PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. — Three members of the Prince George's County Council proposed the Rental Assistance Act, which they believe to be a better alternative to what they called a "dangerous rent control bill."
Prince George's County Rental Assistance Act of 2023 is proposed by Council Members Mel Franklin (At-Large), Sydney Harrison (District 9), and Calvin Hawkins (At-Large).
According to a release from Franklin, the act will ban sudden and large increases in rent and establish a new rental assistance fund to provide relief to "economically distressed households experiencing rent increases above inflation levels."
The Rental Assistance Act was proposed as an alternative to the Rent Stabilization Act of 2023, also known as the Rent Control Bill, which was proposed by six members of the County Council.
Under the Rent Stabilization Act, a landlord is not allowed to increase rent to an amount that exceeds 3% per year of the existing rent amount for any tenant. Additionally, the landlord can’t issue a notice of rent increase, late fees or penalties during the six-month period of this act.
According to Franklin, the Rental Assistance Act would place a 20% maximum on rent increases generally and a 10% cap on rent increases for housing designated for seniors or veterans, with an exception being if a landlord first does a major renovation of a majority of the entire property or rebuilds it. The act would also create a rental assistance fund and program for a person or family that is making 50% or less of the area median income for our region. That fund would for 6 months of any increase in rent that exceeds 5% of the household’s previous rent costs.
Franklin calls the Rental Assistance Act the better alternative to the "dangerous rent control bill."
"Rent control is not a new idea. In fact, it is a very old and bad idea that was thought to have been relegated to the dustbin of bad policy history," he said in a press release.
The councilman claims rent control would lead to apartment complexes becoming slums where landlords do the bare minimum and renters gradually live in worse and worse conditions.
"You might ask, why would a landlord or apartment owner choose to reduce their investment in their properties for things like renovations, maintenance, and repairs. It’s basic economics," Franklin writes. "Owning a rental property or apartment complex isn’t charity for a landlord. It’s a business."
Earlier this month, WUSA9 spoke with a Laurel woman who shared her story of an unreasonable rent increase in Prince George's County.
“I got a rent increase of $800,” Kia Jefferson of Laurel, Maryland said. “I thought it was a typo, my rent has gone up every year for the 18 years I’ve lived here, but not $800.”
While Jefferson is not a stranger to rent increases, the 50% increase was a shock and to make matters worse, she was only given 23 days to decide what to do.
When WUSA9 reached out to Jefferson's landlord about the sudden increase, Cameron’s Commercial Real Estate claimed rental increases were due to several factors, including, renovations and inflation.
A Prince George's County resident was shocked that her rent increased by $800 with such short notice.
