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Sponsor seeks state role to tackle the worst landlord conditions in Maryland
Summary
Delegate Janelle Wilkins urged a favorable report for HB 12-18 to give DHCD and the state Office of Tenant and Landlord Affairs authority to identify and intervene in buildings with severe health and safety hazards, saying local tools aren’t stopping mold, rodents and lack of heat in some multifamily properties.
Delegate Janelle Wilkins told the Economic Matters Committee she introduced HB 12-18, the Safe and Healthy Homes for All Marylanders Act, after recurring complaints from constituents about buildings infested with rodents, bed bugs and persistent lack of heat. "No human being should ever have to live in these conditions," Wilkins said, describing a multi‑unit building in her district that she called "untenable."
Wilkins said the bill would expand and plan for an enlarged Maryland Office of Tenant and Landlord Affairs (OTLA) inside the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and set up a proactive…
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