News & Press

On November 29, 2016, The Maryland Court of Appeals published an opinion regarding rent escrow. The 21 page opinion in Wendy Crane v. EZ Rentals is simply a restatement of the current rent escrow law found in the Maryland Real Property Article, §8-211(e). The Honorable Robert N. McDonald's... Continue Reading

On Tuesday, a federal judge in the Eastern District of Texas blocked an Obama administration rule to extend mandatory overtime pay to approximately 4.2 million salaried workers nationwide from taking effect, imperiling one of the outgoing president’s signature achievements for boosting... Continue Reading

Yesterday, Senator Thomas "Mac" Middleton (D - Charles County), Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, held an interim hearing on Employer Mandated Paid Sick Leave. With the primary sponsor of last year's paid sick leave bill, Senator Pugh, becoming the Mayor of Baltimore and thus departing... Continue Reading

The National Apartment Association (NAA) highlights a potential class action lawsuit against Facebook on the grounds that the social networking site allows racial discrimination in housing and employment ads, violating the Fair Housing Act and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The NAA article can be... Continue Reading

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has issued a final rule under the Fair Housing Act, which became effective on October 14th, 2016, clarifying that discriminatory actions by non-agents of the landlord, such as other tenants, are the landlord's responsibility; even if the... Continue Reading

After hearing two business group leaders dump on the paid sick leave proposal from last session, Sen. Ed Kasemeyer, chair of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, told a Howard County Chamber of Commerce breakfast Wednesday that the paid sick leave bill was bound to pass this term, and... Continue Reading

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) expanded the protections of The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 2013 and finalized a new rule to protect the housing of survivors of domestic abuse, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Housing providers that... Continue Reading

Last week in the U.S District Court for the Eastern District of New York, the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) filed a statement of interest arguing that the Fair Housing Act (FHA) requires that landlords who consider criminal records in evaluating prospective tenants do not use overly broad... Continue Reading

For Immediate ReleaseOctober 19th, 2016 The Maryland Multi-Housing Association Announces Officers for 2017 MMHA is a professional trade association established in 1996, whose membership consists of owners and managers of more than 178,288 rental housing homes in more than 705 apartment... Continue Reading

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) was very active in 2016 when it came to the Fair Housing Laws. The below chronologically highlights HUD's actions in the Fair Housing arena this this past year: In April, HUD issued guidance on the use of criminal records in real... Continue Reading

On October 1st, the landscape of Maryland’s Equal Pay for Equal Work Law changed. Employers should carefully review this bill and update their employment policies. Before the October 1st amendments became law, Maryland's Equal Pay for Equal Work law required that an employer, regardless of... Continue Reading

Beginning October 1st, the maximum fee that a condominium association or home owners association (HOA) may charge a unit owner for providing a resale package will be $250. This figure may be CPI-U adjusted every 2 years, but as of October 1, 2016 the maximum fee will be $250. Condominium... Continue Reading