In an effort to improve the quality of Baltimore County?s rental property, lawmakers are considering expanding countywide a program requiring many landlords to have their units inspected and obtain a permit.
Legislation introduced earlier this week would apply countywide a program requiring rentals containing six or fewer units to obtain licenses at a fee of $1,000 per day for violations. The program also would include boarding homes and single-family homes converted into multiple rental units, lawmakers said, and eliminate “loopholes” that kept some landlords from participating.
A pilot program in 10 communities has been criticized as unenforceable.
“There wasn?t the will to do it earlier,” said Councilman Vince Gardina, a co-sponsor of the bill. “It was a program put in place by the council that was ignored, not so much by this county executive as other county executives before.”
An October 2006 audit found county inspectors visited only five of the pilot communities since the program first launched in 2001. The audit documented lost inspection reports and approved permits without the required inspections.
Councilman John Olszewski Sr., the bill?s other sponsor, said the new measure calls for a privatized inspection process, requiring landlords to pay for their own inspections, choosing from a list of approved contractors. If left county-funded, the program could cost $2.1 million annually.
Kathy Howard, a lawyer with the Maryland Multi-Housing Association, said inspections can range from $200 to $600 per home ? potentially driving up the cost of living for tenants.
“I don?t see how anyone can absorb that kind of cost without it affecting the price of the rental in a negative way,” Howard said. “It just adds additional burdens on affordable housing.”
Some civic leaders said they championed rental registration at its launch as a means to crack down on absentee landlords who allow their properties to deteriorate, or cram too many tenants into one unit.
Donna Spicer, a member of the Loch Raven Community Council, said she urged registration to simply compile a list of rental property owners after she fruitlessly tried to identify an elderly neighbor?s landlord to fix a hole in her kitchen floor.
“They don?t want to upgrade to livable conditions,” Spicer said.
