Rent Control Approved for Montgomery County

Montgomery County, Maryland will apply a controversial measure to help control the cost of rental housing—rent control.

According to an article by Morgan Baskin, the Montgomery County rent stabilization law capped rent increases at 3 percent, plus inflation, with a total maximum increase of 6 percent. The law also includes a number of exemptions, “including leased units newly constructed or substantially renovated within the last 23 years, and property owners who rent two or fewer units,” reports Baskin.

The final version of the law, approved with a 7-4 vote by the Montgomery County Council, is a hybrid of two previous proposals, adds Baskin. “One, shepherded by Mink and At-Large Councilmember Will Jawando, would have capped all rent increases at 3%; the other, dubbed by lead author Natali Fani-Gonzalez as an anti- rent-gouging bill, would have limited increases to 8% plus inflation.”

The article delivers more details about how the council navigated the complicated politics of rent control. Runaway housing prices are prompting drastic steps by local governments in Maryland, explains Baskin. “Neighboring Prince George’s County passed a temporary measure in February capping new rent increases at 3%, while D.C. passed a bill in June limiting rent increases to 6% per year over the next two years — a temporary, more aggressive iteration of its existing rent stabilization law. Mount Rainier also recently put controls on new rent increases,” reports Baskin.