What will the end of the Eviction ban mean in Maryland?

Larry Hogan-Governor of Maryland has extended Maryland’s state moratorium on Evictions through August 15th of this year. You may be wondering what kinds of consequences could come from this? Keep reading to learn more!!!

This moratorium prohibits the Eviction of tenants in Maryland for non-payment of rent. But it still allows landlords to evict renters who engage in illegal activity on the property being rented-more information below.

Renters can only take advantage of the moratorium if:

They can prove they are unable to pay their house rent because of the COVID 19 Pandemic, either because they lost their jobs or have an unusual (huge) medical expense.
Their yearly income is below $99,000 (or $198,000 if married).
They managed to get government rental assistance.
They did everything possible to pay some of your rent.
They felt that losing their home will result in homelessness or placement in a homeless shelter.

It is important to emphasize the fact that the moratorium does not keep rent from accruing every month, nor does it prevent landlords from evicting tenants for other reasons. These reasons include:

Lease violations: The violations include subletting the property to occupants not listed on the lease, violating the no-pets policy, or failing to follow other policies, such as those imposed by a local homeowner’s association.
Damage to the property: While normal wear and tear are to be expected, in some cases, tenant damage may go beyond minor scratches on baseboards or nail holes in walls.
Disturbance of other tenants: Tenants have the right to live free from excessive noise and disturbance. In multi-family dwellings, occupants may be evicted if they disturb the peace of others in the building.
Owner Move-In or Taking the Unit Off the Market: if the landlord or his family member has decided to move into the rental property or take it off the rental market for a while, eviction can occur. However, special care must be taken in this case.
The tenant uses the property for illegal purposes: tenants who distribute illegal substances from the property, occupants who operate a business from the house, even if it is legitimate.

What’s being done to help people facing eviction?

First of all, the state of Maryland got $719 million from the federal government for emergency rental assistance. The state government got about $462 million, and the remaining $257 million was given directly to local governments.

Additionally, earlier this year, Maryland lawmakers passed two measures with the intent of helping people who are facing eviction.

The first measure codified access to legal assistance, though a measure to pay for it by increasing court filing fees failed late in the legislative session. Thanks to this measure, landlords have to wait 10 days after filing an eviction notice before they can start the eviction process.
The second measure helps tenants whose lease has ended. Landlords who want to end the month-to-month lease need to give two months’ notice.

How are the courts handling Eviction hearings in Maryland?

Maryland courts are fully operational, but dockets are smaller because of the social distancing imposed in these courts.

Maryland’s district courts are hearing tenant vs. landlords’ cases. Most of these are cases are:

Rent payment failures;
and breach-of-lease;

Fortunately for the tenant, judgments have been deferring until the expiration of the moratoriums.

How affordable is housing in the rental market?

According to experts, the overall median rent in Maryland was $1,600 in May 2021, which is 6.7% higher than the rent of past years. And that is not all. We also noticed a 5.5% increase in the median two-bedroom rent, which is $1,700 Now.

Are Evictions in Maryland expected to create a surge in homelessness?

It’s premature and hard to say something about the homelessness in Maryland due to the end of the moratoriums. But according to many surveys carried in the state of Maryland, 200,000 families are behind on rent. This means homelessness is inevitable!