Baltimore habitability

Do this today

• Photograph the condition. Write the date.
• Dial 311 or file with Baltimore City DHCD.
• If there is no heat, no water, or a gas smell: 911 or the utility first.

What does “livable” mean in Baltimore?

Heat, water, sanitation, and structural safety are the usual floor. The exact list is in Maryland Real Property landlord and tenant title and often in the city housing code Baltimore City DHCD enforces. This desk does not reprint temperature charts or hour-counts.

What if nothing happens after I report it?

Keep the request numbers from 311 or Baltimore City DHCD. Take that file to legal aid. Do not skip rent on a rumor. If the condition is dangerous tonight — no heat in winter, a gas leak, a collapsed ceiling — treat it as an emergency.

What extra rules does Baltimore City have?

Maryland is the floor. Baltimore City has added local rental-licensing and tenant-protection rules. Housing and 311 are the City doors. District Court hears rent court / failure-to-pay cases. Baltimore County is a different government.

The Baltimore layer

Baltimore City and Baltimore County are different governments. Use the City DHCD stack only if the unit is in the City.

Maryland Real Property landlord and tenant title (Md. Code, Real Prop. §§ 8-101 to 8-604) is the Maryland floor. We name it. We do not paraphrase a day-count or a dollar cap out of it.

Baltimore questions

National answers on this desk

• Is a landlord notice the same as being evicted?
• What number should I call right now?
• Is there a national tenant-rights law in the United States?
• What should I do if I get an eviction notice?
• How do I find free legal help as a renter?
• Can my landlord enter without notice?