Non-profit groups helps Baltimore landlords & tenants

Baltimore Sun wrote an interesting piece about a non-profit group that counsels landlords and tenants about the finer points of local tenant laws.

Baltimore Neighborhoods stressed the importance of knowing the difference between essential services and common repairs, especially during winter. Heating is an essential repair and local laws require all rental properties to have working heating. The group advised landlords that furnaces and heaters are not an easy fix, and to plan accordingly for your tenants.

The article also spoke about the current state of the real estate economy:

“In these housing-slump times, when it’s easier to rent than sell, “there are a lot more people becoming landlords than getting out of the business, and there are a lot of people becoming landlords who have no clue of what the laws are.”

New landlords are advised to protect themselves by conducting background checks on all new prospective tenants. Checking our a new tenant’s credit history, criminal history, and employment status will a new landlord make the safe decision about who will be living on their property.

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