Baltimore and Other Rental Inspections
What is the "Rental Registration Program"?
On December 19, 2007, Baltimore County Council Bill 87-07 was passed requiring that all buildings or a portion of a building that contain one to six dwelling units, intended, or designed to be rented, leased, let or be hired out to be occupied for living purposes be registered and licensed with Baltimore County.
Purpose - To establish a licensing program in the county in order to create an additional procedure for the enforcement of county codes and regulations
- to protect and
- to promote public safety, health and welfare.
This program is a County Council initiative that started as a pilot program in certain neighborhoods and has grown, by vote of the Council, to cover the entire County on February 3, 2008.
Prices:
Inspection including photos and all paperwork - $85.00
Re inspections within 30 days - no fee
Lead Inspections - Average price $170.00
Please refer to the
Exemption Affidavit (no fee required) to see if you are exempt from registering.Some of the items checked for:
- smoke detectors
- carbon monoxide detectors (when required)
- electrical system
- all plumbing - functional
- windows are operational
- proper ventilation of all combustion appliances (furnace, hot water heater, dryer
- secondary means of escape from sleeping areas
- no exterior safety hazards
Livability Code
The legislation that we will introduce will amend the section of Baltimore County's Livability Code that applies to rental housing, specifically the section that applies to Fire Safety and Protection.
Under the proposed legislation the owner of a rental property will be required to:
- Supply and install one or more carbon monoxide alarms in the common area outside of each sleeping area.
- Provide written information on alarm testing and maintenance to at least one adult occupant of the housing unit, and maintain a signed acknowledgement by this adult that the information was received; and
- Provide an alarm designed to alert hearing-impaired residents if an individual who is hearing-impaired occupies the housing unit and an occupant has requested the installation of the alarm by certified mail. The alarm must carry the listing of a nationally recognized testing laboratory approved by the State of Maryland.
- Owners will have 12 months to comply with the legislation, and will be required to certify to the Director of Permits and Development Management that the units are in compliance.
- By state law, all dwellings built after January 1, 2008 must contain hardwired carbon monoxide detectors. Under this proposed legislation, rental dwellings built prior to January 1, 2008, may have the alarm wired into an AC power line with a secondary battery backup, or plugged into an electrical outlet not controlled by a switch, with secondary backup, or battery powered.
Under the legislation to be introduced, tenants will also bear some responsibility:
- The tenant must test and maintain the carbon monoxide alarm according to management guidelines.
- They must replace the batteries in the detector as needed, and notify management by certified mail immediately of any malfunctions or other problems with the carbon monoxide detector, and upon such notice, the owner must repair or replace the carbon monoxide alarm.
- The tenant may not remove or disconnect the detector and may not remove the batteries or otherwise render the alarm inoperable.
