Landlords with Lead-Tainted Units Could Lose Rights to Evict Under Maryland Bill

Current law does not allow judges to dismiss eviction requests based on allegations that landlords may not have properly inspected and registered properties as required under the state’s program to reduce lead paint risk in housing. More than 4,900 children in Maryland have been diagnosed with lead poisoning in the past decade.

The proposed measure, which passed the House of Delegates in a similar form, would grant judges the power to dismiss or delay eviction proceedings based on evidence that landlords may not be in compliance with lead paint rules.

“This bill removes the restriction that judges can’t hear evidence about the owners’ compliance,” said Ruth Ann Norton, a longtime advocate on lead-poisoning issues and CEO of the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative. “It gives judges clear authority.”

Read the full story in the The Baltimore Sun.