Neighborhood Nuisances Could Get Jail Time

A Baltimore City Council bill that developed partly as a way to control rowdy college houses in North Baltimore could wind up putting violating landlords behind bars.

The Judiciary and Legislative Investigations Committee on Tuesday amended the so-called Neighborhood Nuisance bill to include a punishment of up to 60 days in jail for owners of problem houses.

The bill already contains new enforcement measures to allow the Baltimore City Environmental Control Board to issue citations that could lead to a $500 fine for a first offense and $1,000 for any subsequent violation within 12 months of the initial violation. By having the control board issue the citations it can levy a lien on a property if fines aren't paid.

During the hearing, Carolyn Cook, deputy executive vice president of the Greater Baltimore Board of Realtors, argued the legislation is too harsh on property owners. 

“The big problem with this bill is that from a property owner’s standpoint … you could throw an owner in jail for 60 days, theoretically, for having one citation because they had a group of friends over,” she said.

Cook objected to the legislation primarily because it doesn’t give property owners a warning before they could be fined.

Councilman Bill Henry, D-District 4, said after the meeting the law wouldn't be used to go after isolated incidents, and that the city is only interested in going after properties that routinely house rowdy rental tenants in neighborhoods.

"This isn't going to get used every time someone has a party. This is going to be used on problem houses," Henry said.   

Cook argued that an ordinance passed last year in Baltimore County to try and control problem rental properties is a much more fair to property owners.

In Baltimore County the license for a rental property could be revoked if a property receives two complaints in a six-month period.

She argued the city’s bill doesn’t give landlords enough leeway to fix the problem with renters before the city starts penalizing them.  

“If the landlord didn’t know about the nuisance, and when he became aware of it, he took all reasonable steps to eradicate it he’s not going to get fined. He’s not going to lose his license,” Cook said.

Councilman James Kraft, D-District 1, said that comparing the county to the city isn’t reasonable.

“Baltimore County doesn’t have the problems that we have,” Kraft said.

Henry  argued that legislation with strong consequences for violators was needed and that there was strong community support for the bill  

“I could pack this chambers with dozens of neighbors whose quality of life has been tremendously impacted over the years by tenants who come into a house, make a lot of noise for a year, and then leave,” Henry said. “[Residents] are tired. They are exhausted for being responsible for being the ones who have to teach these tenants every year that this is the way you’re supposed to behave when you’re living in polite society on your own."

He said that responsibility must be on the people who are profiting from renting properties in tranquil neighborhoods. He said that he’s spent the better part of two years trying to get landlords to be more responsive and involved, but so far has been met with resistance.

City Council President Bernard “Jack” Young also told Cook that landlords have not been responsive enough to neighbors, community associations and even requests from his office to get control of tenants.

“We’re losing good people in the City of Baltimore because of these nuisance houses that some of these landlords and some of these property owners don’t care [about],” Young said.