Montgomery County public hearing draws wide support for bill to treat defective rental housing as consumer fraud

The Montgomery County Council on March 4 held a public hearing on Bill 6-25, a proposal to expand the county's consumer-protection law to include landlords and to treat defective tenancies as deceptive trade practices.

Supporters told the council the change would give renters an additional enforcement path when landlords fail to keep units habitable and would allow the Office of Consumer Protection and the County Attorney’s Office to seek injunctions and damages in the circuit court. “Renters are consumers,” said Ken Hartman Espada, assistant chief administrative officer, speaking on behalf of the County Executive. “They deserve protection against unfair practices, deceptive agreements, and unsafe living conditions.”

The measure would remove a current exemption for landlord–tenant matters from the county consumer-protection chapter and clarify that rental housing is covered by consumer-goods-and-services definitions. The county executive’s office and the Department of Housing and Community Affairs worked with sponsors on draft language, Hartman said, and the executive supports the bill.

Why it matters: Tenants and anti-poverty advocates said the county’s existing tools are not sufficient when landlords repeatedly fail to repair hazards such as mold, pest infestations, nonworking heat or…