Ally Schweitzer / WAMU/DCist
The Montgomery County Council voted 7-4 on Tuesday to implement a sweeping rent stabilization law governing how much most property owners can charge the roughly 35% of county residents who rent their homes – making it among the largest jurisdictions in the country to pass such a law on a permanent basis.
Under the policy, annual rent increases are limited to 3% plus inflation – which currently sits just above 3% – with a hard cap of 6%. The law carves out a number of exemptions, including leased units newly constructed or substantially renovated within the last 23 years, and property owners who rent two or fewer units.
Thanks to an amendment proposed by District 5 Councilmember Kristin Mink, the law will also give broad authority to the county’s Department of Housing and Community Affairs to create a fee schedule limiting extraneous fines and fees charged by property owners on top of base rent.
“I am very happy. I am proud that this council came together on this day to have a permanent solution to protect tenants in Montgomery County, and I think we have the responsibility to walk the talk,” said District 6 Councilmember Natali Fani-Gonzalez, a lead author of the bill. “We love to say that Montgomery County is so progressive, but this is walking the talk.”
The bill passed on Tuesday is the product of two radically different proposals ultimately merged together across work sessions in the council’s housing committee. One, shepherded by Mink and...
Shots fired inside the hotel hosting the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner attended by President Donald Trump caused immediate confusion about the suspect and what transpired at the A...