(Links open a PDF version of the bill text).
HB 932/ SB 592: This emergency bill goes into effect immediately and affects renters with failure to pay rent judgments entered against them. While renters can generally stay in their homes if they pay off rent owed plus late fees, this law clarifies that this right to redemption still exists when the payment is a check issued by a government, like rental assistance payments.
HB 824: This law requires Maryland courts to collect and share eviction data. This will simplify identifying eviction patterns and cast some light on the eviction legal system. The law takes effect January 1, 2023.
HB 521: Eviction filings can haunt renters for years, making it difficult to find safe, affordable housing. This issue grew worse when millions couldn’t pay their rent because of the pandemic. This law will allow renters to shield eviction filings that resulted in failure to pay rent if the failure to pay rent was due to a loss of income arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic and no judgment was entered in favor of a landlord. The law takes effect October 1, 2022.
HB 174: Lead paint is a scourge. It causes lifelong injury for children poisoned by the homes they live in. The law will allow renters to raise a landlord’s failure to provide required lead safety information as an issue in Failure to Pay Rent hearings. The law takes effect October 1, 2023.