The Renters’ Rights and Stabilization Act protects Maryland renters who are experiencing housing instability. This bill establishes the Office of Tenant and Landlord Affairs to provide renters with information about their rights, creates the Maryland Tenants Bill of Rights, increases the eviction filing fee to address the high eviction filing rate across the county, saves renters money by reducing required security deposits and creates new pathways to homeownership by providing tenants the opportunity to purchase their homes.
HB 693 will reduce the maximum security deposits that a landlord my collect from two month’s rent to one month’s rent, and will provide renters with a right of first refusal upon the sale of a rental property. This will allow renters the option to personally purchase property, rather than a sale to another landlord or developer.
The eviction filing fee surcharge will be increased from $8 to $43, which aims to prevent landlords from passing fee costs to tenants. Evictions will be barred during extreme weather events or other dangerous conditions.
The Legislative Committee of the Real Property Section Counsel of the Maryland State Bar Association expressed concern about the bill’s creation of the Office of Tenants’ Rights and the Tenant’s Bill of Rights. The group opposes the right of first refusal to purchase property, which favors a single or a group of tenants, subtenants, and any other person entitled to the possession of occupancy or a residential unit.
“After many years of applying a similar tenant’s rights law to single- family residential property in the District of Columbia, the district council essentially repealed the law. It had turned into a weapon used by lawyers and others to simply harass and demand sums to go away even when the tenant had no interest in purchasing the property,” according to the committee. “Maryland has some of the highest real estate transaction costs in the nation. The tenants’ right of first refusal aspect of this bill will simply increase those costs for tenants and everyone else.”
HB 693 will become effective on Oct. 1.
This blog post discusses the Renters' Rights Stabilization Act, a recently passed law in Maryland. We strive to present factual information. Laws can be complex and have various perspectives. We recommend seeking professional legal advice if you have specific questions about the Act's implications.
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