In Maryland, how much can the landlord raise the rent at one time?
Full Question:
My landlord wants to increase my rent and I need to know if Maryland has a law that says what percentage of the rent can be increased. For example is it 5% or 20%.
06/17/2007 |
Category: Landlord Tenant |
State: Maryland |
#6483
Answer:
There is no general rent control law in Maryland, but county commissioners may enact laws or adopt regulations to control the increase of rent in a particular county. Maryland also has laws to protect the increase of rent for senior citizens and disabled persons, as well as persons living in assisted housing projects. Assuming those qualifications do not apply in your situation, a landlord may reasonably increase your rent assuming he or she provides you with adequate notice and does not do so for retaliatory purposes.
The applicable Maryland statutes are as follows:
§ 8-208.1 REAL PROP. Retaliatory evictions prohibited; conditions for
relief.
(a) Prohibited evictions. — No landlord shall evict a tenant of
any residential property or arbitrarily increase the rent or decrease the
services to which the tenant has been entitled for any of the following
reasons:
(1) Solely because the tenant or the tenant's agent has filed a good
faith written complaint, or complaints, with the landlord or with any
public agency or agencies against the landlord;
(2) Solely because the tenant or the tenant's agent has filed a
lawsuit, or lawsuits, against the landlord; or
(3) Solely because the tenant is a member or organizer of any tenants'
organization.
(b) "Retaliatory evictions" defined. — Evictions described in
subsection (a) of this section shall be called "retaliatory evictions".
(c) Attorney's fees and costs. — (1) If in any eviction
proceeding the judgment be in favor of the tenant for any of the
aforementioned defenses, the court may enter judgment for reasonable
attorney fees and court costs against the landlord.
(2) If in any eviction proceeding the court finds that a tenant's
assertion of a retaliatory eviction defense was in bad faith or without
substantial justification, the court may enter judgment for reasonable
attorney fees and court costs against the tenant.
(d) Conditions for relief. — The relief provided under this
section is conditioned upon:
(1) In the case of tenancies measured by a period of one month or more,
the court having not entered against the tenant more than 3 judgments of
possession for rent due and unpaid in the 12-month period immediately prior
to the initiation of the action by the tenant or by the landlord.
(2) In the case of tenancies requiring the weekly payment of rent,
the court having not entered against the tenant more than 5 judgments of
possession for rent due and unpaid in the 12-month period immediately
prior to the initiation of the action by the tenant or by the landlord,
or, if the tenant has lived on the premises 6 months or less, the court
having not entered against the tenant 3 judgments of possession for rent
due and unpaid.
(e) Evictions not deemed "retaliatory evictions's". — No eviction
shall be deemed to be a "retaliatory eviction" for purposes of this
section upon the expiration of a period of 6 months following the
determination of the merits of the initial case by a court (or
administrative agency) of competent jurisdiction.
(f) Rights not affected. — Nothing in this section may be
interpreted to alter the landlord's or the tenant's rights to terminate
or not renew a tenancy governed by a written lease for a stated term of
greater than 1 month at the expiration of the term or at any other time
as the parties may specifically agree.
(g) Effect of ordinance comparable in subject matter — In the
event any county or Baltimore City shall have enacted an ordinance
comparable in subject matter to this section, that ordinance shall
supersede the provisions of this section.