Maryland Tenant Advocacy and Maryland Renters Rights
Information for Property Managers post-Greystar
The Federal Trade Commission has issued guidance for property managers, following the lawsuit against Greystar, and subsequent settlement: To resolve allegations that Greystar’s practices violated the FTC Act, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and the Colorado Consumer Protection Act, the company will pay $24 million. Greystar is also prohibited from misrepresenting the rental price of its units and must disclose all mandatory fees before accepting payment from prospective tenants. Read the rest of the FTC guidance here. If you have a landlord-tenant issue, please go here. For a Fair Housing issue involving discrimination, please go here.
Maryland Announces Eviction Prevention Funds for Eight Jurisdictions
From the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development: To qualify for assistance from the program, a household must have a student enrolled in a Community School in a participating jurisdiction living in their home. Applicants must demonstrate an obligation to pay rent and experience housing instability, such as homelessness, risk of eviction, utility shut-off, or being behind in paying rent or utilities. Program funds can help eligible families pay for past due rent or utility bills—including late fees and court fees related to eviction—as well as costs related to renting a new home, including moving fees, security and utility ...
Food Resources for Furloughed Federal Employees in Maryland
Beginning October 20, the Capital Area Food Bank will have additional food distributions, along with its regular distribution times and locations. You can pick up shelf-stable items along with fresh produce. In order to receive food at the additional distributions, you will need to show your work ID. The dates, times, and locations in Maryland are as follows: Tuesdays, from 12pm-2pm: No Limits Outreach Ministries, 7721 Barlowe Road, Hyattsville, MD, 20785 Wednesdays, from 10am–11:30am: So What Else, 6116 Executive Boulevard, North Bethesda, MD 20852 Saturdays, from 1:00pm-2:30pm: LindaBen Foundation, 10739 Tucker Street Beltsville, MD 20705 You can get more information ...
Utility Bill Information for Furloughed Federal Employees
From the Maryland Office of People's Counsel Because the current federal shutdown has lasted longer than 7 consecutive days, protections for certain residential utility customers are now in effect. If you're a government employee in Maryland who has been furloughed without pay because of the government shutdown, you may qualify for protection from having your gas and electric service shut off. This applies whether or not you're still required to report to work during the shutdown. Gas and electric utility companies cannot disconnect your service for nonpayment during the shutdown or for 7 days after it ends as long as ...
Maryland Tenant Protections for Furloughed Federal Employees
From the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development In 2019, the Maryland General Assembly enacted Senate Bill 512, which amended §§ 7-105.1 and 8-401 of the Real Property Article. This is the first federal shutdown since SB 512 was enacted. Under the law, an involuntarily furloughed federal government employee at risk of eviction can ask the court to temporarily pause the eviction during the shutdown. Governor Moore sent Maryland Supreme Court Chief Justice Matthew Fader a letter highlighting this new provision to ensure that judges are aware of this protection when making eviction and foreclosure decisions. Federal employees are ...
New Maryland Tenant Law – Rental Late Fees
Starting October 1, Maryland renters who are being charged late fees can only be charged the 5% late fee on the actual portion of rent that's overdue. Example: If your rent is $1500 per month, but you made a partial payment of $500 before the due date, you can only be charged a late fee on the remaining $1000. For tenants who pay their rent weekly, the late fees are limited to $3 per week, not to exceed $12 per month. Any lease clauses that that include penalties that exceed these limits will not be able to be enforced. Landlords ...
New Maryland Tenant Law – Warrant for Repossession
A new Maryland tenant law goes into effect October 1 that tenants should be aware of. Real Property - Landlord and Tenant - Procedures for Failure to Pay Rent, Breach of Lease, and Tenant Holding Over requires a landlord to provide certain notice to a tenant when a court has issued a warrant of restitution for a failure of a tenant to pay rent, a breach of lease, or a tenant holding over under certain circumstances; and establishes certain procedures and requirements for the execution of a warrant for repossession. You can read the full text of the law here. ...
Great News for Heather Hill Tenants!
Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced today that his Consumer Protection Division has entered into a Final Order by Consent with Heather Hill Property Company LLC and Heather Hill Operating Company LLC (collectively Heather Hill) for alleged violations of the Consumer Protection Act and the Consumer Debt Collection Act in their operation of a large apartment complex in Temple Hills, Maryland. The Consumer Protection Division’s Final Order requires Heather Hill to provide restitution in the amount of an estimated $11.2 million. This settlement is the largest amount of restitution obtained by the Consumer Protection Division in a landlord/tenant case. “This ...
Eviction Prevention Assistance for Baltimore Renters
There are several ways for Baltimore renters who are facing eviction to obtain help. The Eviction Assistance Program is currently accepting new applications. Funding is limited, so please apply as soon as possible. You will need to make an appointment by calling 443-423-6400 to get help with the application process and to see if you qualify for other benefits. If you only need financial assistance to pay your back rent, you will need to provide a copy of your judgement, and fill out the application located here. If you have children enrolled in Baltimore City schools, you may also qualify for ...
Maryland Homeowners and Renters Tax Credit Deadline
The deadline to apply for the Maryland Homeowners’ and Renters’ Tax Credit Programs is October first! These programs, offered by the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), provide financial relief to eligible households based on income and property value. With rising costs for utilities, housing, groceries, and other basic expenses—exacerbated by recent federal policy changes that may limit support programs—these tax credits are more important than ever. They provide critical relief for Maryland families, especially older adults, renters, and low- to moderate-income households, by helping to offset monthly utility bills, reduce housing costs, and stretch household budgets. For many, ...