SB 937, the Maryland Fair Chance Housing Act, prohibits landlords from requiring or considering a prospective tenant's criminal history before making a rental offer. Landlords may only review criminal history after extending a conditional offer and must allow tenants to provide evidence about inaccuracies, rehabilitation, or mitigating factors. The bill also bans upfront criminal history checks, restricts discriminatory housing ads, and makes violations enforceable under Maryland's consumer protection laws. It directly affects all residential landlords and tenants with past criminal records in Maryland.
SB 941 requires Maryland's Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), working with the Attorney General, to create a plan identifying rental properties with chronic health and safety violations (like repeated code failures, unsafe conditions, or negligent landlords). The plan must establish methods for reporting such properties (via tenants, local agencies, or tenant groups) and outline specific interventions, including fines, legal actions, tenant escrow accounts, required repair deadlines, and temporary relocation for unsafe units. It mandates DHCD submit this plan and recommendations to the Governor and legislature by August 31, 2027. The bill directly affects tenants living in unsafe housing and landlords operating noncompliant properties.
HB 1249 prohibits certified recovery residences in Maryland from refusing services to individuals receiving medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder or requiring them to stop or change their MAT as a condition for housing. The bill amends certification standards for recovery residences (which provide non-clinical housing for people with substance use disorders) to ensure credentialing entities cannot allow such discrimination. It directly affects certified recovery residences and individuals using MAT for opioid addiction, requiring certification rules to explicitly ban these practices. The law takes effect October 1, 2026, and applies only to opioid use disorder treatment under MAT.
HB 1218 requires Maryland's Department of Housing and Community Development (specifically its Office of Tenant and Landlord Affairs) to develop a plan identifying rental properties with repeated health and safety violations (like chronic code failures, severe distress, or unaddressed hazards) and to outline interventions for landlords. The plan must establish how to identify these properties (via tenant reports, local agencies, or tenant groups), detail specific actions like fines, corrective deadlines, mandatory repairs, pest control, and temporary tenant relocation, and include recommendations for legal changes. It mandates the department submit this plan to the Governor and General Assembly by August 31, 2027, after which the bill expires on December 31, 2027. This directly affects tenants living in unsafe housing and negligent landlords of multi-unit rentals.
HB 1490 modifies Maryland's Family Investment Program to protect individuals receiving Temporary Cash Assistance from losing benefits due to noncooperation with child support. It establishes specific "good cause" exceptions - such as domestic violence, homelessness, housing crises, child care barriers, or situations where cooperation would harm a child (e.g., incest, rape, or pending adoption) - that prevent the Department of Human Services from denying, reducing, or terminating assistance. The bill requires the Secretary to define these criteria and allows individuals to prove good cause through a simple oral or written statement, without needing written evidence, third-party verification, or paying for notarization. This directly affects low-income families navigating child support requirements while maintaining access to critical cash aid.
SB 12 requires landlords to provide air-conditioning in most residential rental units during summer months (June 1-September 30) to maintain indoor temperatures at or below 80°F. It applies to apartment buildings with four or more units, excluding historic properties, buildings constructed between 1940-1950, and specific Baltimore public housing units. Landlords must ensure AC systems are functional for tenant-controlled units or maintain temperature limits for landlord-controlled systems. New constructions must comply starting June 1, 2026, while renovated units with major electrical or heating upgrades must comply starting October 1, 2026. The law does not affect buildings with permits issued before the law’s effective date.
HB 168 allows Maryland school districts to use state housing funds for developing housing specifically for teachers and school staff (called "educator workforce housing"). It explicitly states that such housing qualifies as an eligible use of state financial assistance under housing programs and ensures teachers are recognized as a "specified group" for federal low-income housing tax credits. The bill modifies existing laws to clarify that school districts can repurpose unused school properties for this housing and that state housing agencies must inform applicants about this eligibility. This directly affects school districts seeking to address housing needs for educators and teachers applying for federal housing tax credits.
HB 315 prohibits landlords from refusing to rent to potential tenants who pay rent using income-based housing subsidies (like federal vouchers) based on the tenant's income, credit score, or past credit issues that occurred before they received the subsidy. It directly affects landlords and tenants using such subsidies, making refusal a discriminatory housing practice enforceable by the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights. The bill includes an exception allowing landlords who receive funding requiring income qualification (e.g., for income-restricted housing) to collect financial information as a condition of that funding.
SB 325, the Maryland Housing Certainty Act, requires local governments and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission to base housing development approvals solely on land use rules in effect when a developer submits a complete application. It grants developers "vested rights" protecting approved projects from future rule changes for a set period and prohibits collecting development taxes or impact fees before construction is finished. The bill directly affects housing developers seeking permits and local regulatory agencies managing land use. It creates a new "Maryland Housing Certainty Act" section in state law to formalize these protections and fee restrictions.
This bill prohibits landlords from refusing to rent to potential tenants who use income-based housing subsidies (like federal housing vouchers) based on the tenant's income, credit score, or past credit history that occurred before they received the subsidy. It directly affects landlords and tenants using such subsidies, ensuring they cannot be discriminated against for relying on government assistance to pay rent. The law amends Maryland's housing discrimination statutes to clarify that such refusals constitute a discriminatory practice enforceable by the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights, with a limited exception for properties receiving funding that requires income verification for tenant eligibility.
