Landlord-Tenant

At Silverman Thompson, we know that disputes between Maryland landlords and tenants can range from district court proceedings to complicated litigation in circuit courts, appellate courts, and federal courts over property damage, personal injury, lease terms, and more.

Attorneys Avery Strachan and Kerri Smith represent individual residential landlords, residential property management companies, and both commercial landlords and tenants. They have worked together for over 10 years with Ms. Strachan working with some of the team’s landlord-tenant clients for over 20 years.

Areas of Landlord-Tenant Representation
Property Management
Development and Leasing
Commercial Landlord-Tenant Disputes
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Areas of Landlord-Tenant Representation

Ms. Strachan and Ms. Smith represent the following in landlord-tenant disputes:

Commercial and residential landlords

Property management companies

Commercial tenants

Developers

Investors

Real estate investment trusts

Franchisees

Brokers

Ms. Strachan and Ms. Smith’s representation includes matters related to management, leasing, dispute resolution, development, and construction for all types of residential, retail, office, industrial, hospitality, and mixed-use projects, and often includes drafting and reviewing residential and commercial leases, and initiating and/or defending legal actions, such as:

Breach of lease actions

Tenant holding over actions

Failure to pay rent actions

Rent escrow actions

Wrongful detainer actions

Breach of quiet enjoyment and/or warranty of habitability actions

Security deposit disputes

Actions involving property damage and/or personal injury

Claims of fraudulent inducement and/or fraudulent misrepresentation

Claims for monetary breaches

Class actions

Government regulations (federal regulations promulgated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Housing Act compliance, rental licensing, lead certification, housing discrimination, etc.)

Not only do we have a keen understanding of the landlord-tenant laws in Maryland, as well as local, state, and federal regulations affecting housing, but we can also advise you as to how local jurisdictions differ in application of the law.

Property Management

The landlord-tenant attorneys at Silverman Thompson represent many of the premiere commercial and residential property management companies in the state, including state and/or federal subsidized residential housing that is project or voucher-based.

As experienced litigators, our attorneys routinely enforce lease terms, collect past due rents and other payment obligations, and recover possession of leased premises for the owners of retail, office, mixed-used, and conventional, as well as affordable residential projects. Our attorneys also assist clients in responding to potential areas of risk and establishing effective protections and responses to minimize liability

Development and Leasing

The landlord-tenant lawyers at Silverman Thompson handle all aspects of structuring and negotiating leasing transactions, and have experience representing clients to acquire, develop, lease and dispose of residential and commercial real estate.

On top of residential leasing work, the real estate team at Silverman Thompson’s experience in commercial leasing includes negotiating and documenting space leases, PAD leases, triple-net leases, and build-to-suit leases, as well as operational and management agreements.

Commercial Landlord-Tenant Disputes

The landlord-tenant lawyers at Silverman Thompson have many years of experience representing commercial landlords and tenants in lease and other disputes including claims for monetary damages, actions involving property damage and/or personal injury claims, injunctions, and claims of fraudulent inducement and/or fraudulent misrepresentation. We are effective at settling disputes without litigation where possible but are also experienced litigators who fight for the best results for our clients when going to court is unavoidable.

The landlord-tenant lawyers at Silverman Thompson represent commercial landlords and tenants in state district courts, circuit courts, appellate courts, and federal courts.