Harford County’s current approach to rental livability conditions is reactionary, with no means for officials to inspect problem apartments and little to no consequences for landlords until residents file formal complaints. Some residents and county officials are hoping to change that, as maintenance requests to relieve mold, leaks and pests at some properties offering low-income housing continue to go unanswered.

Quality enforcement in Harford County is outlined in the county’s livability code, which was created to establish some accountability for property owners. Per the code, the county’s Department of Inspections, Licensing and Permitting is tasked with investigating issues, but only after residents submit a complaint.

If the county finds an infraction, officials have the authority to issue civil citations to property owners, not exceeding $1,000 for each infraction found in the county code.

A possible solution could be through a rental registry, which could require landlords to pay to register properties with the county and undergo routine property inspections, said Harford County Chief of Executive Staff Joe Cluster.

Nearly a dozen Maryland counties, along with Annapolis and Baltimore City, have such registries. A rental registry would give Harford County more power in holding landlords accountable for code violations as well as provide the county a record of all rental property inspections.

“If there was a rental registration, the accountability would still be on the landlord, but they would have to get their property inspected and there would be a standard that the property has to step to,” Cluster said. “There are drawbacks because people who have rental properties do not want to pay to register their properties.”

Cluster said most complaints are resolved through maintenance being addressed, but residents of Perrywood Garden Apartments who receive Housing and Urban Development vouchers for housing are not getting issues resolved properly. Some residents have complained that mold is painted over instead of being properly removed.

A HUD voucher, part of the federal government’s Housing Choice Voucher Program, helps low-income families, seniors and people with disabilities afford housing in the private rental market by providing a rent subsidy. After a local Public Housing Agency approves eligibility, residents find a landlord who accepts the voucher, and the PHA pays a portion of the rent directly to the landlord while residents pay the rest.

One resident of Perrywood Garden who is disabled and uses HUD vouchers, wished to remain anonymous due to fear of retaliation from her property manager. The woman has documented holes in her walls, mold in many areas of her home, faulty appliances, flooding and more, which all fall under provisions in the county’s livability code. The issues, she said, are to the point where the physical health of her and her children is at risk. She said the property manager and the county both ignore her issues, while her living conditions have gotten worse.

“We stay sick,” she said. “Coughing, waking up itchy with burning eyes, scratchy throat — it’s always something because of the mold and we always have headaches.”

She submitted a livability complaint to the county for black mold and other issues earlier this year which was inspected by a county inspector, but later dismissed.

“It makes you feel worthless, and it hurts,” the resident said. “It makes you feel defeated and like you don’t matter because once your complaint is dismissed, there is no point in submitting a complaint again because it will just get dismissed for a second time.”

The woman is not alone. Numerous HUD residents in the county have complained of the same feelings of neglect, helplessness and fear for their health and safety. Residents have questioned who to turn to for help, but the burden is ultimately on them to report issues to the county after they occur.

Cluster said proactive enforcement by the county is “impractical if not impossible to implement” due to limited resources and because action must be taken after a complaint is filed, according to the current regulations.

He noted that Harford County does not own any HUD housing and that the county has no interest being in the “property management business.”

Cluster said Harford County does not know how many properties are used as rental properties and that he is certain some of them have never been inspected before due to never having a complaint from residents.

HUD developments, however, are inspected every one to three years by HUD. Perrywood Garden Apartments was inspected in April and scored a 78 out of 100, while another problematic development with HUD housing, Windsor Valley Apartments in Edgewood, hasn’t been inspected since 2017, according to inspection documents on HUD’s website.

If a rental registry were to be implemented, the county could conduct inspections on HUD properties to ensure they are properly inspected on a routine basis.

In order for a rent registry to be implemented, the Harford County Council would have to introduce and pass legislation into law — something council members tried in 2012 and 2014. Efforts failed due to public outcry over the costs associated with the registry.

County Council member Nolanda Robert, who serves Edgewood, Belcamp and Joppatowne areas, said she is looking at how a rental registry could work in Harford County in a cost-effective way that doesn’t burden property owners.

“I definitely think this is an issue which I would like to see resolved in the best interest of the public and those residents living in squalor,” Robert said. “If rent registry is one of the ways to fix that, then I am on board with seeing how we can do that effectively without tying the hands of everybody who is doing rentals because we know there are some homeowners who rent properties with great upkeep.”

Have a news tip? Contact Matt Hubbard at mhubbard@baltsun.com, 443-651-0101 or @mthubb on X.