Maryland 2023 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB882 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	hb0882
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 882
8	8	N1 3lr2071
9	9	CF SB 770
10	10	By: Delegate Smith
11	11	Introduced and read first time: February 9, 2023
12	12	Assigned to: Judiciary and Environment and Transportation
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Landlord and Tenant – Holding Over – Landlord Restrictions and Tenant 2
19	19	Remedies 3
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of establishing that the District Court has exclusive original civil 4
22	22	jurisdiction over certain residential eviction cases; clarifying that a tenant holding 5
23	23	over may file a petition for injunctive relief under certain circumstances; authorizing 6
24	24	a landlord in Baltimore City to take possession of a dwelling only under certain 7
25	25	circumstances; providing that this Act may not be construed to prohibit a landlord 8
26	26	in Baltimore City from taking certain measures to secure an unsecured premises if 9
27	27	the landlord makes a good faith attempt to provide certain notice and promptly 10
28	28	restores possession of the property to the tenant; authorizing certain tenant’s rights 11
29	29	in Baltimore City to be enforced by injunctive relief; and generally relating to tenant 12
30	30	and landlord rights. 13
31	31
32	32	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 14
33	33	Article – Courts and Judicial Proceedings 15
34	34	Section 4–401(7) 16
35	35	Annotated Code of Maryland 17
36	36	(2020 Replacement Volume and 2022 Supplement) 18
37	37
38	38	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 19
39	39	Article – Real Property 20
40	40	Section 8–216 21
41	41	Annotated Code of Maryland 22
42	42	(2015 Replacement Volume and 2022 Supplement) 23
43	43
44	44	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 24
45	45	The Public Local Laws of Baltimore City 25
46	46	Section 9–15 26
47	47	Article 4 – Public Local Laws of Maryland 27
48	48	(1979 Edition and 1997 Supplement and 2000 Supplement, as amended) 28 2 HOUSE BILL 882
49	49
50	50
51	51	(As enacted by Chapters 637 and 638 of the Acts of the General Assembly of 2018) 1
52	52
53	53	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 2
54	54	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 3
55	55
56	56	Article – Courts and Judicial Proceedings 4
57	57
58	58	4–401. 5
59	59
60	60	Except as provided in § 4–402 of this subtitle, and subject to the venue provisions of 6
61	61	Title 6 of this article, the District Court has exclusive original civil jurisdiction in: 7
62	62
63	63	(7) A petition of injunction filed by: 8
64	64
65	65	(i) A tenant in an action under § 8–211 of the Real Property Article 9
66	66	or a local rent escrow law; [or] 10
67	67
68	68	(ii) A person who brings an action under § 14–120, § 14–125.1, or § 11
69	69	14–125.2 of the Real Property Article; OR 12
70	70
71	71	(III) A TENANT IN AN ACTION FOR INJUNCTI VE RELIEF OR 13
72	72	DAMAGES UNDER : 14
73	73
74	74	1. § 8–216 OF THE REAL PROPERTY ARTICLE; OR 15
75	75
76	76	2. A LOCAL LAW GOVERNING THE EVICTIONS OF 16
77	77	RESIDENTIAL TENANTS ; 17
78	78
79	79	Article – Real Property 18
80	80
81	81	8–216. 19
82	82
83	83	(a) (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated. 20
84	84
85	85	(2) “Threaten to take possession” means using words or actions intended to 21
86	86	convince a reasonable person that the landlord intends to take imminent possession of the 22
87	87	property in violation of this section. 23
88	88
89	89	(3) (i) “Willful diminution of services” means intentionally interrupting 24
90	90	or causing the interruption of heat, running water, hot water, electricity, or gas by the 25
91	91	landlord for the purpose of forcing a tenant to abandon the property. 26
92	92
93	93	(ii) “Willful diminution of services” does not include a landlord 27
94	94	choosing not to continue to pay for utility service for residential property after a final court 28
95	95	order awarding possession of the residential property, if the landlord has provided the 29 HOUSE BILL 882 3
96	96
97	97
98	98	tenant reasonable notice of the landlord’s intention and the opportunity for the tenant to 1
99	99	open an account in the tenant’s name for that service. 2
100	100
101	101	(b) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection, a landlord may 3
102	102	not take possession or threaten to take possession of a dwelling unit from a tenant or tenant 4
103	103	holding over by locking the tenant out or any other action, including willful diminution of 5
104	104	services to the tenant. 6
105	105
106	106	(2) A landlord may take possession of a dwelling unit from a tenant or 7
107	107	tenant holding over only: 8
108	108
109	109	(i) In accordance with a warrant of restitution issued by a court and 9
110	110	executed by a sheriff or constable; or 10
111	111
112	112	(ii) If the tenant has abandoned or surrendered possession of the 11
113	113	dwelling unit. 12
114	114
115	115	(c) (1) If in any proceeding the court finds in favor of the tenant because the 13
116	116	landlord violated subsection (b) of this section, the tenant may recover: 14
117	117
118	118	(i) Actual damages; and 15
119	119
120	120	(ii) Reasonable attorney’s fees and costs. 16
121	121
122	122	(2) IN ADDITION TO ANY OT HER RELIEF SOUGHT , THE TENANT MAY 17
