Two Laws Effective October 1 as Renters’ Rights Organizing and Advocacy in Annapolis Heat Up
Renters United Maryland
Matt Hill, Public Justice Center, 410-625-9409, ext. 229, hillm@publicjustice.org
Nkeshi Free, CASA, 240-393-7400, nfree@wearecasa.org
Immediate Release: September 30, 2024
ANNAPOLIS, MD — Renters United Maryland celebrates as two bills championed by this coalition take effect on October 1, 2024: The Tenant Safety Act will help tenants and groups of tenants hold landlords accountable for severe threats to their life, health, or safety in their homes. Eviction Prevention Funds for Community School Families will designate up to $10 million for eviction prevention funds to families whose children are in community schools.
“The Tenant Safety Act marks a powerful new chapter for tenants in Maryland, especially for seniors like me. No longer will we face neglect from landlords alone,” reflected Sharon Little John, CASA member, District 17, Montgomery County. “Working-class families shouldn’t have to endure poor conditions. Together, we can confront the landlords who neglect our health, believing that Black and immigrant families lack the resources to hold them accountable. Together, we demand safe, dignified living conditions for all. Every tenant’s well-being is essential, and every landlord must ensure it.”
This statewide coalition of advocates for renters celebrates these significant steps forward on housing justice. Renters United Maryland also urges the General Assembly to continue prioritizing affordable, safe, stable, and fair housing for renting families in 2025.
The bills taking effect on October 1, 2024, are:
The Tenant Safety Act (SB 946 / HB 1117), sponsored by Delegate Vaughn Stewart and former Senator Ariana Kelly, will empower tenants to hold landlords accountable for conditions of disrepair that threaten their life, health, or safety. The new law clarifies that tenants in the same building with similar defects may join together in one case. It also provides tenants the right to file a complaint for damages when the landlord fails to repair defects that endanger the life, health, or safety of occupants. The Tenant Safety Act helps to level the playing field and incentivizes attorneys to represent tenants in these cases by providing that the landlord may have to pay for the tenant’s attorney if the tenant wins.
Eviction Prevention Funds for Community School Families (SB 370 / HB 428), sponsored by Delegate Vaughn Stewart and Senator Shelly Hettleman, creates a program that directs eviction prevention funds to families whose children are enrolled in community schools. Located throughout Maryland, community schools provide support for families with wraparound services like healthcare, counseling, and healthy food. Eviction prevention funds help those families avoid eviction and homelessness and keep their children from losing those wraparound services. This legislation implements many of the findings of a recent report by Stout Risius Ross that highlights how eviction prevention intersects with education, healthcare, foster care, and employment – showing that eviction prevention funds actually save the state money. The program is funded with up to $10 million in FY 25. The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development is developing policies to launch the program later this year.
Other notable laws effective October 1, 2024 include:
- Governor Moore’s Renters’ Rights and Stabilization Act of 2024 (HB 693 / SB 481). This law will limit security deposits to one month of rent; creates an Office of Landlord-Tenant Affairs; establishes a tenant’s right of first refusal prior to the sale of certain residential rental properties; and increases the complaint filing surcharge in civil cases, including when landlords file for eviction (revenue will fund legal services for low-income Maryland residents, vouchers for very low-income residents, and eviction prevention funds).
- Rent Court Eviction Shielding (SB 19 / HB 181) will help tenants shield unfair rent court records from their rental history. The new law will require the District Court to shield any court record from a failure to pay rent proceeding within sixty days if the case was dismissed. And it allows the tenant to request shielding if a judgment was entered but the rent was paid in full after a period of time.
These new laws will have a concrete positive impact on the lives of renters across our state, but there were several key bills that failed to pass the General Assembly during the 2024 legislative session. These bills, which will be reintroduced in 2025, include:
- Good Cause Eviction (2024: HB 477 / SB 644) would have allowed counties to pass local legislation requiring any landlord who owns six or more units to provide tenants with a “good cause” for why the landlord is terminating their tenancy. Maryland is only one of six states that denies counties the right to pass good cause eviction laws. Good cause eviction laws have been shown to increase housing stability and reduce landlord retaliation and discrimination. The bill passed the House but died in the Senate.
- The Tenant Possessions Recovery Act (2024: HB 1114 / SB 992) would have aligned Maryland with 46 other states that provide renting families notice of a scheduled eviction date and/or a limited opportunity to reclaim their belongings after eviction. Families need notice of the eviction and a period of at least 10 days to reclaim possessions.
- Maryland Fair Chance in Housing Act (2024: HB 964 / SB 635) would have limited the circumstances under which a landlord may reject a tenant’s application to lease for prior criminal history.
- Recording of Fair Housing Testing Calls (2024: SB 57) would have allowed fair housing testing organizations to record the audio of phone calls and other fair housing tests to determine if landlords and home sellers are discriminating.
The Renters United Maryland coalition thanks Governor Wes Moore, who supported and signed all of the bills that passed during the 2024 legislative session; Secretary Jake Day; and all bill sponsors and supporters, including: Senate President Bill Ferguson and Senators Guy Guzzone, Will Smith, Brian Feldman, Shelly Hettleman, Anthony Muse, Ariana Kelly, Charles Sydnor, and Joanne Benson; and Speaker of the House Adrienne Jones and Delegates Marc Korman, Ben Barnes, Vanessa Atterbeary, Jheanelle Wilkins, Vaughn Stewart, Jennifer Terrasa, Terri Hill, and Adrian Boafo.
Renters United Maryland is extremely grateful to all members of the coalition, who have been fighting for these rights and protections for years, and extend a special thank you to Progressive Maryland and the Enclave Tenants Association for organizing to help push the Tenant Safety Act over the finish line.
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Renters United Maryland is a coalition of advocates for renters and for safe, affordable rental housing. Our member organizations include tenant organizers, legal services providers, community-based organizations, and advocacy groups working together to make stable housing a reality through legislative advocacy. We are leading the charge against housing insecurity.