Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB1177 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	hb1177
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 1177
8	8	N1, I3 5lr3176
9	9
10	10	By: Delegates Hill, Acevero, Kaufman, Patterson, Ruth, and Woorman
11	11	Introduced and read first time: February 6, 2025
12	12	Assigned to: 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 – Tenant Repair and Maintenance Complaint Hotline – 2
19	19	Establishment 3
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of requiring the Attorney General to establish a certain toll–free hotline 4
22	22	for certain tenant complaints concerning repair and maintenance; authorizing the 5
23	23	Office of the Attorney General to take certain actions under certain circumstances; 6
24	24	and generally relating to a hotline for tenant repair and maintenance complaints. 7
25	25
26	26	BY adding to 8
27	27	Article – Real Property 9
28	28	Section 8–504 10
29	29	Annotated Code of Maryland 11
30	30	(2023 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 12
31	31
32	32	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 13
33	33	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 14
34	34
35	35	Article – Real Property 15
36	36
37	37	8–504. 16
38	38
39	39	(A) THE ATTORNEY GENERAL SHALL ESTABLI SH A TOLL–FREE HOTLINE 17
40	40	TO: 18
41	41
42	42	(1) ALLOW A TENANT TO REPORT A COMPLAINT RELATED TO REPAIRS 19
43	43	AND MAINTENANCE OF RESIDENTIAL REAL PROPERTY, INCLUDING RESIDENTIA L 20
44	44	REAL PROPERTY OWNED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT , THE STATE, OR A LOCAL 21
45	45	GOVERNMENT ; AND 22
46	46
47	47	(2) ALLOW A TENANT TO REPORT A COMPLAIN T ANONYMOUSLY . 23 2 HOUSE BILL 1177
48	48
49	49
50	50
51	51	(B) AFTER REVIEW OF A COMPLAINT REPORTED UNDER SUBSE CTION (A) OF 1
52	52	THIS SECTION, THE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL MAY: 2
53	53
54	54	(1) REFER A TENANT TO THE MARYLAND LEGAL SERVICES 3
55	55	CORPORATION OR OTHER LEGAL SERVI CES ENTITY; 4
56	56
57	57	(2) REPORT VIOLATIONS FOR LOCAL CODE ENFORCEME NT; OR 5
58	58
59	59	(3) BRING AN ACTION IN AN APPROPRIATE CO URT TO: 6
60	60
61	61	(I) RECOVER FOR INJURY OR LOSS S USTAINED AS A RESULT OF 7
62	62	A VIOLATION OF THIS TITLE; AND 8
63	63
64	64	(II) SEEK EQUITABLE RELIEF FOR THE TENANT. 9
65	65
66	66	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That, on or before February 1, 10
67	67	2026, 2027, 2028, 2029, and 2030, the Office of the Attorney General shall report to the 11
68	68	Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee and the House Environment and Transportation 12
69	69	Committee, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, for the 13
70	70	immediately preceding calendar year, on the hotline established under § 8–504 of the Real 14
71	71	Property Article, as enacted by Section 1 of this Act, including: 15
72	72
73	73	(1) the total number of complaints reported by tenants using the hotline; 16
74	74
75	75	(2) to the extent available, the number of complaints received 17
76	76	disaggregated by: 18
77	77
78	78	(i) county or geographical region; 19
79	79
80	80	(ii) racial and ethnic background; 20
81	81
82	82	(iii) age range; and 21
83	83
84	84	(iv) type of complaint; 22
85	85
86	86	(3) the average time to resolution for complaints received; and 23
87	87
88	88	(4) any complaint patterns identified by the Office, including 24
89	89	disproportionate numbers of complaints against a particular housing management agency, 25
90	90	landlord, or umbrella property management group. 26
91	91
92	92	SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 27
93	93	October 1, 2025. 28