BALTIMORE — A new Maryland law that took effect Wednesday requires landlords statewide to warn tenants they could lose all personal belongings during evictions, while also establishing new advance notice requirements.
The change in law requires every landlord in the state to inform tenants, "You could lose all your personal belongings left inside your home when the eviction occurs."
Currently, local jurisdictions will determine the length of time tenants have to gather those items and what happens if they fail to do so. The state law (HB 767) did not specify a time frame.
Squatter cases are exempt from these new requirements.
This is all part of a broader tenant action effort.
The new state law also prevents evictions during extreme weather conditions, including when temperatures drop to 32 degrees or below, during winter storms or hurricane warnings, or when the National Weather Service issues excessive heat warnings.
Additionally, the law creates accountability measures for landlords by requiring them to request eviction warrants within 60 days of getting a judgment, or risk having their case dismissed."
In Baltimore, a landlord is required to post an eviction notice 14 days in advance of the Sheriff's Office executing the eviction. This refers to tenants being evicted due to non-payment of rent.
In cases where tenants are evicted for staying beyond their lease expiration or breaching a lease judgment, Baltimore City requires landlords to provide 14 days' notice, whereas state law only requires 6 days' notice.
The Baltimore City Council is also considering a bill that addresses the issues of a tenant's property even further.
City Council Bill #25-0087 aims to provide tenants with at least 10 days following the execution of an eviction to recover their property. It also says tenants can request up to 30 days of storage, with landlords able to charge "reasonable storage costs" starting on day 11.
Currently, this bill is on first reading. It was introduced in the Housing and Economic Development Committee in August.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said that state law required landlords to provide a 14-day notice for an eviction. State law actually requires a minimum of 6 days to a maximum of 14 days for that notice.
