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Families deserve security and stability in their homes.
We work to strengthen renters’ rights, prevent unjust evictions, and promote housing stability, particularly for economically disadvantaged households and voucher holders facing increasing pressures in the housing market.
HB 896 – Income-Based Housing Discrimination (2025) (BRHP-led Policy Initiative)
House Bill 896, which seeks to protect recipients of housing assistance from exclusionary rental screening practices, is a necessary step to ensure that Maryland’s source-of-income discrimination law, the HOME Act, fulfills its purpose of ensuring low-income families seeking quality housing are not blocked by unjust barriers.
SB 107 – Fair Housing Testing (2025)
SB 107 would create a limited exception to Maryland’s all-party consent rule, permitting one-party consent for recording conversations when the recorder is a participant in the conversation as a fair housing tester for a fair testing program. This aligns Maryland with most other states and strengthens the tools available to expose and address discriminatory practices, while encouraging property managers to prioritize fair housing training and ensure compliance with legal standards.
SB 154 – Access to Counsel in Evictions (2025)
SB 154 would make permanent funding for the Access to Counsel in Evictions Special Fund to support Marylanders’ right to access to legal representation in eviction proceedings, helping to ensure that tenants have a fair eviction proceeding and keeping more Maryland families in their homes.
HB 709 – Good Cause Eviction (2025)
HB 709 allows counties to pass laws that prevent landlords from refusing to renew a lease or ending a holdover tenancy without “good cause,” while setting standards for how those local laws must be structured.
SB 442 – Tenant Possession and Recovery Act (2025)
This legislation requires landlords to notify tenants when a court issues an eviction warrant and would have required a window of time for evicted tenants to recover their possessions following the eviction.
SB 514 – Maryland Fair Chance in Housing Act (2025)
This bill bans landlords from asking about or using certain criminal history during the initial rental application process and requires them to fairly review any additional context the applicant provides.
SB 481 – Renters’ Rights and Stabilization Act Testimony (2024)
This legislation establishes the Office of Tenant and Landlord Affairs in the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) tasked with ensuring that tenants have access to information about their legal rights and ability to report violations and instances of discrimination, including the publication of an annual Tenant’s Bill of Rights.
HB 477 – Just Cause Evictions (2024)
The 2024 Just Cause Evictions legislation would have given authority to Maryland counties and Baltimore City to determine the appropriate circumstances in which a lease can be non-renewed by implementing local just cause eviction ordinances, which require a landlord to provide a justifiable reason when deciding not to renew a lease and provide this cause in their non-renewal notice to the tenant.
SB 181 – DHCD Budget – Eviction Prevention Funding Request (2023)
BRHP urged legislators to add $175 million to DHCD’s operating budget to assist an estimated 20,000 Maryland families in avoiding eviction through ERAP.
HB 151 – Rent Increases (2022)
This bill ensures tenants receive written notice of rent increases by mail or, if they choose, electronically—and prohibits landlords from requiring electronic notice in lease terms. It also requires local governments with rent control laws to report annually on new rental housing permits.
More BRHP Advocacy Priorities
Safe, stable housing should be within reach for every family.
We advocate for expanded investments in housing assistance programs, increased housing supply, reduced barriers to access, and policies that make housing choice a reality for more households across the region.
Communities and families thrive when development is both inclusive and equitable.
We champion policies that prioritize affordability and fair access to opportunity-rich neighborhoods.
Our goal is to create vibrant, stable communities where families can grow.
Housing policy must confront the deep racial and economic inequities that shape our region.
We advocate for bold reforms that address historic injustices, dismantle exclusionary practices, and promote access to opportunity for all families, regardless of race, income, or background.