Tenant roommate refuses to move out

[Janet Thaxton]

Just when I thought I had my first deal under way!!! Here it goes.. My client wants to sell his house and relocated his tenants to another location. The problem is his tenants had a roommate who was not on the lease and is not currently paying rent. The roommate told the landlord to take them to court to get them out. Please help! Does the roommate have any rights? How does he get the roommate out? If the house sells can the new owner put them out by way of sheriff?

[Robert Melcher]

I'm not sure about Maryland law so please take this with a grain of salt: it seems to me the squatter was invited by the tenants, who may have breached their leases by having someone stay overlong, but if he's there when the house is sold, you will have to evict him because he had an uncontested right to be there.  Put it on the seller to get him out.