Real Property - Access to Counsel in Evictions Program - Expansion
SB729 expands Maryland’s Access to Counsel in Evictions Program and makes extensive changes to the laws governing mobile home parks. The bill adds residents and occupants of mobile home parks to the definition of “covered individual” for purposes of the eviction counsel program, so eligible mobile home park residents can receive legal representation and related services in proceedings to evict, terminate tenancy, or repossess premises. It also requires MLSC to update outreach materials, reporting, and notice procedures to reflect mobile home park cases, including repossession actions and appeals.
Beyond legal aid, the bill rewrites substantial portions of Title 8A of the Real Property Article. It creates new notice, cure, appeal, escrow, and warrant-execution procedures for repossession actions; expands protections for residents and subtenants; limits fees, utility charges, and security deposits; requires clearer rental agreements and renewal offers; and adds rules on pet policies, water service, discrimination, retaliation, and subleasing. It also authorizes residents to sue park owners for violations of certain notice and rental-agreement requirements and provides remedies such as damages, attorney’s fees, and relocation expenses in some circumstances.
The bill materially amends Maryland’s mobile home park landlord-tenant framework and the Access to Counsel in Evictions subtitle in the Real Property Article. It adds new sections and revises many existing ones governing rental agreements, qualified residents, park fees, utility billing, eviction grounds, repossession procedures, appeals, and post-warrant access to property. It also requires the Maryland Judiciary to publish a standardized notice form for repossession cases and renumbers existing statutory sections, while applying prospectively only to new rental agreements and new repossession actions after the effective date.
The available voting history suggests strong overall support for the bill. It passed the Senate unanimously on third reading and later passed the House with a substantial majority, indicating broad bipartisan acceptance of the bill’s tenant-protection and legal-aid expansion goals. No committee transcript excerpts were provided, so there is no recorded debate in the supplied materials to indicate organized opposition in committee.
The bill’s main points of potential contention are the increased obligations it places on mobile home park owners and utility vendors, including longer notice periods, limits on fees and deposits, restrictions on eviction and repossession, mandatory access to counsel-related notices, and new resident remedies for violations. Park owners may view the bill as reducing flexibility in rent-setting, lease renewal, subleasing, and enforcement of park rules, while resident advocates would likely support the added procedural protections, anti-discrimination provisions, and limits on charges. The bill also appears to balance these protections with continued grounds for eviction and repossession for nonpayment, substantial violations, and certain subleasing disputes.