(a) Each landlord must reasonably provide for the maintenance of the health, safety, and welfare of all tenants and all individuals properly on the premises of rental housing. As part of this general obligation, each landlord must:
(1) Comply with all applicable provisions of any federal, state, or county law or regulation governing the maintenance, construction, use, or appearance of the dwelling unit and common areas.
(2) Keep all areas of the building, grounds, facilities, and appurtenances in a clean, sanitary, and safe condition.
(3) Make all repairs and arrangements necessary to put and keep the dwelling unit and the appurtenances in as good a condition as they were, or should by law or agreement have been, when the tenancy began. However, a lease for a single-family dwelling unit may provide that a tenant must pay, up to a maximum annual amount set by executive regulation, for the costs of maintenance of the dwelling unit, but not for replacement of or repairs to structural elements of the building, major appliances, or electrical, plumbing, heating, or air conditioning systems unless replacement or repair of these items is required because of actions of the tenant or any person for whom the tenant is legally responsible.
(4) Maintain all electrical, plumbing, and other facilities and conveniences supplied by the landlord in good working order.
(5) Supply and maintain appropriate receptacles to remove trash, and pay for its frequent removal. However, the landlord of a single-family dwelling unit must pay for the frequent removal of trash, but need not provide or maintain appropriate receptacles. A lease for a single-family dwelling unit may require a tenant to pay for trash collection service if that service is provided directly by a private trash hauler and the dwelling unit is not located in a County collection district.
(6) Supply water and hot water as reasonably required by the tenant and adequate heat as required by Chapter 26. In a dwelling unit located in a common ownership community, the landlord must provide water, hot water and adequate heat to the extent that the landlord is responsible for providing these services. This subsection does not impair any provision in a lease that obligates a tenant to pay for gas, heating oil, electricity, water, or sewer service that the tenant uses.
(7) For each unit in a building constructed before July 1, 1978, and for which units are not individually metered, provide the tenant with all information required under the Public Utilities Article of the Maryland Code and applicable COMAR provisions governing:
(A) electric and gas submeters; and
(B) energy allocation systems.
(8) Display in the lobby, vestibule, rental office, or other prominent public place on the premises, a sign in a form approved by the Director that includes information in English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and other languages as determined necessary by the Director, about:
(A) filing a complaint under this Chapter; and
(B) the retaliatory practices prohibited under this Chapter.
(9) Except when required for reasonable maintenance and repair, supply and maintain air conditioning service either through individual air conditioning units or a central air conditioning system in a safe and good working condition so that it meets the requirements of Section 26-7. This paragraph must not be construed to impair any provision in a lease that obligates a tenant to pay for gas or electricity that the tenant uses. The Executive must adopt Method (2) regulations to implement the requirements of this paragraph, including regulations to define reasonable maintenance and repair.
(10) comply with Section 29-35C.
(11) comply with Section 29-35D.
(12) comply with Section 29-35E.
(b) If the duty imposed by subsection (a)(1) is incompatible with, or greater than, a duty imposed by any other part of this Section, subsection (a)(1) governs.
(c) Subsections (a)(2) and (a)(5) do not apply to a dwelling unit located in a condominium or cooperative housing structure. (1972 L.M.C., ch. 27, § 1; 1983 L.M.C., ch. 24, § 9; 1985 L.M.C., ch. 40, § 1; 1992 L.M.C., ch. 24, § 1; 2000 L.M.C., ch. 32, § 1; 2016 L.M.C., ch. 39, §1; 2020 L.M.C., ch. 4, §1; 2021 L.M.C., ch. 15, § 1; 2021 L.M.C., ch. 8, § 1; 2022 L.M.C., ch. 34, §1.)
Editor’s note—Section 29-30(a)(2) is quoted and interpreted in Joseph v. Bozzuto Management Company, 173 Md. App. 305, 918 A.2d 1230 (2007).
2020 L.M.C., ch. 4, §§2, 3, and 4 state: Sec. 2. Transition. For 12 months following the effective date of this Act, a landlord may request, and the Director may grant, delayed implementation of the requirements of this Act for any real property that is the subject of a pending application for a necessary approval for development before the Planning Board, Board of Appeals, or Office of Zoning and Administrative Hearings. The period of delayed implementation for a property may not exceed the sooner of the completion of the development or 24 months.
Sec. 3. Impairment of Leases. This Act must not be construed to invalidate or impair a lease in effect on the effective date of the Act.
Sec. 4. Financing. The Executive must, subject to appropriation and applicable law, explore options to offer low-interest financing to landlords who need to upgrade their electrical systems to comply with the requirements of this Act.
2016 L.M.C., ch. 39, §3, states in part: Transition.
(b) The requirement that landlords provide certain information concerning electric and gas utility billing under Section 29-30, as amended in Section 1, takes effect 180 days after this Act becomes law.
1983 L.M.C., ch. 24, § 13, provides in part as follows: “The amendments to chapter 29 approved by this act shall be repealed and of no force or effect on or after March 8, 1985.” This sentence was deleted by 1985 L.M.C., ch. 40, § 1, thus giving the law permanent status.