA Tenant Rights website
Landlord-Tenant Handbook
Interactive Housing Code website