What’s New in Rockville’s Landlord-Tenant Code?
Old folks are nostalgic for the days before algorithms interfered in our daily decisions. If we wanted to decide what to watch on TV, we had to flip channels with the remote control or physically read the TV Guide that was delivered to our house once per week. If we wanted to listen to music that we had never heard before but was similar to music we liked, we could flip through CDs in the music store or ask friends for recommendations, or if we were too lazy to do that, then we could just keep the dial tuned to the radio station that had just played the song that we had heard and enjoyed. The young generation resents the fact that algorithms guide them on a collision course of financial stress, offering them no alternatives. They have started to push back against the algorithms, though, even though they have few memories of what life was like before the algorithms came to town. Fortunately, a Maryland judge just went full old fogey and banned algorithm-assisted pricing from the new version of the Landlord-Tenant Code. If you are a landlord in need of old-fashioned human guidance for implementing the new version of Rockville’s Landlord-Tenant Code, contact a Washington, D.C. real estate lawyer.
Maryland Court Orders Chatbots to Butt Out of Decisions About Rent Prices
It’s annoying when an algorithm sets prices for Uber rides, and when you call technical support, the customer service agent, if you can even get a human to talk to you, says that the algorithm is the boss. This is true whether you are a passenger, and the algorithm is making you too much, and whether you are a driver, and the algorithm is paying you too little for your work. Rockville issued the newest version of its Landlord-Tenant Code in July, and one of the biggest changes from previous versions of the code is that it bans the use of algorithms to set rent prices. Landlords must decide the old-fashioned way how to set prices for their rental units.
The new version of the code also requires landlords to be more transparent about how much tenants must pay. It includes more details, and more restrictions, on fees that landlords can charge, including administrative fees and payment-processing fees. The new code also requires landlords to contribute more money to tenants’ relocation expenses when tenants must move because of code violations on the landlord’s part, in other words, when the unit is legally uninhabitable. It also requires landlords to be more transparent about the terms of the lease.
The purpose of the new code is to prevent disputes between landlords and tenants, as well as to prevent tenants from getting into financially unsustainable rental situations. Disputes can still arise, though, and a real estate lawyer can help you resolve them.
Contact Tobin O’Connor Concino P.C. About Being Transparent With Your Tenants
A Washington, D.C. real estate attorney can help you abide by the terms of the Landlord-Tenant Code. Contact Tobin O’Connor Concino P.C. in Washington, D.C. or call 202-362-5900.
Source:
dcnewsnow.com/news/life/rockville-bans-algorithm-pricing-becomes-first-maryland-city-to-approve-move/
