Unemployment Insurance - Confidentiality of Information
HB 242 would add consumer credit history as a protected category in Maryland housing law and limit how credit information may be used in tenant screening. The bill prohibits a reusable tenant screening report from including consumer credit history, defined to include a consumer credit report and credit score. It also requires landlords to disclose whether they accept reusable tenant screening reports, bars them from charging an application fee or access fee when such a report is accepted, and allows landlords to require tenants to certify that no material changes have occurred since the report was generated.
The bill also amends Maryland’s fair housing statutes to prohibit discrimination in housing, rental terms, housing advertisements, real estate-related transactions, and related services based on consumer credit history. It updates the State’s fair housing policy statement and related definitions to include consumer credit history alongside existing protected classes such as race, sex, disability, source of income, and military status. The bill preserves existing landlord and tenant remedies and takes effect October 1, 2025.
HB 242 would revise provisions in the Real Property Article governing reusable tenant screening reports and multiple sections of the State Government Article governing fair housing enforcement. In practice, landlords and housing providers could no longer rely on consumer credit history as a basis for screening or denying housing, and consumer reporting agencies preparing reusable tenant screening reports would be barred from including credit history in those reports. The bill would also expand the scope of Maryland’s anti-discrimination housing laws and enforcement framework to cover consumer credit history in sales, rentals, advertising, financing-related housing transactions, and intimidation/interference provisions.
The available record shows no committee transcript or recorded votes, so there is no documented floor or committee debate to gauge directly. Based on the bill text, the measure appears to reflect a pro-tenant, fair-housing policy approach aimed at reducing barriers to housing access for applicants with limited or negative credit histories. The absence of recorded opposition or amendment history in the provided materials suggests no clear public sentiment can be inferred beyond the bill’s stated consumer-protection purpose.
The main policy tension in HB 242 is between expanding housing access and preserving landlord screening discretion. Supporters would likely view the bill as limiting the use of credit history as a proxy for housing suitability and reducing costs for applicants who use reusable tenant screening reports. Potential concerns for landlords and housing providers are that removing credit history from screening reports may reduce their ability to assess risk and could limit underwriting or tenant-selection practices. The bill partially addresses this by allowing landlords to require certification that no material changes have occurred and to reject applications if a material change is shown before lease execution.