Baltimore’s rental scofflaws are back in the City Council’s sights, as lawmakers took another swing Tuesday at landlords who manage to rent units while dodging basic safety and licensing rules.
At a Housing & Economic Development Committee hearing, tenants walked council members through stories of busted heat, broken water service, and persistent safety problems. On the table was a new set of enforcement tools, including a court-backed receivership option for the worst offenders. The move comes after a run of inspections and complaints that, advocates argue, show city enforcement has not kept pace with the scale of problems in Baltimore’s rental stock.
The ordinance, formally titled the Rental Dwelling Health and Safety Enforcement Act (25-0141), appeared on the committee’s Feb. 24 agenda, according to the council calendar. Sponsors say the proposal is aimed at closing loopholes left by a 2019 rental licensing law and at giving the city clearer authority to confirm who actually owns and manages rental units.
What the Bill Would Do
Sponsor Councilwoman Odette Ramos says her bill would pull every rental property into the licensing net, require the Department of Housing and Community Development to audit between 100 and 200 existing licenses each year, and force full disclosure of property owners, while also setting up a registry of rental inspectors, as laid out on Councilwoman Ramos’ website. Ramos also told WBAL that the legislation would let the city seek receivership for “egregious violators” who intentionally refuse to get licensed.
Where This Fits
The bill is designed to sit on top of the broader Strengthening Renters' Safety Act that the city passed last year and that took effect on Jan. 1. That earlier law told DHCD to focus inspections on repeat-problem properties and created a flat two-year license term, according to the Baltimore Department of Housing & Community Development. Supporters say the new ordinance is meant to plug the remaining gaps, such as blocking license renewals when water bills are unpaid and tightening rules on third-party inspectors to cut down on conflicts of interest.
Tenants Say Enforcement Lags
Tenants who showed up for the hearing said the rules on paper are not yet translating into safe homes. Kylah Handy told WBAL she lost heat and hot water multiple times, moved to a new rental, then watched the furnace fail again, this time with a $600 gas and electric bill from running space heaters. The Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development estimates there are about 45,800 unlicensed rental units in the city, a number that was cited at the hearing and reported by WBAL.
Legal Tools and Next Steps
Under Ramos’ plan, receivership would let a court appoint a receiver who could bring a property into compliance and, if necessary, sell it off to a new owner. She has framed that option as a last-resort fix for landlords who “should not be doing business in Baltimore,” as detailed by WBAL. The ordinance remains in committee for now. If it advances, it will head back to the full council, then to the mayor’s desk, and DHCD would be responsible for writing the regulations and setting up the tenant complaint process, according to the council calendar.
