Rent Court Watch Blog
Too often, it seems the courts are stacked against tenants. They struggle to access representation, they don’t know their rights, and judges seem to err on the side of the landlord when in doubt. BRU sends volunteers and tenant advocates into the courts to see how tenants fare when those in charge think nobody is looking. These stories are just a few examples of why we think Right To Counsel is so important in Baltimore and everywhere: A tenant who doesn’t know their rights and can’t enforce them effectively has no rights.
As of October 2022, BRU has been collecting data about Baltimore City failure-to-pay-rent proceedings. You can can view the stats and some of the trends we have been noticing over on our Data Dashboard.
If you’d like to help with BRU Rent Court Watch, you can sign up on our Volunteer page!
Operating in Bad Faith
The tenant expressed frustration at how a combination of apathy and malice on the part of his landlord and the court system were going to lead to him being evicted even though he’d worked hard to pay his balance and had done everything he was supposed to. He said “if they (the rental company) had done what they said they would from Jump Street, they would have their money and we wouldn’t be here right now.”
Absentee Slumlord Needs To Find A New Calling
This case is a great example of how citations or losing licensure does little to deter landlords from business as usual, and the only thing that can get them to pay attention to their properties is directly challenging their profits.
“If they had done what they said they would…we wouldn’t be here right now”
The tenant expressed frustration at how a combination of apathy and malice on the part of his landlord and the court system were going to lead to him being evicted even though he’d worked hard to pay his balance and had done everything he was supposed to. He said “if they (the rental company) had done what they said they would from Jump Street, they would have their money and we wouldn’t be here right now.”
Paying for Your Landlord to Waste Your Time
In light of how the overwhelming majority of tenants facing eviction are Black, these interactions have echoes of the policies that have lead to CROWN Acts and religious protections in schools and other public places across the country.
The Problem With Hats
In light of how the overwhelming majority of tenants facing eviction are Black, these interactions have echoes of the policies that have lead to CROWN Acts and religious protections in schools and other public places across the country.
No Good Options
A lack of communication and a judge in a hurry put a tenant in an unworkable situation.
Calling Up Trouble
Everyday behavior and human mistakes are criminalized in the courthouse.
Barriers That Tenants Face In Rent Court
In rent court, there are many barriers that tenants face. There are landlords, landlord's agents, landlord's attorneys, and even Judges. Let us focus on the landlord's agents for this story.
An Opaque System Keeps Tenants In The Dark
HABC leaves tenants in the dark with no information on when evictions will be filed and no answers on how to get procedural issues with their living situations corrected.
A Fatal Collision of Broken Systems
HABC is supposed to ensure the most marginalized in Baltimore City are protected from houselessness and given equal access to safe, stable, affordable housing. But often it does the opposite and further harms already marginalized tenants.
Consent Has No Meaning In Baltimore’s Rent Court
A tenant can’t consent to a judgment they don’t understand in a system that doesn’t give them the power to defend themself.
Even a Fair Judge Doesn’t Mean Real Justice
Even when a tenant gets a fair judge in rent court and a case is sent to escrow, outcomes are usually unhelpful at best.
For Landlords in Rent Court, Tough Cases Have Silver Linings
In Rent Court, it seems, the toughest thing for a landlord to achieve is to lose their case.
Baltimore City Rent Court: A Stress-Free Place For A Landlord
A landlord breaks the court’s cell phone rules and still gets treated like an old friend by the judge.
Attendance Is Mandatory - For Some
Tenants and landlords are held to different standards for attendance in rent court.
Pro-Bono Purgatory
A judge shows contempt for a system that tries to give tenants a shot at advocating for their rights.