Maryland Foreclosure Laws

Foreclosure Laws in Maryland

Maryland requires that all foreclosures be carried out through judicial proceedings. Generally, a foreclosure in Maryland only takes about 45 days to complete.

The foreclosure process in Maryland begins when a lender files a complaint against a defaulted homeowner outlining the details of the default in court. The court will hold a hearing to decide on the issue, and if they rule in favor of the lender, they will issue an order making outlining an official debt amount owed, plus interest and any other costs. The homeowner will have a set period of time in which to pay off this debt, and if they cannot do so, the court will rule that a foreclosure sale of the homeowner's property take place to satisfy the outstanding debt.

Before a date can be set for the sale, the lender is not required to notify the homeowner of their intent to foreclose. However, once a date has been set for a sale, the lender must arrange to have a Notice of Sale issued outlining the details of the foreclosure.

The Notice of Sale must be published in a local newspaper for three consecutive weeks before the sale can take place. The homeowner is also entitled to receive a copy of the Notice of Sale at least ten days before the sale is scheduled to take place.

The sale will be conducted by a licensed auctioneer, and the sale is typically held outside the county courthouse. Once the sale occurs and a winning bidder is established, a notice of the outcome will be published for 30 days in a local paper so that other parties may raise objections if needs be. If no objections are registered, the court will confirm the sale and award ownership of the property to the winning bidder.

There are no set rules for periods of redemption, but the court may institute them on a case-by-case basis.