As a landlord or property manager, you may find yourself needing to take legal action against tenants who are non-compliant with their rental agreements. In such cases, you may need to enlist the services of a rent court agent. A rent court agent is an individual who represents landlords and property managers in rent court proceedings. Let’s take a closer look at what exactly a rent court agent does and why landlords and property managers utilize our services. First lets cover why our clients elect to use a rent court agent.
Why Do Landlords and Property Managers Use Rent Court Agents?
1.) Time-
It can take several trips to the courthouse to get the eviction process started if you don’t know what you need to file with your FTPR form. On top of that, you will still need to attend the court date, which can take several hours of your morning!
2.) Experience-
If you are found to have made a mistake on your FTPR form, the Judge can dismiss the case and force you to refile or, even worse, dismiss it with prejudice.
3.) We handle the entire process start to finish-
Do you have time for the court dates, the phone calls to the sheriff or constables, and coordinating the process from start to finish?
What does a Baltimore Rent Court Agent Do?
Picture this scenario for a moment…
It’s the 5th of the month; you go and get your mail and notice that the rent check isn’t in your stack of correspondence, but the letter from the bank with that mortgage payment slip is. This missing rent check means a couple of things, first and foremost, the rent is late now late and two, you’ve got to find the money to make the mortgage payment!
Your tenant has avoided your email/ text/ phone calls or has given you some sort of explanation/ excuse as to why they need more time to pay you. Now you’re sitting and wondering will they pay at all? And what do I do next if they don’t pay?So, you googled Baltimore City Eviction Process and saw results for rent court agents. Now you are sitting back and wondering, What Does a Rent Court Agent Do?
A rent court agent is responsible for filing eviction and/or non-payment cases in the applicable local court or jurisdiction. They also represent landlords and property managers on the day of the rent court hearing. A good rent court agent will be knowledgeable about all relevant laws, procedures, and policies pertaining to evictions, landlord-tenant disputes, and housing regulations in your area. In addition to managing cases in the courtroom, they are also responsible for preparing all paperwork associated with the case, including but not limited to notices of entry, petitions for possession or damages, complaints against tenants, etc.
In some Maryland rent court cases, you may be required to have an attorney represent you in certain actions. In that case, it is important to make sure that your rent court agent has extensive experience working with attorneys on legal matters. In the event your case requires an attorney Baltimore Rent Court Agents LLC has a staff attorney that handles everything from start to finish. The specific duties of a rent court agent can vary from one jurisdiction to another; however, their primary role is always the same— representing landlords and property managers in legal proceedings related to tenant compliance issues or evictions.
Let’s Cover The Basics!
Rent court agencies near you know the laws!
Daily, our agents are continually researching and monitoring changes to any local state and District court compliance and related legal procedures that need to be followed to vacate a delinquent tenant in the State of Maryland. If you are not aware, the eviction process could take anywhere from 3-10 weeks, depending on the jurisdiction, along with multiple actions that need to be filed in the local district court.
For example, if your property is located in Baltimore City, the District Court of Maryland for Baltimore City will require the landlord to have a valid rental license and possibly a lead certificate depending on the year the property was built. To obtain this, you need a home inspection and a lead certificate if the property was built before 1978.
Navigate the eviction process.
So, the agent will use that information to draft the filing. Keep in mind if you do this process on your own, make sure that you fill out the complaint accurately and in its entirety. If any mistakes are found, the Judge can dismiss your case. When hiring a rent court agent, the agent submits the filing in full error-free. When it comes to your day in court, specifically to avoid further economic vacancy loss.
The agent also thoroughly reviews the tenant ledger to ensure that all the owed amounts are included in the filing. There are also legal restrictions on the amount of money a landlord can charge for late rent. This also varies district by district. The agent assures you are getting the maximum allowed by law.
On the day of court, the agent arrives early to assure no delays and checks in on the landlord’s behalf. The agent patiently awaits the courtroom clerk to call your case and walks up to the podium to speak to the Judge on your behalf. The action is filed by the landlord (Plaintiff), which lays the Burden of Proof on the plaintiff to convince the Judge of the plaintiff’s entitlement to the relief sought. This means that the plaintiff must prove each element of the claim or cause of action to recover or regain possession of the property.
Rent court agent duties on eviction day.
Baltimore Rent court will schedule your eviction, and show up to meet the sheriff, handle administrative paperwork that needs to be completed. We can even have the locks changed for you!
Conclusion
Overall a rent court agent’s duty is to ensure that your day in court is a success; you get the resolution you deserve while keeping you updated through the entire process Call today to find out more information on how Baltimore Rent Court Agents can help you!