Salisbury – Pursuant to City Ordinance 2599, Salisbury’s Housing and Community Development Department has published a letter advising renters in the city of their rights as the State of Maryland continues to take steps to transition out of the State of Emergency declared at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis. The ordinance, signed into law on June 1st, mandates that information relevant to the protection of tenants be made available on the City’s website. This information is now available for review at https://salisbury.md/departments/housing-community-development
Ordinance 2599’s primary function was to prevent any upward adjustment in rental rates or fees for the duration of the state of emergency imposed by Governor Larry Hogan. To that end, the ordinance made it a misdemeanor for a landlord to raise rent for the duration of any declared emergency, and for a period of 90 days after a state of emergency has expired. Additionally, payment plans were made mandatory, to provide renters with a longer period of time to pay unpaid rent in the case that they may have suffered a financial hardship.
The letter to tenants is available in English, Haitian Creole, Spanish, and Korean. By executive order of the Mayor, notice must be posted in a central location visible to all tenants in multi-family buildings and remain posted, with updates as necessary, until 90 days after the expiration of the State of Emergency. Notice is also required to be hand-delivered, or send via US Postal Service to every rental unit by July 1, 2020.
For more information on Ordinance 2599, tenant’s rights, or other housing-related issues, visit: https://salisbury.md/departments/housing-community-development
