Montgomery County Councilmember Kristin Mink, Council Vice President Will Jawando, County Executive Marc Elrich, Others Hold Press Conference with Tenant Leaders for Introduction of Bill 6-25 to Hold Landlords Accountable for Chronic Code Violations
For Immediate Release: Tuesday, February 11, 2025
From the Office of Councilmember Kristin Mink
This afternoon, Montgomery County Councilmember Kristin Mink (District 5) held a press conference for the introduction of Bill 6-25 , Consumer Protection for Renters, with cosponsor Council Vice President Will Jawando (At-Large) and County Executive Marc Elrich. The bill, also co-sponsored by Council President Kate Stewart (District 4) and Councilmember Dawn Luedtke (District 7), would remove an exemption for landlord and tenant issues under consumer protection law, opening up new tools to induce compliance when landlords repeatedly fail to cure housing code violations. A recording of the full press conference is available on Facebook .
The press conference was also attended by members of Action in Montgomery (AIM), Service Workers International Union (SEIU) Local 500, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1994 – MCGEO, the Islamic Society of the Washington Area (ISWA), the Muslim Community Center (MCC) of Silver Spring, CASA, the Enclave (Silver Spring) Tenants Association, Jews United for Justice (JUFJ) and Everyday Canvassing.
“It is absolutely ridiculous that what is typically residents’ largest expense is exempted from our County’s consumer protection laws,” said Councilmember Mink . “Because of this exemption, tenants have no meaningful recourse when they discover they’ve been sold a false bill of goods and are locked into a lease with a landlord that chronically and illegally fails to meet basic obligations. A handful of worst actors waste a significant and disproportionate amount of County staff time, for years on end, as they continue pitching their buildings to prospective tenants as safe, healthy, even luxury dwellings.”
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In Fiscal Year 2024, the Department of Housing and Community Affairs (DHCA) attempted to recover over $1.5 million in unpaid fines through district court. They collected just $100,375.
“This legislation closes a hole in the system that we have not been able to close effectively,” said County Executive Elrich . “Landlords can postpone their hearing time after time, maybe you get to court in six to nine months, and if you fix it the day before you come to court, there’s usually no fine. You’ve endangered the tenant potentially for months, you’ve not delivered the services you said you were going to deliver for months, and there’s no consequence for that if you fix it the day before. The truth is most landlords don’t do this; I do not anticipate having to do this with most landlords in Montgomery County. The ones for whom we do need it will learn pretty quickly that we’re serious.”
“This bill is about fairness and accountability,” said Council Vice President Jawando . “Landlords who engage in deceptive practices should not be shielded from liability. Bill 6-25 will give renters the tools they need to fight back against bad actors and ensure that every resident in Montgomery County has access to safe and dignified housing.”
“As the Councilmember representing the district with the most renters, enhancing tenant protections is a top priority of mine,” said Council President Stewart . “I am happy to cosponsor this legislation that will provide renters another path to address living conditions that threaten their dignity and safety. This bill continues our commitment to ensuring all our residents have a safe place to call home.”
“I appreciate this positive consumer protection tool and the collaboration of the Office of the County Attorney in this effort,” said Councilmember Luedtke . “At the heart of consumer protection law is making sure consumers get what they are paying for, whether at retail establishments or, in this context, as tenants. This will allow our Office of Consumer Protection to ensure that when rent has been paid, the tenants are receiving what they are entitled to under the contracts of their rental agreements.”
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“For most of AIM’s 25-year history, we have been working with tenants who have been living in unsafe and unhealthy conditions,” said Yvonne Brooks-Little, a renter and member of AIM’s board of directors . “When we have a landlord who is a willing partner, we are able to work together to improve housing conditions. However, far too often, the process for holding the few bad landlords accountable is so cumbersome that it is nearly impossible to get them to follow the law.”
“Passing this legislation is not just a matter of policy – it’s a matter of justice,” said Melissa, a renter and member of CASA who described “having to endure conditions that were unsafe, unsanitary and downright uninhabitable. Despite our efforts to work with management, we were dismissed, mocked, ignored.”
Tonia M. Chestnut, president of the Enclave Tenant Association , described the difference between what she believed she was getting when she signed her lease, and her experience after moving in: “I looked at the Enclave website and saw a fantastic property, as many people have. But when I moved in, something was a bit different – including critters running around. As the president of the tenant association, I have people who come to me complaining about the same things, over and over: Mold. Rats. Broken elevators. These are things that we should not have to deal with, and this needs to stop.”
Mady Nadje, director of Everyday Canvassing , an organization that engages regularly with renters, said, “This is probably the most important bill that I have seen in a couple of years. If DHCA is unable to enforce the policies that they have on the books, they have no teeth. If I come and say to a renter, ‘I want to help you,’ but I have no ability to do so, not only do they lose trust in me, but they also lose trust in the government who is supposed to support them. This bill changes that dynamic.”
A public hearing on Bill 6-25 has been scheduled for March 4.
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Release ID: 25-043
Media Contact: Chris Wilhelm 301-706-7843
Categories: Kristin Mink
For updates and link to press release, see here: http://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcgportalapps/Press_Detail.aspx?Item_ID=46563