Montgomery County Council passes renters' rights bill

ROCKVILLE, Md. - The Montgomery County Council has unanimously passed the Consumer Protection for Renters Act, a bill designed to hold landlords more accountable for housing code violations.

The new legislation closes a loophole in the county’s consumer protection law that previously exempted landlord-tenant disputes, says FOX 5’s Maureen Umeh. This left tenants with limited options when landlords failed to address housing code violations.

Montgomery County strengthens renters' rights 

What we know:

Under the new law, the county is empowered to take legal action against landlords who repeatedly fail to address housing code violations. Councilmember Kristin Mink, who sponsored the bill, emphasized the importance of protecting tenants' rights, noting that rental housing is often a tenant's largest expense.

She noted that tenants previously had limited recourse when locked into leases with landlords who consistently neglected their obligations.

The Department of Housing and Community Affairs reported that in fiscal year 2024, it attempted to recover over $1.5 million in unpaid fines through district court but collected just over $100,000. The new legislation enables the county to bring cases to circuit court, addressing patterns of deceptive practices more effectively.

New legislation targets housing code violations

According to officials, most landlords comply with the law. This legislation targets those who delay fixing housing code violations or engage in deceptive trade practices.

"In a county where 400,000 people are living in rental housing, even if a small number are not doing the right thing, it's thousands of residents," co-sponsor Will Jawando stated. "So, hopefully this will be another way once we figure out the administrability of it, to make sure that folks have habitable housing."

The bill received broad support from a coalition of community and nonprofit organizations, including Action in Montgomery, SEIU Local 500, and CASA.