Howard County Executive Calvin Ball Establishes New LIVE Initiative Aimed at Supporting Tenants and Promoting Housing Stability

ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Executive Ball today announced his administration’s new LIVE (Landlord accountability, Investment in quality, Victim protection and Eviction prevention) initiative to address and reduce landlord-tenant issues. Under LIVE, Ball will submit legislation to the Howard County Council regarding the eviction process and has signed an Executive Order addressing habitability concerns experienced by tenants. Photos from today’s press conference can be found on Howard County Government’s Flickr website.

Since 2019, the County’s:

• Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) has received on average 600 inquiries and 200 landlord/tenant complaints a year;
• Department of Inspections, Licensing, and Permits (DILP) has issued more than 2,500 rental housing notice of violations a year; and
• Office of Human Rights and Equity (OHRE) has annually received approximately eight housing discrimination complaints concerning issues that span from refusal to rent to lease termination.

Since 2019, 93 percent of the notice of violations issued by DILP were because of the proactive enforcement by the department’s Rental Housing Investigation Unit. In 2024, the County elevated OCP to be a standalone office due to growing caseload that was interrelated with other constituent and enforcement related services handled by the County’s OHRE, Department of Community Resources and Services (DCRS), DILP, and the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). 

During its December 2025 meeting, Howard County’s Advisory Board of Consumer Protection’s, which works with the Office of Consumer Protection, unanimously voted to recommend that the County amend Howard County Code Sec. 17.1000. Under this section of the County Code, landlords are currently required to give notice to their tenant at least six days written notice before the scheduled date of eviction is to be executed. At the recommendation of the Board and as permitted under Md. Code Ann., Real Property § 8-407(e)(1), Ball’s proposed legislation increases the six-day notice to at least 14 days. The legislation also establishes a penalty in the form of a CLASS A violation if a landlord fails to provide proper notice and requires that a landlord include with the notice a written statement that identifies a website established by OCP and informs tenants that information and resources related to evictions are available on the website created by OCP.

This expanded time frame provides:

• Tenants with additional time to make other arrangements and/or access resources provided by DHCD to avoid homelessness. These resources include registering with DHCD’s Coalition to End Homelessness – Continuum of Care’s Coordinated Entry System of Homeless Services (CES) to be added to its “By-Name” list. DHCD’s CES connects people who are experiencing homelessness to housing opportunities.
• A tenant’s legal counsel with more time to challenge legal issues of the eviction.

“As the lead agency for the County’s newly adopted five-year plan to end homelessness, The Path Toward Zero: Howard County’s Strategic Plan to End Homelessness 2025-2030., DHCD partners with other County departments and nonprofit agencies to provide resources and support for residents facing housing instability, eviction, or homelessness. We know it is less expensive, and certainly less traumatic, to keep residents housed and prevent them from entering the homeless response system,” said Kelly Cimino, Director, DHCD. “We look forward to continuing our work to help residents find and maintain safe, accessible, and affordable housing.”

Additionally, the Executive Order (EO) Ball signed today aims to address habitability concerns experienced by tenants by expanding and strengthening the County departments and offices that handle landlord-tenant complaints. This order will

• Empower tenants and landlords with information as to their rights and requirements under the law;
• Remove language barriers to access resources;
• Expand resources to those experiencing a housing crisis; and
• Create efficient complaint processes with alternative ways to resolve disputes.

In Howard County, every dwelling or dwelling unit not occupied solely by the owner or owner's immediate family requires a Rental Housing License; this license is issued by DILP. This EO calls for the County to evaluate increasing the number of inspectors in DILPs’ Rental Housing Enforcement Division in Fiscal Year (FY) 2027. It also requires that DILP shall provide an annual update to its Rental Housing Checklist for landlords and that the checklist by translated in the top five spoken languages in Howard County.

“My colleagues and I have always worked cooperatively in-house, but that doesn't always translate to the public,” said Robert Frances, Director, DILP. “County Executive Ball’s initiative will help streamline and simplify processes for those who need assistance by directing them to a more centralized point of contact.”

The EO also orders OCP to:

• Evaluate increasing the number of its staff in FY 2027 to further support conciliations between landlords and tenants and to administer an arbitration program to help resolve landlord tenant disputes.
• Increase its landlord and tenant outreach and education program by:
  1. Translating the Landlord Tenant Assistance publication and other related documentation into five additional languages beyond the required translation to English, Spanish, Chinese, and French.
  2. Updating the Landlord Tenant Assistance publication with legal resources, rental assistance resources, and utility assistance resources.

