A bill designed to defend tenants from antagonistic landlords has passed the Judicial Proceedings Committee and is on its way to the Senate floor. SB 100 Real Property – Actions to Repossess – Proof of Rental Licensure requires landlords to submit evidence of compliance with local rental property licensure requirements before repossessing certain licensed residential property.

Counties welcome the clarity and security this legislation provides, especially considering the landscape of the current housing market. At a time when residents across the State are being displaced and affordable housing remains scarce, local jurisdictions are eager to use every means at their disposal to help constituents and avoid a full-scale housing crisis.

From the MACo Testimony:

Licensing schemes for rental properties are a means for governments to ensure proper code and zoning compliance for the welfare of their communities, as well as maintain a proper record of housing needs within their jurisdiction. Allowing a complaint for repossession of a property to proceed without compliance with these licensing schemes completely undermines their validity. It would permit landlords to continue the illegal operation of residential rental properties by retaining the necessary tools of eviction and continued collection of rent by threat of eviction.

For more on MACo’s advocacy efforts during the 2023 legislative session, visit MACo’s Legislative Tracking Database.