Tenant Advocacy
The Tenant Advocacy program works to ensure Maryland renters are living in safe and healthy housing.
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.
The Tenant Advocacy program provides Maryland renters with free information about tenant rights and responsibilities, including brief landlord-tenant legal advice 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
- Denial of Essential Services (heat, water, stove, etc.)
- Security Deposits
- Rent Escrow
- Lead paint
If you are being evicted for failure to pay your rent, please call 211 and ask for the Coordinated Eviction Prevention Intake.
We can also provide referrals to legal service providers, or other agencies or organizations that could be of assistance. 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 have one-page fact sheets for download, and our comprehensive Tenant Guide, as self-help resources.
Tenant Guide
Searching for new rental housing can be challenging under the best of circumstances. However, 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