Tenant Advocacy
Our tenant advocates advance housing justice in Maryland through direct service, research, and advocacy. Services include assistance with landlord-tenant issues and tenants’ rights information and education.
If you are a tenant and you are being evicted for failure to pay your rent, please call 211 and ask for the Coordinated Eviction Prevention Intake/ACE Program.
Our landlord-tenant work is unique in that we provide Maryland landlords and tenants statewide with free information about their rights and responsibilities on the following topics:
- Lease reviews
- Eviction Notification and Procedure, Illegal Eviction
- Nonpayment of Rent (Please note: We do not provide financial assistance.)
- Code Enforcement, including licenses and inspections
- Substandard or Unsafe Housing, including Denial of Essential Services (heat, water, stove, etc.)
- Security Deposits
- Rent Escrow
- Lead paint
We can also provide referrals to legal service providers, or other agencies or organizations that could be of assistance to Maryland renters. If you are a tenant or a landlord, and have a housing question about the above topics, or need our help with a rental issue, please use our intake form.
In addition to our hotline and online direct assistance, we publications including one-page fact sheets and our Tenant Guide for download, as self-help resources.
- If you need information on the Maryland Renters Tax Credit, please go here.
New for 2026!
Did you know that Maryland has a mold law? Go here to download our new fact sheet.
Mold can be one of the worst enemies in your home. Even if you don’t see it, mold can hide in walls, behind cabinets and appliances, or underneath linoleum or carpet. Mold can cause breathing issues and exacerbate illnesses like asthma and COPD.
You landlord has a responsibility to mitigate mold in your home, including the repair of any water leaks that allowed the mold to grow in the first place.
You have rights — get the facts!
Tenant Guide
Searching for new rental housing can be challenging under the best of circumstances.
Maryland landlords and property management companies are largely unregulated in our state. Poorly maintained housing has become the norm, after decades of racism and redlining have determined the housing outcomes for so many of our residents. Predatory landlords and real estate data firms who collude with each other to artificially inflate rental prices are making the news, tenant screening companies are committing Fair Credit Reporting Act violations, and discrimination complaints are at an all-time high.
We’ll keep fighting against predatory real estate practices! In the meantime, if you don’t know your rights, what questions to ask, and issues to consider before you sign on the dotted line, renting a property may become a financial nightmare.
You can download your free copy of the Tenant Guide here. (Link opens a PDF of the tenant guide.)
To help with various landlord-tenant issues, we’ve distilled a lot of tips and tricks into one easy-to-use guide. It includes information on:
- How to find a good rental
- How to calculate affordability
- Things to look out for when researching the landlord or management company
- What to do when something goes wrong
Baltimore City landlords need to have a current rental registration and license. Please go here to download the relevant section of Baltimore City code.
News for Maryland Tenants
Post Crossover Priorities 2026
End Unfair Debt Practices SB 939/HB1098: Increase the amount of a homeowner’s equity protected from debt collectors. Each passed their chamber of origin and need to be amended to reflect ...
Tenant Guide: Updated for 2026!
Our popular Tenant Guide has been updated for 2026, and now includes information for victims of domestic violence, the Maryland Consumer Protection Act, and information on Maryland's new mold ...
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 ...