Maryland Tenant Advocacy and Maryland Renters Rights
Act Now! Protect Debtors, Homeowners, and Tenants This Legislative Session!
Monday, March 23 is crossover day for Maryland’s General Assembly. This means that legislation needs to pass out of one chamber and cross to the opposite chamber by midnight on that date to have a good chance of passing this legislative session. Almost all of the bill hearings are done, so the next few days are crucial. Advocates are racing to ensure priority legislation makes it onto committee voting lists, moves out of committee, and passes on the House or Senate floor. All the while, monied interests are working hard to ensure bills die in committee, are weakened to the ...
Housing Services
Maryland Housing ServicesWe work to ensure Maryland tenants and homeowners are living in safe and healthy housing, free from discrimination, by providing Maryland tenants and landlords with free information about their rights and responsibilities on the following topics:Lease reviewsEviction Notification and Procedure, Illegal EvictionNonpayment of Rent (Please note: We do not provide financial assistance.)Code Enforcement, including licenses and inspectionsSubstandard or Unsafe Housing, including Denial of Essential Services (heat, water, stove, etc.)Security DepositsRent EscrowLead PaintFederal, State, and Local Fair Housing Laws, including Source of Income DiscriminationDisability DiscriminationEmotional Support Animals and Service AnimalsWe can also provide referrals to legal service providers, or ...
Keep People Housed — Take Action to Pass Key Reforms in 2026!
This past weekend marked the halfway point in Maryland’s 90-day legislative session. As we cross that benchmark, another, more critical deadline looms: March 23. This is crossover day, which means a bill has to have passed out of one chamber and crossed over to the opposite chamber to have a good chance to make it across the finish line this session. Several critical housing bills haven’t been voted on, and we need your help to get them on the vote lists and out of committee as the clock ticks down. Take action today! Corporate landlords and property managers are trying ...
Guide to Fair Housing for Maryland Landlords
Written by our Fair Housing Manager, LaToya McKay, A Guide to Fair Housing for Maryland landlords is now available on our website, at no charge. The guide will assist landlords with all phases of the tenancy process: Advertising, Application, Choosing a Tenant, and During the Tenancy. There's also a handy income and affordability calculation method to screen tenants with Housing Choice Vouchers or other forms of housing assistance. You'll learn more about Federal fair housing law, Maryland fair housing law, and we've included a handy cheat sheet that shows all of the Federal, state, and local protected classes. You can ...
Take Action — Stop Rent Price Fixing in Maryland!
We believe that everyone has the right to safe, affordable housing. For far too many renters across Maryland, prices are out of control. One reason: private equity firms are working with landlords to stack the deck against hard-working Maryland tenants. Private equity firms are using technology to fix prices to squeeze every dollar from renters to increase millionaires' profits. Technology is used to collect data on rental prices and each day it recommends a new price for each empty rental unit using private data. This drives up prices and means one renter may pay a lot more for their apartment ...
Take Action to Protect Tenants! Close the HOME Act Loophole!
Housing vouchers and other rental assistance programs are a lifeline for families struggling to pay their rent. In 2020, Maryland passed the Housing Opportunities Made Equal Act, which added Source of Income to the list of protected classes in Maryland. The HOME Act was intended to ensure that landlords do not discriminate against tenants who use these rental assistance programs. Some landlords are exploiting a loophole to the HOME Act and use credit history or income information to refuse to rent to voucher holders. Applying credit and income-based screens to families participating in housing assistance programs is neither relevant nor ...
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
While we do not provide financial assistance for eviction prevention, we're making sure tenants have up to date information on resources that can help. From the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development: To qualify for assistance from the eviction prevention 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 ...
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 ...