Maryland Housing Services
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 law. You'll find lots of tips and tricks for finding a rental property, navigating the lease and regulations, how to investigate the landlord, and more. Go here to download any of our landlord-tenant or Fair Housing publications and fact sheets, including our updated Tenant Guide and our Guide to Fair Housing for Maryland Landlords.
Housing Services
Maryland Housing Services We 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 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 Federal, State, and Local Fair Housing Laws, including Source of Income Discrimination Disability Discrimination Emotional Support ...
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 ...
Maryland Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Tenants Using Housing Vouchers
Earlier this year, the Maryland Attorney General asked the Maryland Supreme Court to protect housing voucher recipients from income-based discrimination, via an amicus brief filed in March. In July of this year, the Maryland Supreme Court issued a judgement in favor of the tenant. The case began when a tenant named Katrina Hare tried to obtain housing in a Baltimore County apartment complex owned by David S. Brown Enterprises. The company implemented an income requirement, and did not use the accepted income calculations that take into account the client's voucher amount. As a result, Ms. Hare was denied housing because ...