Renters United Maryland calls on candidates for Governor to Commit to Housing Justice
Press Contact: Zafar Shah 410-625-9409, ext. 237
Tens of thousands of Marylanders and their families are struggling to pay the rent and avoid eviction in the wake of COVID-19. Others are dealing with landlords who refuse to make repairs yet demand higher and higher rents. Governor Hogan, however, turned his back on these families by vetoing SB 384, which would have temporarily paused the eviction process if a tenant had a rental assistance application pending, and SB 563, which would have stopped illegally operating landlord’s from using the court’s eviction process to turn a profit.
Ezequiel Vasquez is personally affected by the veto: “I was counting on being able to have a stay of eviction when I go to court on June 28 and now I’m anxiously awaiting the rental assistance to come through before that date.”
“The State and localities have over $350 million left in federal rental assistance, and yet we’re seeing almost 700 evictions per month,” said Zafar Shah, attorney at Public Justice Center. “That’s 700 families each month out on the streets – kids losing time in school and neighborhoods losing long-time residents. Governor Hogan claims that Maryland has strong tenant protections, but the Eviction Lab gave Maryland 1.28 out of 5 stars and ranked us 29th out of 50 in eviction protections. SB 384 would have changed that dynamic and made rental assistance programs more effective in preventing evictions.”
“It’s absurd that this was vetoed. The bill literally only affected landlords who are already operating illegally. What does it say about Governor Hogan as a person that he is more concerned about protecting slumlords’ supposed “rights” to their ill gotten gains than about protecting normal people?
Indigo Null, Copy Cat Building tenant
Meanwhile, rents are rising by double digits in the state, and tenants have no protection against rent increases or lease non-renewal if they complain. The General Assembly rejected bills during the 2022 legislative session that would have capped rent increases (HB 691) and allowed localities to stop arbitrary lease non-renewals (HB 881).
“It’s immoral and nonsensical to kick families out of their homes when there is money available to both keep them housed and make their landlords whole,” Renters Alliance board member and lead sponsor for SB384’s house cross file, Delegate Vaughn Stewart said. “And it’s nonsensical to allow unlicensed landlords to use special proceedings for evictions when they’re violating local law and putting their tenants at risk. These were common-sense bills that would’ve made regular people’s lives better.”
Governor Hogan also vetoed SB 563, which would have stopped illegally operating landlords from using eviction court to squeeze tenants for funds without making critical repairs to their properties.
Instead, landlords can continue to operate without a license and without making repairs to their properties. If the tenant doesn’t like it, the landlord can non-renew the lease and evict the tenant using a taxpayer-funded, rapid eviction process in court. As bill sponsor Senator Shelly Hettleman tweeted: “[Hogan’s veto] makes a mockery of local gov’t. licensing laws, putting the safety of renters at risk.”
Tenant-leader Indigo Null is organizing tenants at the Copy Cat building in Baltimore City and knows first hand the way that some landlords abuse the eviction process by refusing to make repairs or get a license and then evicting if anyone complains: “It’s absurd that this was vetoed. The bill literally only affected landlords who are already operating illegally. What does it say about Governor Hogan as a person that he is more concerned about protecting slumlords’ supposed “rights” to their ill gotten gains than about protecting normal people? We have tenants who are living in homes where they are breathing in asbestos and don’t have heat or running water, but Larry Hogan apparently thinks that’s A-Ok!”
Our real-estate-developer-turned-governor has once again put corporate interests over everyone else – including renters, neighborhoods, and even small landlords. However, because this is an election year, the General Assembly will have no opportunity to override these vetoes in 2023.
According to Matan Zeimer, a Maryland Community Organizer with Jews United for Justice: “Jewish sacred texts recognize that having safe, stable housing is key to a healthy society. Unlike Governor Hogan, we need leaders in Maryland who are going to prioritize safe, stable, affordable housing for all Maryland residents, especially renters who continue to lack basic protections from increasing rents, retaliation, and unsafe conditions.”
Renters United Maryland asks all candidates for Governor to take the 2022 Housing Justice Challenge: Please describe your position on furthering housing justice in Maryland including:
- Rent Stabilization: What is your position on limiting the amount by which a landlord can increase the rent? Rent stabilization laws like the one recently passed in Minneapolis help families struggling with record rent increases and the lack of affordable housing.
- Just Cause Eviction: What is your position on requiring landlords to have “good cause” before non-renewing a lease? Just cause eviction laws protect renters against being unfairly evicted by landlords who want to capitalize on the explosive rental and housing markets.
- Safe, Healthy Housing: What is your position on expanding access to safe housing and requiring landlords to repair dangerous conditions like toxic mold? What about providing tenants the ability to bring a collective action to enforce their right to healthy housing?
- Eviction Diversion: What is your position on pausing the eviction process when a rental assistance application is pending (like SB 384) and other measures to divert people away from eviction?
- Enforce Housing Justice Laws: What is your position on fully funding eviction right to counsel implementation and stopping illegally operating landlords from using eviction court to avoid making repairs and becoming licensed like SB 563?
The time for half measures and “moderate” governing that fails to allow common sense compromise bills to become law is over. Maryland renters, their families, and communities need statewide protections that guarantee their access to the basic human right of safe and affordable housing.
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