Section 8-403 - Payment of rents into court or administrative agency.
§ 8-403. Payment of rents into court or administrative agency.
(a) Payment into court.- If the court in any case brought under § 8-401, § 8-402, or § 8-402.4 of this subtitle orders an adjournment of the trial for a longer period than provided for in the section under which the case has been instituted, the tenant or the person in possession shall pay into the court exercising jurisdiction in the case an amount and in the manner determined by the court to be appropriate as specified in § 8-118 of this title or, in the case of wrongful detainer, § 8-118.1 of this title.
(b) Payment into administrative agency.- However, the court may order a tenant to pay rents due and as come due into an administrative agency of any county which is empowered by local law to hold rents in escrow pending investigation and disposition of complaints by tenants; the court also may refer that case to the administrative agency for investigation and report to the court.
(c) Date of payment.- The payment into the court shall be due before the date to which the trial is adjourned or within 5 days after adjournment if the trial is adjourned more than 5 days, or to the administrative agency within 5 days after the court has ordered the rent paid into an administrative agency.
(d) Failure to pay.- If, on motion of the plaintiff and after hearing, the court determines that the payment was not made as ordered by the court and that there is no legal justification for the failure to pay, the court shall give judgment in favor of the plaintiff and issue a warrant for possession in accordance with the provisions of the section under which the case is brought.
[1975, ch. 728; 1979, ch. 638; 1999, chs. 219, 649; 2000, ch. 61, § 1; 2003, ch. 21, § 6.]