Are you up to Date on Landlord Rental Laws in Maryland?

 

Are you up to date on the latest MD rental laws? See below for more information:

 

State of Maryland Renters’ Rights and Stabilization Act

 

Effective October 1, 2024, for any tenant-occupied rental property for residential use with three or fewer individual dwelling units, a tenant who has occupied a residential rental property for at least 6 months and who is named as the tenant in a written Lease must be given a written notice of the tenants right to make an offer for the purchase of the property. This notice must be given to the Tenant before a residential property can be offered for sale to the public, including through a listing for sale. The new law does provide certain exemptions, but for the traditional listing and sale, the notice and opportunity to purchase requirements will likely apply. The tenant will have 30 days after receipt of the notice to deliver a written offer to purchase the property. This means that the tenant will have an exclusive time period to negotiate with the owner. If the tenant elects not to negotiate with the Owner, and then the Owner lowers the price for third parties, the tenant gets a right of first refusal on the new lower price.

-The rights of the tenant may not be waived, and this new State law preempts or supersedes any local law of ordinance governing rights of first refusal.

-An owner of a residential property who violates this new law is subject to a fine of no more than $1000 per violation.

 

Frederick City/Hagerstown City Rental Licensing

 

Frederick City Limits:

Ordinance Requirements: Under the Rental Licensing Ordinance, rental units are mandated to meet specific standards, ensuring the safety, health, and comfort of tenants. To maintain transparency and accountability, random building inspections by our dedicated Code Enforcement team will be carried out with a 30-day notice to landlords. Additionally, landlords are required to have local representatives for their properties, fostering better communication and faster issue resolution.

Licensing: A license fee of $240.00 per unit is applicable, and each license is valid for two years. It's now easier than ever to register online; simply visit frederickmd.gov/rentals to get started.

 

Hagerstown City Limits:

To register, property owners must submit:

A fully completed, signed application, including a supplemental lead paint form.

A nonrefundable annual license fee of $75 per rental unit.

Exceptions

-New construction, within the first four years following the issuance of the Use and Occupancy permit

-“Owners-plus-one”, which are rental facilities where a portion of the premises is owner-occupied and said premises contain no more than one rental unit.

-Rental facilities owned and operated by Hagerstown Housing Authority

-Single unit rental properties occupied by tenants who are related within a certain degree to the owner are exempt from paying the application fee, but still must register. These exempt tenants are: parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, and siblings, whether naturally, step, or in-law.

 

Register here: https://www.hagerstownmd.org/FormCenter/Code-Administration-2/Rental-License-Application-126

 

Maryland Lead Paint Registration

Who Needs to Register?

 

Residential rental properties built before 1978 are required to be registered and then renew​​ed annually with Maryland Department of the Environment.

Residential rental properties built after 1977 and properties that have a passing Lead Free inspection certificate are exempt.

 

To order your inspection/ lead-free certification, here are a few recommendations:

 

Allsafe Lead Inspections

Paul Rodberg

301-701-2500

paul@allsafeleadinspections.com

allsafeleadinspections.com

 

Alban Inspections

301-662-6565

info@albaninspect.com

albaninspect.com

 

To check if your property is up to date on registration, click here: https://mdolrr.mde.state.md.us/CustomPages/PublicOLRRSearch.aspx

Register your property here: https://mdolrr.mde.state.md.us/CustomPages/UserLoginPage.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2f

 

 

Additional!! Landlords and Tenants: Tips on Avoiding Disputes

Click here: https://www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/Pages/CPD/landlords.aspx