Sponsor seeks state role to tackle the worst landlord conditions in Maryland
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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 state‑level sweep with the Office of the Attorney General to target the most egregious properties rather than ordinary landlord infractions. She framed the measure as a planning phase to define interventions, costs and staffing rather than an immediate enforcement sweep.
Advocates from Maryland Legal Aid and the Public Justice Center backed the proposal, telling lawmakers that the current, complaint‑driven system can leave tenants waiting in unsafe conditions while local agencies and courts take months to respond. "There needs to be a plan that brings these agencies into communication so they can be proactive rather than reactive," Zephyr Shaw of Maryland Legal Aid said. Albert Turner of the Public Justice Center described cases where tenants organized and pursued litigation but still lacked living‑condition relief because enforcement and financing tools were not coordinated.
Committee members pressed whether the bill would duplicate or usurp county code enforcement. Wilkins and witnesses emphasized the bill targets only the "worst of the worst" properties and is designed to work with, not replace, county efforts. Wilkins used Montgomery County's troubled property list as an example of local work that the state could supplement when a single large property overwhelms county capacity.
Tenant leaders also spoke directly to the committee. Tanya Chestnut, president of the Enclave Tenant Association, described long‑running infestations and service disruptions at the Enclave and said county action alone had not resolved chronic hazards for residents.
The hearing record shows support from tenant advocates and civil legal services and a cautious reception from members focused on preserving local enforcement tools and clarifying the role of DHCD and the Office of the Attorney General. The committee concluded the HB 12-18 panel without a vote and moved on to other agenda items.