Landlord and Tenant - Residential Leases and Holdover Tenancies - Local Good Cause Termination (Good Cause Eviction)
Summary
HB709 authorizes Maryland counties to adopt local “good cause eviction” laws for residential rental housing. Under a county ordinance adopted pursuant to the bill, certain landlords would be prohibited from refusing to renew a lease or ending a holdover tenancy unless they can show one of the bill’s enumerated good-cause reasons. The bill also sets out a statewide framework for what counts as good cause, including substantial lease breaches, repeated minor violations, disorderly conduct, illegal activity, nonpayment patterns, landlord or family occupancy, major renovations, and removal of the property from the rental market for at least a year.
The bill further requires notice and disclosure obligations in counties that adopt such a law. Landlords must tell tenants whether they are subject to the local good-cause requirements, use Office of Tenant and Landlord Affairs forms, and in some cases disclose ownership information and file affidavits in court pleadings. The measure also directs the Office to create public forms and allows it to adopt implementing regulations. The law would take effect October 1, 2025.
Impact
HB709 would amend Maryland’s Real Property Article, especially §§ 8-208 and 8-402, and add new § 8-402.3 to create express state authorization for county-level good-cause eviction ordinances. It would not impose a statewide good-cause eviction rule, but it would preempt counties from creating different or additional good-cause grounds and would limit local laws to landlords owning six or more residential rental units in the state, with exclusions for owner-occupied units and certain noncontrolling investment interests. It also changes landlord-tenant litigation practice by requiring specific pleadings and disclosures when a landlord seeks possession in a county with an adopted ordinance.
Sentiment
No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate or floor sentiment in the materials supplied. Based on the bill’s sponsorship by a large group of delegates and its tenant-protection structure, the measure appears to be framed as a housing stability and tenant-rights bill. At the same time, the detailed landlord exemptions and procedural requirements suggest an effort to balance tenant protections with landlord interests.
Contention
The main points of contention are likely to be whether counties should be allowed to require good cause before nonrenewal or termination, how broad the protected landlord universe should be, and whether the bill goes too far in regulating private rental decisions. Landlords and property owners may object to the disclosure requirements, the affidavit and pleading burdens, and the restriction that only certain enumerated grounds may qualify as good cause. Tenant advocates are likely to support the bill’s anti-displacement protections, while opponents may argue that it limits flexibility for property management and could discourage investment or redevelopment.