What Maryland Landlords Need to Know About the Fair Chance Housing Act, Vouchers, and Rent Reporting

If you own rental property in Maryland, your leasing routine just changed in major ways.

As of October 1, 2026, new state laws directly impact how you screen prospective renters, how you evaluate housing vouchers, and how you manage tenant rent payments:

If you manage single-family homes, townhouses, or multifamily units in Prince George’s, Montgomery, Howard, or Anne Arundel counties, here is what these changes mean on the ground, without the legal jargon.

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1. Income-Based Housing Subsidies: Ending Credit-Based Voucher Rejections

Maryland has banned discrimination based on “source of income” for years. However, many independent landlords still routinely filtered out Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) applicants using credit score minimums or full-rent income formulas.

Under SB 335 / HB 315, that loophole is closed:

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2. The Fair Chance Housing Act: How Criminal Background Screening Changes

If you own or manage 5 or more residential rental units in Maryland, you can no longer run criminal background checks at the start of your application process.

No Upfront Questions or Blanket Disclaimers

You cannot include check boxes on your application asking about criminal records, and you cannot place phrases like “no felonies” or “clean record required” in your public listings.

The Two-Stage Screening Process

Mandatory Individualized Review

If a conviction shows up, blanket rejections are prohibited. Landlords must evaluate the offense’s nature, how much time has passed, the applicant’s age at the time, and any evidence of rehabilitation. If an offer is rescinded, the landlord must provide a written explanation, supply a copy of the report, and give the applicant a reasonable window to dispute errors. Fines for non-compliance run up to $500 per violation.

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3. Positive Rent Reporting: Offering Tenants Credit for On-Time Rent

The second part of SB 335 / HB 315 applies to housing providers owning 6 or more residential units across the state.

The state now requires covered owners to provide tenants with a mechanism to build credit by reporting on-time rent payments to at least one major credit bureau (Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion):

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Local County Considerations

While state laws set the floor, local jurisdictions enforce additional requirements:

The Landlord Action Checklist

To align your rental business with these October 2026 mandates:

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Let Mainstay Property Management Handle the Red Tape

Keeping up with Maryland tenant regulations can quickly feel like a full-time compliance job instead of an investment strategy. Missing an applicant screening rule or failing to document a disclosure exposes rental owners to real liability.

Mainstay Property Management provides complete, local oversight across Central Maryland:

Reach out to Mainstay Property Management today to schedule a review of your screening and leasing workflows.