As the Maryland General Assembly begins its 2023 session, 108,000 Maryland households are behind on rent amid rent gouging and economic uncertainty. Renters United is working with legislators and a new governor on 4 priorities for Maryland renters.
ASSISTANCE Sustain emergency rental assistance
STABILITY Enable local “just cause” eviction protection
SAFETY Create a legal tool for tenants to win repairs together
FAIRNESS Block unlicensed landlords from using our courts
1. Sustain Emergency Rental Assistance
Federal funds are running out and evictions are returning to pre-pandemic rates.
We joined five county executives and 50+ organizations to ask for $175 million in FY 24 to help over 20,000 households avoid eviction. Without significant investment, tens of thousands of predominantly Black and Latine families with children, who are still battered by the pandemic and an unstable economy, will likely face eviction.
2. Enable local legislatures to pass “just cause” protections
Del. Jheanelle Wilkins & Sen. Anthony Muse
When it comes to lease non-renewals,
Maryland is a “no cause” state – that is, a
landlord can decide to non-renew without
any stated cause. This means that
working people and their children face the
constant threat of displacement, even
when they follow all the rules, and must
accept declining conditions and increasing
rents just to stay in their communities.
This legislation would enable Maryland counties to pass local “just cause” policies for lease non-renewals. “Just cause” means that a landlord may choose not to renew an
expiring lease only if there is an
acceptable basis for that decision. This bill
gives local legislatures the power to
decide what’s acceptable and when.
Without this bill, jurisdictions like
Montgomery County and Baltimore City
face preemption challenges to their local
efforts to stabilize rental housing through
just cause policies.
3. Empower renters to win safer housing, together
Del. Vaughn Stewart & Sen. Alonzo T. Washington
Under current state law, groups of tenant facing the same substandard living conditions with no intention from the landlord to remedy the situation are not able to file a collective rent escrow case or a class action case about conditions. Instead, they each individually have to file the action and are often filing without representation.
This legislation addresses two growing concerns of Maryland renters: (1) their need for safer housing conditions, and (2) the need to lower the barrier of entry to courts to address poor housing conditions. The bill will enable tenant groups with the same landlord to collectively file a single rent escrow case that would address all participating tenants’ issues.
The bill would also increase court efficiency by compiling conditions issues related to a property owned by a particular landlord into a single proceeding and provide for attorney’s fees so that tenant groups can obtain counsel to manage their collective cases.
4. Ban unlicensed landlords from using the courts’ special proceedings
Del. Mary Lehman & Sen. Shelly Hettleman
This bill would stop landlords who do not have an operating license from using streamlined court processes to evict tenants in localities that have a licensing law. Licensing laws protect public health and safety through periodic inspections. No landlord is above the law. The bill passed the 2022 General Assembly with a super majority but was vetoed by Governor Hogan.
All legitimate stakeholder concerns have been addressed. If a tenant causes the licensing failure, the landlord can move forward with the eviction case. Some landlords complain about code violations in their county and the effect on licensure, but responsible landlords have multiple tools to address code violations.
