Renters legal contract

[Stanley Dean]

Hi All if a tenant in Maryland that signed a 1 year lease contract paid the deposit and half month rent and moves in but her check bounced and I have received not a penny in payments. Do I have to seek legal eviction process or can I bar her from entering the unit and remove her stuff and place at the curb. I believed her to allow her to move in being a teacher and she keeps postponing every week saying she will pay and I have collected no money from her. Please advise.  Thanks

[Ned Carey]

@Stanley Dean Start the eviction process. It will take a while so the tenant will have plenty of time to pay if she really intends on paying. 

You generally do not need a lawyer, you can do it your self.  In my area of MD you can use rent court agent. It is cheaper than a lawyer. Google "Rent court agents" in MD or your city. Some have good info on their websites.

You can also check out Baltimore Neighborhoods Inc (BNI). They have landlord tenant laws on their site.