DOUG’S DIGEST / TAKOMA PARK
Tenant Protections: What Could Change?
A guide to the city’s proposed rental housing ordinance • October 2026
FROM THE TAKOMA PARK CITY COUNCIL MEETING
Meeting date: October 14, 2026 | HCD tenant protections presentation
Council meeting video: https://www.youtube.com/live/otHZba86zjY?si=EH7zf56ptSnf-Iub&t=10302 Presentation begins at: 2:51:42
Existing law: Takoma Park Municipal Code, Chapter 6.16, Landlord-Tenant Relations
https://ecode360.com/47258805
Takoma Park is developing a package of new tenant protections, but many residents may not yet know the work is underway. Housing and Community Development (HCD) staff outlined proposals covering emergency repairs, cooling, rent payments, rental licenses, displacement, and enforcement. The proposals are still under legal review. They are not yet law.
At a glance
Work began in October 2025. Staff presented an initial framework in February 2026 and have since prepared draft ordinance language with city management and input from Montgomery County housing officials. The City Attorney is reviewing that draft. A Council work session is tentatively planned for March 2027, with approval targeted for April 2027.
What the city is proposing
Emergency maintenance
Buildings with 30 or more units would provide a 24/7 line for urgent health, safety, and maintenance problems. Smaller rentals would provide a direct emergency number.
Cooling and AC fees
The required cooling season would run April 1–September 30, with indoor temperatures no higher than 80°F. Extra charges for AC equipment, including window units, would be prohibited.
Troubled properties
Buildings with recurring code violations could be placed in a troubled-properties program, with a city-approved repair plan and firm deadlines.
Rent credits for outages
If a major building system remains out of service longer than 24 hours and tenants do not need to relocate, the landlord would provide a credit of at least 20% of daily prorated rent for affected days.
Rental licensing and penalties
The city would pursue higher municipal infraction fines. Landlords could not charge or collect rent if a rental license has been expired more than 30 days or is suspended or revoked.
Emergency plans
Properties with 30 or more units would submit emergency preparedness plans addressing fire, flooding, and utility outages as part of licensing.
Protection when a license is revoked
Existing tenants could remain unless officials issue a formal vacate order or the home is uninhabitable.
Tenant Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights would be attached to every new or renewed residential lease.
Clearer rent increase notices
Written notice would specify the date, percentage and dollar increase, optional fees, and full rent breakdown. The existing two-month notice period would remain.
Payment without fees
Landlords would offer at least one no-fee, nonelectronic way to pay, such as a check and secure drop box, and payment-processing fees would be prohibited.
Fast emergency reporting
Landlords of properties with four or more units would report major emergencies to the city within two hours and submit a corrective action plan.
Displacement assistance
Relocation protections could begin when public safety officials, such as fire and rescue personnel, determine displacement is necessary, without waiting for formal housing condemnation.
Collective complaints
Two or more tenants could jointly file complaints with the Commission on Landlord-Tenant Affairs (COLTA); HCD would gain preliminary investigation authority.
What is not in this package?
Condominium conversions would be handled through a separate city work plan. For balcony solar, staff described education and landlord outreach rather than immediate regulatory changes.
Existing law vs. proposed changes
Some protections already exist. The important question is what the new ordinance would add or strengthen. The comparisons below use Takoma Park Code Chapter 6.16 and the staff presentation; final legal language has not been released.
Emergency contacts
CURRENT LAW Landlords already must post and distribute emergency contact information (§ 6.16.050(E)).
PROPOSED CHANGE A dedicated 24/7 contact line for 30+ unit properties; direct number for smaller rentals.
Rent increase notice
CURRENT LAW Two months’ written notice is already required (§ 6.16.080(B)).
PROPOSED CHANGE More explicit breakdown of dollar and percentage changes, fees, and total rent.
Window air conditioning
CURRENT LAW Leases already address window AC rights and may permit certain reasonable fees (§ 6.16.060(J)).
PROPOSED CHANGE Ban additional AC equipment fees and impose a defined cooling-season standard.
Tenant associations / complaints
CURRENT LAW Registered tenant associations can file authorized representative complaints (§ 6.16.030(D)); complaint procedures exist (§ 6.16.170).
PROPOSED CHANGE Permit joint complaints by two or more tenants and broaden HCD’s preliminary role.
Displacement
CURRENT LAW The city already requires relocation payments or alternative housing in qualifying circumstances (§ 6.16.180).
PROPOSED CHANGE Broaden the trigger to certain public safety actions before formal condemnation.
What to watch as the draft moves forward
The final text will need to define “major building system,” explain how rent credits are calculated and enforced, clarify the troubled-property designation process, and specify what happens when landlords miss emergency deadlines. Residents should also watch how the city will fund inspections, investigations, and enforcement.
What happens next?
November 2026: anticipated return from City Attorney
January 2027: staff finalization target
March 2027: anticipated Council work session
April 2027: hoped-for Council approval
Implementation thereafter. These are projected dates, not adopted deadlines. This tenant protections initiative is separate from the city’s rent stabilization policy review. It concerns housing conditions, landlord duties, tenant remedies, and enforcement, rather than setting the annual allowable rent increase.
