Uninhabitable!
By. Malique Parker
Tenants in Baltimore often live in properties that have uninhabitable conditions, such as water leaking inside of their apartments, flooding from holes in ceilings, plumbing issues, rodents, and lack of heat. Unfortunately, when tenants give landlords notice about these issues, they are often ignored until they stop paying rent due to these conditions.
Judge Kay Harding presided over two cases where two tenants faced similarly uninhabitable conditions in their apartments. In the first case, the tenant shared that she had mold in her bathroom, room, and on the floor. She also declared that when it rains, water would leak into her home. She testified that pipes busted two different times and were never fixed. In addition, the tenant's water heater broke leaving her without any hot water. The tenant had just moved in on March 1, 2023. She declared that she told management the very first time it happened which was when she first moved in, but nothing was done to fix these issues. The tenant testified that she told them three different times: April, June, and July. Nothing was fixed or remedied. Judge Harding asked the agents if they knew anything about this. The agent responded they didn't know anything about these conditions in the apartment. After hearing the agent's answer Judge Harding let the tenants open an escrow account.
The other case that Judge Harding presided over was with the same agent. The tenant moved in on April 1 and also had the same issues with mold on the ceilings, and flooding happening in her apartment. She also testified that there were a number of break-ins in her garage and was dealing with a rodent infestation. She testified that she informed the landlord three different times: in June, July, and August, and nothing was done. Judge Harding asked the agent did the landlord tell you anything about these conditions? They replied with the same response as the other case: “I don’t know anything about these conditions.” She stated she “was only here to collect rent, and that was all.”
The two aforementioned cases directly reflect why legislation like the Tenant Safety Act (TSA). The Tenant Safety Act was introduced into Maryland’s General Assembly last session. This Act would allow multiple tenants (such as the ones described above) to file a joint rent escrow claim where there were overlapping conditions issues. Unfortunately, the Maryland General Assembly did not pass this legislation, however, that does not BRU and our partners will continue to work to pass this legislation as it is a necessary step that would hold landlords accountable for choosing profit over tenants. As it stands, it is very difficult for tenants to hold landlords accountable for the unlivable conditions present inside many homes in Baltimore through legal channels, and that needs to be made easier for the safety and well-being of tenants in Baltimore City and Maryland overall.