Jessica Quincosa, the executive director of CLSPGC, said some of the eviction hearings move faster than the distribution of the funds, meaning people who are eligible for the assistance could still face eviction.
William Roberts, the chair of the Montgomery County Renters Alliance, said he’s concerned about the “logistical nightmare” of getting aid to tenants in a timely fashion, and urged local and state officials to step up their efforts to help tenants before evictions ramp up.
Governor Hogan announced on May 28, 2021, that HB 18, Access to Counsel in Evictions, will become law without his signature. With the bill’s passage, Maryland becomes the second state in the nation to promise legal representation to renters in eviction cases. HB 18 sets the blueprint for ensuring that all income-eligible renters have access to free legal representation in evictions and subsidy terminations by 2025.
For Immediate Release: Contact: Matt Losak, 301-588-3987; Zafar Shah, (410) 625-9409 x 237 Maryland–Today’s announcement that a federal district court vacated the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Order temporarily halting evictions is deeply troubling for the nation, especially in states that have yet to issue their own… Read More »Maryland Renters Still Have Protections Against Eviction While Appeal of Federal District Court Ruling on CDC Order Is Pending
Several tenant relief efforts failed in the last hours of the 2021 legislative session Monday, drawing condemnation from fair housing advocates who say the state isn’t doing enough to stop evictions — particularly during the pandemic.
The MGA failed to pass the emergency House Bill 1312 (Landlord and Tenant – Eviction Actions – Catastrophic Health Emergencies) that would have protected Maryland renters from a well-documented lease non-renewal loophole in the Centers for Disease Control eviction “moratorium” and Governor Hogan’s Executive Order on evictions.
Amid a groundswell of support for renters struggling through COVID-19 and the state’s economic recovery, the GA passed only 3 bills that targeted eviction.
These crucial bills are on the Senate floor today, the final day of the 2021 General Assembly session
Losak said the CDC moratorium does not address tenant holdovers, which according to the Maryland court system, allows landlords to remove tenants when their lease is over so long as they provide written notice in advance.
“Every day I wake up in an apartment building where at least 20 people have been carted out of here and have died due to a pandemic,” she said. “They’ve died because the buildings they live in, this building is dirty, is ill maintained. But yet this building, the people who own this building and manage it, they’re continuing to profit from federal funds. And this is unconscionable. So it is now to take action.” Guthrie said her situation represents what tenants behind on rent are experiencing across the state.