Overlawyered: Chronicling The High Cost Of Our Legal System

Baltimore County to consider bill forcing landlords to take Section 8

In suburban Baltimore County, county executive Kevin Kamenetz has introduced a bill to ban “housing voucher discrimination,” that is to say, a bill requiring landlords to take Section 8 tenants. “Kamenetz is required to introduce the bill as part of a housing discrimination settlement with the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development that was reached this year. … If [it] does not pass the County Council, the HUD settlement requires it to be reintroduced in future years.” Landlords and property owners say that it is unfair to force them to enroll against their will in a program with cumbersome paperwork and inspections. [Pamela Wood, Baltimore Sun] HUD is now arm-twisting jurisdictions nationwide into enacting these bad laws; earlier here (bad renter trashes unit), here, etc.

Update: County legislature votes down bill [Baltimore Campaign for Liberty]

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4 Comments

  • Would landlords be allowed to reject applications based on employment,credit rating, past rental history?

  • Another problem with coerced settlements. The federal judge who approved the settlement should vacate the anti-democratic “introduce the bill” piece. Why anti-democratic–because it cannot immediately be repealed (HUD would get a restraining order) and it goes to the head of the line from the standpoint of bill introduction.

    • By SPO

  • FYI, this is already the law in Massachusetts. So if you’re looking for a direct comparison instead of speculation that would be a good place to start.

    • By EH

  • […] In Baltimore County, county executive Kevin Kamenetz has introduced a bill to ban “housing voucher discrimination,” that is to say, a bill requiring landlords to take Section 8 tenants. “Kamenetz is required to introduce the bill as part of a housing discrimination settlement with the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development that was reached this year. … If [it] does not pass the County Council, the HUD settlement requires it to be reintroduced in future years.” Landlords and property owners say that it is unfair to force them to enroll against their will in a program with cumbersome paperwork and inspections. [Pamela Wood, Baltimore Sun] HUD is now arm-twisting jurisdictions nationwide into enacting these bad laws; earlier here (bad renter trashes unit), here, etc. [cross-posted from Overlawyered] […]