Contact: Sue Rogan 240-777-3722
For Immediate Release: June 25, 2001

County Reminds Property Owners
They Must Be Licensed to be Landlords

Montgomery County’s Department of Housing and Community Affairs (DHCA) has mailed more than 20,000 notices to licensed landlords for their annual licensing renewal fee due July 1. County property owners are reminded that a rental facility license must be obtained before a residential property can be offered for rent. Montgomery County’s licensing requirement applies to single-family homes and townhouses, as well as individually owned units in a condominium or cooperative apartment building, an apartment complex or accessory apartment.

The cost of the annual rental license is up $5 this year, from $30 to $35 per unit for multi-family homes, and from $55 to $60 per unit for single-family homes and townhouses. The fee increase is the first in four years. Funds from the rental licenses support the County’s landlord-tenant services, which include the investigation and conciliation of disputes between landlords and tenants, and code enforcement inspections to ensure that all rental units meet basic property maintenance standards.

Each landlord-tenant or housing code complaint received by DHCA is checked against the licensing database. Unlicensed landlords can be issued a civil citation with a fine of up to $500. For more information, or to request a license application form, call DHCA's Licensing and Registration Unit at 240-777-3636 or visit the department’s website at http://hca.emontgomery.org.