Politics & Government
Appeals Court Sides with College Park Rent Control
With the decision, the city can now form its rent stabilization board.
College Park's government leaders will now form a board to examine the fairness of rent within the city limits, after the Maryland Court of Appeals agreed last week that city officials can impose limits on what landlords can charge.
City officials plan to recruit members to the eight-member board "within the next week or two," said District 4 Councilman Marcus Afzali, to ensure that landlords comply with the city's rent stabilization ordinance, which puts caps on the amount of money landlords can charge for rent.
In April, the City Council rejected a proposal to lift the rent restrictions. The landlords eventually filed suit against the city, and that case was brought before the Maryland appeals court in May. With Wednesday's decision, the city is now allowed to put rent caps on the city's landlords.
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"The highest court in Maryland has ruled in our favor, and now we can move forward," Afzali said. As for backlash from landlords, "we'll have to see what happens," he added.
City Councilman Patrick L. Wojahn (Dist. 1) agreed. "It was the right decision to make," Wojahn said, adding that one resident has already expressed an interest in joining the board.
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The problem, Afzali added, was that property owners would purchase multiple homes within city limits, turn them into rentals, and hike up the rent to unaffordable rates for University of Maryland students. Therefore, he said, city officials saw dwindling numbers of full-time renters.
Last year, The Sage Policy Group conducted a study on College Park's rent control, saying that the city has a rational basis for stabilizing rent, especially since homeownership continues to falter. Rent stabilization is a means of spurring homeownership in College Park, and discouraging residents from converting their homes into rental units.
The board, according to city information, will ensure that city landlords comply with the rent stablization ordinance, determine and set rent levels, require registration on all rental units, and report to the mayor and city council the status of all rental units in College Park. The board could also remove rent controls within the city.
