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<section article="grp" article_name="Real Property" number="8-208.4" title_number="8" title_name="Landlord and Tenant" subtitle_number="2" subtitle_name="Residential Leases">
  <level label="a">
    <level label="1">
      <text>In this section the following words have the meanings indicated.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>“Consumer reporting agency” means any person or entity that, for monetary fees or dues or on a cooperative nonprofit basis, regularly engages, in whole or in part, in the practice of assembling or evaluating consumer credit information or other information on consumers for the purpose of furnishing consumer credit reports to third parties.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <level label="i">
        <text>“Positive rental payment history” means information regarding a tenant’s complete and timely payments of rent.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>“Positive rental payment history” does not include an instance in which a tenant did not completely or timely make a rental payment.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>“Secretary” means the Secretary of Housing and Community Development.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>This section applies only to a landlord that owns six or more residential rental units in the State.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>A landlord that offers a residential dwelling unit for rent shall include in a written lease the option to have the tenant’s positive rental payment history reported to at least one consumer reporting agency.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <level label="1">
      <text>For a lease entered into on or after October 1, 2026, the offer of positive rental payment history reporting shall be made at the time of the lease agreement and at least once annually thereafter.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <level label="i">
        <text>For leases entered into before October 1, 2026, the offer of positive rental payment history reporting shall be made not later than January 1, 2027, and at least once annually thereafter.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>A landlord shall deliver the offer of positive rental payment history reporting to the tenant by:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>First–class mail with a certificate of mailing;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>A delivery service providing delivery tracking and confirmation; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>Electronic delivery, if the tenant has elected to receive notices from the landlord in this manner.</text>
        </level>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <text>The offer of positive rental payment history reporting shall be in the form specified in regulations adopted by the Secretary under subsection (j) of this section and include:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>A statement that reporting of the tenant’s positive rental payment history is optional;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The name of each consumer reporting agency to which positive rental payment history will be reported;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>The amount of any fee charged under subsection (h) of this section;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>Instructions on how to submit the written election of positive rental payment history reporting to the landlord;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>A statement that the tenant may opt into positive rental payment history reporting at any time following the initial offer by the landlord;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="6">
      <text>A statement that the tenant may elect to stop positive rental payment history reporting at any time, but that the tenant will not be able to resume positive rental payment history reporting for at least 6 months after an election to opt out;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="7">
      <text>Instructions on how to opt out of positive rental payment history reporting; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="8">
      <text>A signature block that the tenant shall date and sign in order to accept the offer of positive rental payment history reporting.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="f">
    <text>If the offer of positive rental payment history reporting is made by first–class mail, the landlord shall provide the tenant with a self–addressed, stamped envelope to return the written election of positive rental payment history reporting.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="g">
    <level label="1">
      <text>A tenant may submit the tenant’s completed written election at any time after the tenant receives the offer of positive rental payment history reporting from the landlord.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <level label="i">
        <text>A tenant may request additional copies of the written election of positive rental payment history reporting from the landlord at any time.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>A landlord that receives a request from a tenant pursuant to this paragraph shall comply with the request.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="h">
    <level label="1">
      <text>If a tenant elects to have positive rental payment history reported to a consumer reporting agency the landlord may require that the tenant pay a fee not to exceed the lesser of the actual cost to the landlord to provide the service or $10 per month.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <level label="i">
        <text>The payment or nonpayment of a fee under this subsection may not be reported to a consumer reporting agency.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>A fee collected under this subsection is not rent and may not be credited toward full or partial satisfaction of rent or any other obligation under the lease.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>If a tenant fails to pay any fee required by the landlord under this subsection for 30 days or more:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>The landlord may stop reporting the tenant’s rental payments; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>The tenant may not elect positive rental payment history reporting for a period of at least 6 months after the date on which the fee first became due.</text>
        </level>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="i">
    <level label="1">
      <text>A landlord shall stop reporting positive rental payment history on written request by a tenant.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>A tenant who elects to have reporting stopped may not elect positive rental payment history reporting again for a period of at least 6 months after the date of the tenant’s written request to have reporting stopped.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="j">
    <text>The Secretary shall adopt regulations to carry out this section.</text>
  </level>
</section>
