I think the question of why Lakey Boyd has supporters is almost irrelevant.

The real question is if the Board want to get rid of her, why can they not make their reasons transparent? If they can’t do that, I’m left to assume the Board has bad intentions or are themselves incompetent.

Going to second sports clips. They get my husband and son done at the same time, and they give the kids lollipops.

I just bring my kid and I to sports clips. Because they are usually fast. I've only ever seen ladies cut hair there and they have TVs on (while your kid might not like sports it's still a distraction that probably won't be too engaging either).

But I personally don't care about my hair looking good, I just get it cut every time I start to look a bit like a hobo.

They’re not allowed to charge you for normal wear and tear. I would fight back with small claims court, tenant laws in Maryland are protective and should be in your favor.

They are required by law to provide you with an itemized receipt of the damages.

>If the landlord keeps the security deposit to pay for damage, the landlord must provide an itemized statement of costs. The statement must include supporting documentation. The landlord may provide an estimate. If an estimate is provided, the landlord must notify the tenant (in writing) when the repairs have are complete. This notice should include final invoices for repairs. If the final cost is less than the amount of security deposit withheld, the landlord must return the excess to the tenant. The excess must be returned within 30 days after the repairs are complete. 

So they can't just claim a number. And when they provide an invoice - it should have receipts attached for the replacement carpet and installation. Not just what they say it cost - but an itemized cost.

Also - The landlord can only charge for physical damage beyond ordinary wear and tear. This is a common sense rule. For example, if the carpet is worn through proper usage, then this is ordinary wear and tear. If a rug is stained with ink, then this is not ordinary wear and tear. If there is no visible damage in photos, then they can't claim otherwise.

Finally, if the landlord withholds any part of the security deposit, the landlord must send to the tenant, by first class mail, to the tenant’s last known address, a written list of the damages the landlord claims, together with a statement of costs the landlord has actually spent to make the repairs. If the landlord fails to do this within 45 days after end of the lease, the landlord loses the right to keep any part of the security deposit for damages.

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I am actually fighting something similar right now after moving out of an apartment and charging a bogus fee - take a look at MD Statue §8–203, specifically (g)(1) & (2) - https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=grp&section=8-203

Depending on when and how they notified you of withholding (greater than 45 days), you may have an easy case in small claims court.

Good luck.

Sidenote: now I’m concerned since we probably live in the same crappy building and we have been here 2 years. Good luck…will be using this thread as reference.

A relative of mine is a retired MD state judge. We've talked about rent laws and things like this before. Have they given you an itemized receipt? They are required by law to give you a receipt for the actual costs of any expenses if they are docking your security deposit. If they won't give you a receipt take them to small claims court. Same relative said a lot of times even the threat of suing is enough for them to back down. It's more expensive for this big companies to go to court than to just settle.

https://www.volosports.com/discover?cityName=Baltimore&view=SPORTS&subView=LEAGUE&sportNames%5B0%5D=Soccer

Look for Haircut Heather. I think she’s in Laurel. She’s awesome.

Sorry this is happening to you. I'd blast the hell out of them (tactfully) on every review site you can find. Include your pictures and theirs and warn others about renting there. They may change their tune really fast.

https://www.hcrpsports.org/adultsoccer

Yea but I’m looking more for an 11v11

Also $700 just for a master bedroom and carpet is far too high.

Then they can legally only charge you for 3 years of that carpet

Another option would be Office of Consumer Protection

https://www.howardcountymd.gov/consumer-protection

They did send us damage photos, nothing is evident in them at all (though they sent it in shitty lighting to make it look bad).

I have photos from the day we moved in (timestamped) and the day we turned in our keys (also timestamped), as well as a paper email trail of our contesting/grievance against the charges.

Your comment has given me the idea to confirm if this the full replacement charge or a prorated fee. Thanks!

Thank you! I have photos from the day we moved in (timestamped) and the day we turned in our keys (also timestamped), as well as a paper email trail of our contesting/grievance against the charges.

They sent us photos back, where the lighting was indeed bad, but did not show any clear damage.

Have you looked at SoFive?

A carpets life is 5 years so I'd make sure that if they are charging you, they are pro-rating it but it doesn't seem they are. I'd ask for damage photos and then dispute it.

Small claims is the way to go, especially with the evidence you have. You can get free legal advice at the courthouse and filing costs around $50, which you can include in your suit. No lawyers are necessary, just show up and make your case on the date the court assigns. In some cases you can be eligible for triple damages, though I'm not sure that applies in this case.

Agreed. Good luck!!!!!!

Thank you very much! Looking into it now.

I didn't include this in my original post, but the apartment management company says the usual lifespan of carpet before needing to be replaced is 5 years/60 months. I lived there for 2 years/24 months. Hard to believe I did five years of damage in that time. They are very clearly trying to take advantage of me.

I got confirmation that you can reach out to the Fair Housing Advocacy Center of Maryland for help. https://www.fairhousingmd.org/housing-inquiry-form/