MD HB313

Landlords must provide prospective tenants with a disclosure form (created by the Department of Housing and Community Development) detailing screening criteria, denial reasons, and maximum application fees before collecting any application or screening fees.

Landlords are prohibited from requesting, inquiring about, or relying on shielded court records or failure-to-pay-rent proceedings that did not result in a judgment of possession against the tenant.

Landlords cannot take adverse action based solely on unshielded eviction records older than 3 years that lack disposition or outcome information, and must affirm in writing they did not consider prohibited records when denying applications.

Tenant screening companies must implement procedures to prevent disclosure of shielded records and proceedings, clearly indicate case dispositions on unshielded records, and provide corrected reports within 5 business days if prohibited information is disclosed.

Violations subject landlords to civil penalties up to $500 per violation, and injured individuals may seek damages, fee refunds, injunctive relief, and attorney's fees; the Act takes effect October 1, 2026.