Baltimore Landlords Can Avoid Costly Fines by Scheduling a Safety Inspection Today!
Baltimore County Rental Safety Measure Deadline Draws Near!
County officials urge residential landlords to schedule a private inspection now to ensure that they meet the July 1st deadline for the new Rental Registration Law. Under this public safety measure, owners of most buildings with one to six dwelling units must hire their own certified home inspector to complete mandatory safety inspections of each rental dwelling.
Officials caution that high demand for these services may cause lengthy delays in inspection scheduling. "We don't want landlords to find themselves behind the eight ball this June, so we strongly encourage them to do their own review of the requirements first, and then line up a certified inspector as soon as possible," Mike Mohler, Deputy Director of the Department of Permits and Development Management.
Mandatory Inspections
The new law, initiated by the County Council and passed last December, requires most residential rental units in buildings with one to six units to be inspected, registered and licensed by the County on or before July 1, 2008. A landlord who fails to comply with this law is subject to a civil penalty of $1,000.
The law requires a home inspection of each rental unit by a private inspector licensed by the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation. These mandatory inspections will ensure that electrical and plumbing systems are functional with no apparent hazards, that windows are operational, that all combustion appliances are properly vented, that there is a secondary means of escape from all sleeping areas, and that smoke detectors are hard-wired and properly located.
Frequent Issues
County officials note that the most frequent issue that prevents a unit from passing inspection is smoke detectors that are not hard-wired into the unit's electrical system, or are improperly located within the home. County Code Enforcement officials strongly advise landlords to review the inspection certificate and conduct their own visual inspection of each unit, making any needed corrections prior to the official inspection to avoid paying for multiple inspections.
Certain rental dwellings are exempt from the law, including those that:
- are owner-occupied, with other individuals in the home related by blood, marriage, or adoption
- are owner-occupied, with no more than one additional unrelated adult and any of that person's minor dependants
- are licensed as group homes
- are being rented back to the previous owner as part of a real estate sale agreement
- are being rented to a caregiver living with the owner
Rental buildings that are already registered with the Code Enforcement Bureau as part of the original pilot program area need not be registered again at this time, and their license renewal date will be extended by one year.
Rental Registration Law Information
Landlords may . Or call 410-887-6060.
Paper copies of these documents are also available at all Baltimore County Public libraries, and senor centers; and at the Code Enforcement Bureau, located in Room 213 of the County Office Building, 111 W. Chesapeake Avenue, Towson, MD 21204.
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