Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB817 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	hb0817
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 817
8	8	N1, I3 5lr2024
9	9	CF SB 609
10	10	By: Delegates Palakovich Carr and Stewart
11	11	Introduced and read first time: January 29, 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	Residential Leases – Use of Algorithmic Device by Landlord to Determine Rent – 2
19	19	Prohibition 3
20	20
21	21	FOR the purpose of prohibiting a landlord from using certain algorithmic devices to 4
22	22	determine the amount of rent to charge a residential tenant; making a violation of 5
23	23	this Act an unfair, abusive, or deceptive trade practice under the Maryland 6
24	24	Consumer Protection Act; and generally relating to a prohibition against the use of 7
25	25	certain technology by landlords to determine rent prices. 8
26	26
27	27	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 9
28	28	Article – Commercial Law 10
29	29	Section 13–301(14)(xlii) 11
30	30	Annotated Code of Maryland 12
31	31	(2013 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 13
32	32
33	33	BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 14
34	34	Article – Commercial Law 15
35	35	Section 13–301(14)(xliii) 16
36	36	Annotated Code of Maryland 17
37	37	(2013 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 18
38	38
39	39	BY adding to 19
40	40	Article – Commercial Law 20
41	41	Section 13–301(14)(xliv) 21
42	42	Annotated Code of Maryland 22
43	43	(2013 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 23
44	44
45	45	BY adding to 24
46	46	Article – Real Property 25
47	47	Section 8–220 26
48	48	Annotated Code of Maryland 27 2 HOUSE BILL 817
49	49
50	50
51	51	(2023 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 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 – Commercial Law 4
57	57
58	58	13–301. 5
59	59
60	60	Unfair, abusive, or deceptive trade practices include any: 6
61	61
62	62	(14) Violation of a provision of: 7
63	63
64	64	(xlii) Section 12–6C–09.1 of the Health Occupations Article; [or] 8
65	65
66	66	(xliii) Title 14, Subtitle 48 of this article; or 9
67	67
68	68	(XLIV) SECTION 8–220 OF THE REAL PROPERTY ARTICLE; 10
69	69	OR 11
70	70
71	71	Article – Real Property 12
72	72
73	73	8–220. 13
74	74
75	75	(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE F OLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 14
76	76	INDICATED. 15
77	77
78	78	(2) (I) “ALGORITHMIC DEVICE ” MEANS A DEVICE THAT USES ONE 16
79	79	OR MORE ALGORITHMS T O PERFORM CALCULATIO NS OF DATA, INCLUDING DATA 17
80	80	CONCERNING LOCAL OR STATEWIDE RENT AMOUN TS BEING CHARGED TO TENANTS 18
81	81	BY LANDLORDS , TO ADVISE A LANDLORD ON THE AMOUNT OF RENT T HAT THE 19
82	82	LANDLORD MAY CONSIDER CHA RGING A TENANT . 20
83	83
84	84	(II) “ALGORITHMIC DEVICE ” INCLUDES A PRODUCT T HAT 21
85	85	INCORPORATES AN ALGO RITHMIC DEVICE . 22
86	86
87	87	(III) “ALGORITHMIC DEVICE ” DOES NOT INCLUDE : 23
88	88
89	89	1. A PERIODIC REPORT PUBLISHED NO T MORE 24
90	90	FREQUENTLY THAN ONCE PER MONTH BY A TRADE ASS OCIATION THAT RECEIV ES 25
91	91	RENTER DATA AND PUBL ISHES IT IN AN AGGRE GATED AND ANONYMOUS MANNER; 26
92	92	OR 27
93	93
94	94	2. A PRODUCT USED FOR THE PURPOSE OF 28
95	95	ESTABLISHING RENT OR INCOME LIMITS IN ACC ORDANCE WITH THE AFF ORDABLE 29 HOUSE BILL 817 3
96	96
97	97
98	98	HOUSING PROGRAM GUID ELINES OF A LOCAL GOVERNMENT , THE STATE, THE 1
99	99	FEDERAL GOVERNMENT , OR ANOTHER POLITICAL SUBD IVISION. 2
100	100
101	101	(3) (I) “NONPUBLIC COMPETITOR DATA” MEANS INFORMATION 3
102	102	THAT IS: 4
103	103
104	104	1. NOT WIDELY AVAILABLE OR EASILY ACCESSIBLE TO 5
105	105	THE PUBLIC REGARDLES S OF WHETHER THE INFORMATIO N IS ATTRIBUTABLE TO A 6
106	106	SPECIFIC COMPETITOR OR ANONYMIZED ; AND 7
107	107
108	108	2. DERIVED FROM OR OTHER WISE PROVIDED TO A 8
109	109	PERSON BY ANOTHER PERSON TH AT COMPETES IN THE S AME MARKET AS THE 9
110	110	PERSON, OR IN A RELATED MARKET . 10
111	111
112	112	(II) “NONPUBLIC COMPETITOR DATA” INCLUDES INFORMATION 11
113	113	REGARDING: 12
114	114
115	115	1. ACTUAL RENT PRICES ; 13
116	116
117	117	2. OCCUPANCY RATES ; 14
118	118
119	119	3. LEASE START AND END D ATES; AND 15
120	120
121	121	4. OTHER SIMILAR INFORMATION . 16
122	122
123	123	(4) “RENT” MEANS THE TOTAL AMOU NT OF RENT, INCLUDING ANY 17
124	124	CONCESSIONS AND FEES , THAT A RESIDENTIAL T ENANT IS REQUIRED TO PAY UNDER 18
125	125	A LEASE AGREEMENT . 19
126	126
127	127	(B) IN SETTING THE AMOUNT OF RENT TO BE CHARGE D FOR THE LEASE OF 20
128	128	RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY, INCLUDING DETERMININ G ANY CHANGE IN RENT TO BE 21
129	129	CHARGED FOR THE RENE WAL OF A LEASE, A LANDLORD MAY NOT EMPLOY, USE, OR 22
130	130	RELY ON, OR CAUSE ANOTHER TO EMPLOY, USE, OR RELY ON, AN ALGORITHMIC 23
131	131	DEVICE THAT USES , INCORPORATES , OR WAS TRAINED WITH NONPUBLIC 24
132	132	COMPETITOR DATA . 25
133	133
134	134	(C) A VIOLATION OF THIS SE CTION IS: 26
135	135
136	136	(1) AN UNFAIR, ABUSIVE, OR DECEPTIVE TRADE P RACTICE WITHIN 27
137	137	THE MEANING OF TITLE 13 OF THE COMMERCIAL LAW ARTICLE; AND 28
138	138
139	139	(2) SUBJECT TO THE ENFORC EMENT AND PENALTY PR OVISIONS 29
140	140	CONTAINED IN TITLE 13 OF THE COMMERCIAL LAW ARTICLE. 30 4 HOUSE BILL 817
141	141
142	142
143	143
144	144	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall be construed to 1
145	145	apply only prospectively and may not be applied or interpreted to have any effect on or 2
146	146	application to any landlord’s calculation of the amount of rent that the landlord charges for 3
147	147	the occupancy of a residential property under a rental agreement that is executed before 4
148	148	the effective date of this Act. 5
149	149
150	150	SECTION 3. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effec t 6
151	151	October 1, 2025. 7