Police, property manager clash over alleged squatter in East Baltimore

A DoorDash Burger King order sat untouched on the stoop for hours while Baltimore Police and a property manager argued over whether the people inside a Ramblewood rowhome could be treated as squatters or removed at all.

Officers were called just after 10 a.m. Thursday to the 5900 block of Glenkirk Road in East Baltimore after the property manager reported a breaking-and-entering complaint. The manager said the house was supposed to be vacant and was being readied for a legitimate tenant, with the first red flag coming during a scheduled inspection required before the property could be approved for Section 8 housing.

Inside, the people at the house reportedly said they had rented it and had been there for two weeks. The property manager said they could produce no lease, no proof of residency and no utility bills tying them to the home. Baltimore Gas and Electric service was still in the owner’s name, the manager said.

By the end of the standoff, police left without removing anyone. Officers said they could not classify the people inside as unlawful squatters or force them out, a reminder of how quickly these calls can move from an apparent break-in to a civil dispute that leaves property owners waiting while a home remains occupied.

The scene also showed how public these disputes have become. During the confrontation, a more than $20 Burger King order arrived by DoorDash labeled for Ayonna M. and sat outside the rowhouse as the situation dragged on.

The Glenkirk Road case fits a wider fight over alleged squatting and fraudulent leases in Baltimore and across Maryland. Mayor Brandon Scott said on June 9, 2025, that squatting reports were being described as “propaganda,” but he also said the issue may require state intervention. Scott said the difference now is that people are advertising these arrangements online.

Maryland lawmakers responded in 2025 by changing the wrongful detainer process. SB46, approved by the governor on April 22, 2025, took effect Oct. 1, 2025, and requires a hearing within 10 business days after a wrongful detainer complaint is filed. Another proposal, SB489, would make it a crime to claim a right to residential property without lawful ownership or possession with intent to defraud.

Baltimore-area cases have kept pressure on officials. In Windsor Mill, a homeowner said a family of four moved into a home after paying a social media user advertising “last resort” or “squatter homes,” and police initially treated that case as civil. In East Baltimore, police also responded in June 2025 to a taxpayer-funded rehabbed home on East 22nd Street, where a man with outstanding warrants was arrested before remaining occupants were removed hours later.