“Since 2018, we have been a resource to tenants and landlords on their respective rights and responsibilities. This new initiative augments our abilities to be that resource, and we look forward to assisting the parties in this most important transaction,” said Tracy Rezvani, Administrator, OCP.

The EO also calls upon OHRE, which investigates and processes complaints of unlawful discrimination in various categories, including housing, to increase its outreach and fair housing to landlords and tenants, to include, but not limited to, webinars on fair housing rights and housing discrimination.

“OHRE applauds County Executive Ball for advancing a coordinated, equity-centered approach to landlord tenant relations. Fair housing is a civil right, and this Executive Order helps ensure residents are informed, protected, and supported, particularly during moments of housing instability,” said LaKeisha McClendon, Administrator, OHRE. “OHRE is committed to strengthening outreach, education, and collaboration so that every Howard County resident can access housing free from discrimination. We look forward to expanding fair housing education and working closely with our partner agencies to ensure these protections are meaningful and accessible.”

Finally, the EO commits the County to:

• Increase funding for eviction prevention services in order to better support tenants and reduce evictions;
• Create an information sharing complaint process between OCP, OHRE, and DILP to improve efficiency, streamline processes for residents, and eliminate complainants from filing multiple complaints with numerous County offices and departments; and
• Calls upon OCP, DHCD, DILP, OHRE, and DCRs to coordinate and provide an annual report to the County Executive of their efforts related to the County’s landlord-tenant initiatives, including relevant data on landlord-tenant complaints, rental housing violations, and eviction prevention efforts, with the first report due on August 3, 2026.

“On behalf of DCRS, I would like to reiterate our commitment to support members of our community who are facing housing challenges and in need of supports and services. We understand how challenging and stressful it can be to figure out how to manage through some of these systems when you are trying to maintain a roof over your head and keep you and your family safe.” said Jackie Scott, Director, DCRS. “To our partners, we will continue to support you and work alongside you to find ways to help our community members in need. And to our landlords and management companies, know that we can help you by providing resources to your staff and residents.

In addition to key actions announced in the EO, Ball also announced his intention to allocate increased eviction prevention funding in the upcoming FY 2027 Operating Budget. To better support tenants facing eviction, Ball will allocate $300,000 for eviction prevention administered by DHCD and the Community Action Council of Howard County. This reflects a 100 percent increase over the $150,000 that was allocated for eviction prevention by the County in the FY 2026 Operating Budget.

“The Community Action Council’s (CAC) housing and eviction prevention program has been one of the its five core services for decades. As we are in the business of prevention – and we prevent homelessness, the CAC stands ready to offer a hand-up to our neighbors, keeping families and children housed,” said Tracy Broccolino, President, Community Action Council of Howard County. “We are deeply grateful to our many community partners who keep the needs of our neighbors front of mind, especially County Executive Ball and his team.”

This EO builds upon DHCD’s comprehensive Housing Opportunities Meant

for Everyone (HOME) package and Opportunities for Wealth-Building Now (OWN) initiatives. Launched in 2023, HOME is comprised of a suite of policy and programmatic initiatives aimed at tackling housing affordability in Howard County. The HOME package includes:

• Preventing rent gouging;
• Preserving and creating new affordable units;
• Providing rental assistance to youth and families experiencing homelessness;
• Offering home accessibility modifications for seniors and people with disabilities; and
• Investing in rental assistance, affordable housing construction, and homeownership.

To date, through HOME the County has invested:

• $1 million towards security deposit and rental assistance for Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) youth experiencing homelessness
• $1 million in rental subsidy for Howard Community College (HCC) students of eligible income
• $100,000 towards modifying rental units with accessibility improvements for older adults and residents with a disability
• $1.4 million in Howard Opportunities Trust Fund (HOTF) to support
  • Home modification assistance
  • Rental assistance
  • Rental unit acquisition
  • Home weatherization program
  • Homeownership vouchers
• $1.6 million in HOTF to support Patuxent Commons affordable housing project

Launched in 2024, the comprehensive OWN initiative is a bold approach to advancing homeownership initiatives at the local level. By expanding access to low-interest financing for downpayment assistance, improving home renovation loan criteria and investing in homeownership programs, the County is working towards making affordable homeownership more accessible to current and future residents. Through OWN, DHCD enhanced its Settlement Downpayment Loan Program regulations and modifying its Rehabilitation Loan Fund program regulations. In Fiscal Year 2025, OWN initiatives homeownership investments included:

• $4 million for homeownership assistance,
• $600,000 for rehabilitation loans, and
• $110,000 for homebuyer education.