On August 1, 2018, Baltimore City’s new rental license law went into effect. What’s new? All 1-2 family and multi-family buildings must pass an inspection and hold a rental license.
All rental property operators had until January 1, 2019, to pass inspection by a state-certified Home Inspector and obtain a rental license from Baltimore Housing. The inspections are contracted and scheduled privately by the landlord. The inspector sends the results to Housing directly. These inspectors cannot be an employee of the landlord or have a financial interest in the rental property. For some parts of the inspection, the inspector might ask Baltimore Housing for further review.
The new law requires any landlord to hold a valid license for the property. It should be posted at the property. If there is no license, no rent is due.
Click on these links to find out if your landlord is licensed and what kind of issues determine whether or not a landlord is in violation of licensing law:
You can find more information about your rights as a tenant, what to do if you’re facing eviction, and how to get legal help on the BRU Tenant Resources Page.
If you think your landlord is unlicensed and/or need legal help, you can reach out to the Public Justice Center by calling (410) 625-9409. You can also find more housing resources on the PJC Website
Tell us your story! How did it go? We will be collecting stories of renters impacted by this law, good or bad. Let us know your experience by contacting us!