Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs committee reviews broad landlord-tenant overhaul

The Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs committee on Friday continued a section-by-section review of a comprehensive landlord‑tenant bill that would alter notice periods, clarify just‑cause and no‑cause terminations, and change court procedures for ejectment actions.

Cameron Glied, legislative counsel, told the committee that “most of what the bill is about is about the ending of the landlord‑tenant relationship when you have to terminate a rental agreement,” and walked members through proposals on notice delivery, termination reasons, and the court ejectment process. He said the draft aims to make the process more predictable for both landlords and tenants.

Why it matters: The measure touches routine landlord powers — rent increases, application fees, security deposits — and also the high‑stakes procedures that lead to a tenant’s removal. Small changes in notice windows and evidentiary rules can materially affect how quickly a tenant may be asked to leave and how readily a landlord can secure a court writ of possession.

Key provisions described to the committee included: an authorization for actual notice by email, mail or posting to the door; a prohibition on undefined residential application fees while allowing landlords to collect reasonable credit/background check costs; a cap on security deposits described as equal…