123	123	FILE A PETITION FOR INJUNCTIVE RELIE F. 18
124	124
125	125	[(2)] (3) The remedies set forth in this subsection are not exclusive. 19
126	126
127	127	(d) This section may not be construed to prevent a landlord from taking 20
128	128	temporary measures, including changing the locks, to secure an unsecured residential 21
129	129	property, if the landlord makes good faith attempts to provide reasonable notice to the 22
130	130	tenant that the tenant may promptly be restored to possession of the property. 23
131	131
132	132	Article 4 – Baltimore City 24
133	133
134	134	9–15. 25
135	135
136	136	(a) (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated. 26
137	137
138	138	(2) “Agent” means any authorized individual or business acting on behalf 27
139	139	of [an owner] A LANDLORD . 28
140	140
141	141	(3) “Landlord” means [an owner of real property located within Baltimore 29
142	142	City, an agent of the owner, or an operator who promises] AN INDIVIDUAL OR BUS INESS 30 4 HOUSE BILL 882
143	143
144	144
145	145	THAT AGREES to lease all or any portion of a property to another person for the person’s 1
146	146	RESIDENTIAL use, in exchange for an agreed upon amount of money [or services]. 2
147	147
148	148	(4) “Lease” means any oral or written agreement, express or implied, 3
149	149	creating a landlord and tenant relationship, including any sublease, that grants the tenant 4
150	150	the RESIDENTIAL use of the landlord’s property for a given period of time in exchange for 5
151	151	rent in the form of money [or services]. 6
152	152
153	153	(5) “Operator” means any person who has charge, care, or control of all or 7
154	154	any portion of a structure or premises on behalf of the [owner] LANDLORD . 8
155	155
156	156	(6) “Tenant” means any person who has been given the right to use or 9
157	157	occupy RESIDENTIAL rental property through a lease agreement. 10
158	158
159	159	(b) A LANDLORD MA Y TAKE POSSESSION OF A DWELLING FROM A TE NANT 11
160	160	OR TENANT HOLDING OV ER ONLY: 12
161	161
162	162	(1) IN ACCORDANCE WITH A WARRANT OF RESTITUTI ON ISSUED BY A 13
163	163	COURT AND EXECUTED B Y A SHERIFF OR CONST ABLE; OR 14
164	164
165	165	(2) IF THE TENANT HAS ABANDONED O R SURRENDERED POSSES SION 15
166	166	OF THE DWELLING UNIT. 16
167	167
168	168	(C) (1) An agent, a landlord, or an operator may not: 17
169	169
170	170	[(1)] (I) falsely make any representation or statement required by 18
171	171	Sections 9–2, 9–3, 9–12, 9–13, 9–14, 9–15, and 9–19 and Article 13, § 8A–2 of the Baltimore 19
172	172	City Code to be given; 20
173	173
174	174	[(2)] (II) falsely make any representation or statement in connection with 21
175	175	the giving of the notice or complaint required by Sections 9–2, 9–3, 9–12, 9–13, 9–14, 9–15, 22
176	176	and 9–19 and Article 13, § 8A–2 of the Baltimore City Code to be given; 23
177	177
178	178	[(3)] (III) falsely make any representation or statement at, during or in 24
179	179	connection with any proceeding for the enforcement of any rights for the speedy recovery of 25
180	180	lands or tenements held over by tenants; 26
181	181
182	182	[(4)] (IV) in an attempt to circumvent the protection accorded tenants by 27
183	183	Sections 9–2, 9–3, 9–12, 9–13, 9–14, 9–15, and 9–19 and Article 13, § 8A–2 of the Baltimore 28
184	184	City Code, willfully deprive a tenant of ingress to or egress from [his] THE dwelling; or 29
185	185
186	186	[(5)] (V) without the consent of the tenant, intentionally: 30
187	187
188	188	[(i)] 1. interrupt, terminate, or diminish, any utility service 31
189	189	furnished to the tenant, including, but not limited to, water, heat, light, electricity, gas, 32 HOUSE BILL 882 5
190	190
191	191
192	192	elevator, or similar services to which under the expressed or implied terms of the tenancy 1
193	193	the tenant may be entitled; 2
194	194
195	195	[(ii)] 2. remove furnishings, cooking facilities, appliances, or 3
196	196	similar items to which under the express or implied terms of the tenancy the tenant may 4
197	197	be entitled; 5
198	198
199	199	[(iii)] 3. prevent the tenant from gaining reasonable access to the 6
200	200	property by changing the locks and failing to provide the tenant with new keys; 7
201	201
202	202	[(iv)] 4. remove outside doors or windows; or 8
203	203
204	204	[(v)] 5. remove from the premises the tenant’s personal property, 9
205	205	furnishings, or any other items. 10
206	206
207	207	(2) THIS SECTION MAY NOT BE CONSTRUED TO PREV ENT A 11
208	208	LANDLORD FROM TAKING TEMPORARY MEASURES , INCLUDING CHANGING T HE 12
209	209	LOCKS, TO SECURE AN UNSECUR ED RESIDENTIAL PROPE RTY, IF THE LANDLORD 13
210	210	MAKES A GOOD FAITH ATTEMPT T O PROVIDE REASONABLE NOTICE TO THE TENANT 14
211	211	AND RESTORES POSSESSION OF THE PR OPERTY TO THE TENANT PROMPT LY. 15
212	212
213	213	[(c)] (D) An agent, a landlord, or an operator who violates this section is guilty 16
214	214	of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, is subject to a fine not exceeding $500 and 17
215	215	imprisonment of not more than ten (10) days, or both, in the discretion of the court, for each 18
216	216	and every offense. 19
217	217
218	218	(E) A TENANT’S RIGHTS UNDER THIS SECTION MAY BE ENFOR CED BY 20
219	219	INJUNCTIVE RELIEF . 21
220	220
221	221	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 22
222	222	October 1, 2023. 23