Shielding of Nonpayment of Rent Complaints: New Maryland Landlord-Tenant Law Effective October 1, 2024

 Posted on May 21, 2024 in Real Estate

Senate Bill 19 requires the District Court to shield all court records relating to the filing of a Failure to Pay Rent Complaint within sixty (60) days after the final resolution of the nonpayment of rent case if the case did not result in a judgment for possession. Further, upon the filing of a motion by a tenant, the District Court may also shield court records relating to a failure to pay rent proceeding that did result in a judgment for possession if:

(1) The tenant demonstrates by a preponderance of the evidence that the paid the judgment amount prior to eviction and stayed in the property (i.e., the tenant exercised their right of redemption) and at least 12 months have passed since the entry of the judgment;

OR

(2) The court determines that there is otherwise good cause to shield the court records.

If there is a rent escrow case associated with a failure to pay rent case, only the records relating to the failure to pay rent case will be shielded.

The shielding of these records means that landlords will not be able to obtain information about the prior payment history of prospective tenants.

If you need assistance with understanding recent changes in Maryland landlord-tenant law or issues involving failure to pay rent complaints in Maryland, please do not hesitate to contact us by phone or e-mail:

Avery Barton Strachan, Esq.

astrachan@silvermanthompson.com

(410) 385-9113

Kerri L. Smith, Esq.

ksmith@silvermanthompson.com

(410) 385-9106

Disclaimer: Local, State and Federal laws, orders, rules and regulations may be modified and updated at any time and without notice.  Likewise, orders of the Court and communications regarding Landlord-Tenant actions are also being continuously added, amended and updated. That said, the information provided is based on our current understanding of the laws, orders, rules and regulations that are currently in effect.  Therefore, we strongly recommend that you seek legal counsel before initiating any sort of Landlord-Tenant action to ensure that you are acting in compliance with all aspects of any local, Maryland and Federal laws, orders, rules and regulations in effect at that time, as well as all orders of the Court.