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Tenants and advocates urge council to broaden consumer protections; landlords and developers warn of costs

Montgomery County Council · March 4, 2025
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

At a lengthy public hearing on Bill 6‑25, advocates and county executives argued the measure is needed to let renters seek consumer‑law remedies for defective tenancies; landlords and small property owners said the change is duplicative, could punish small landlords and reduce housing investment.

Montgomery County held an extensive public hearing on Bill 6‑25, which would treat certain defective tenancies and landlord conduct as violations of county consumer‑protection law, remove a landlord exemption, and strengthen enforcement and penalties under relevant chapters.

Ken Hartman, assistant chief administrative officer, testified for the County Executive and said the administration helped draft the bill. "Renters are consumers and like purchasers of cars, home improvements and gym memberships, they should benefit from the same protections," Hartman said, noting that the change…

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