A coalition of housing advocates is calling on the Maryland General Assembly to pass laws that would allow Baltimore City and Maryland counties to prevent evictions without cause, and is also promoting eviction prevention programs and ensuring fair background checks for housing.
The coalition, Renters United Maryland, released its agenda as the 90-day Maryland General Assembly session gets underway this week.
“Session after session, affordable housing is discussed as if homeownership is the only solution,” said Tonia Chestnut, president of the Enclave Tenant Association, in a news release. “But renters are the backbone of our communities, and we are tired of being treated as an afterthought. At The Enclave, we see firsthand how a lack of protections allows housing conditions to deteriorate while rents continue to rise.”
Good Cause Eviction enabling legislation would allow local jurisdictions in Maryland to pass laws to prevent people from being evicted without their landlord providing a valid reason. A similar bill passed the House of Delegates in 2024, but did not receive a vote in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee in 2024 or 2025.
“There are many tenants in my complex and across Maryland who are afraid to report a leaking pipe or a lack of heat because they know a landlord can simply refuse to renew their lease without saying a word,” Chestnut said. “A ‘clean’ Good Cause bill isn’t a luxury — it is the shield our Maryland renters and their families need in order to demand the basic living conditions they deserve and pay for. We refuse to accept a ‘false choice’ that leaves us vulnerable to retaliation just for wanting a safe, stable place to live.”
Advocates said that one of the biggest barriers renters face in accessing housing is the rejection of their applications due to credit scores, rental history, or criminal history. By placing reasonable guardrails on what information a landlord can use when verifying an applicant, and ensuring that information is correct, more Marylanders will be able to find stable housing.
The coalition is urging the Maryland General Assembly to pass three bills to improve the fairness in the renter screening process: the Fair Chance in Housing Act, the Ending Credit Barriers for Assisted Families Act and the Tenant Screening Transparency Act.
“It is essential for people who have been involved with the justice system to have access to housing,” said John Bae, Director of the Opening Doors to Housing initiative at the Vera Institute of Justice. “Lifelong discrimination because of a conviction history makes it hard for a person to secure steady employment, or have a fair chance to rebuild their life. All of that is even harder if a person doesn’t have a place to live.”
