A renters’ rights bill first introduced by Baltimore City Council President hopeful Zeke Cohen in 2023 will advance to a full council vote after clearing a major hurdle on Tuesday.

Resuscitated after months of negotiations, the bill, called the Strengthening Renters’ Safety Act, sailed through an Economic and Community Development committee hearing with several amendments that council members praised as sensible and favorable to the city’s tenant class.

“It’s a remarkably good bill,” said City Councilman Ryan Dorsey, an ally of Cohen’s. “These amendments make this what was a good bill to begin with a really great bill.”

The modified legislation seeks to establish “objective criteria” to define Baltimore’s worst multifamily buildings with 20 or more units and mandate inspections at least twice a year for those placed on the list. Failure to abate problems with a building or unit can eventually lead to a property owner’s license being revoked. In Baltimore, a license is required to both charge and collect rent.

With the new amendments, Cohen said, he attempted to “operate with a scalpel” to surgically pinpoint bad actors who take advantage of Baltimore renters.

“This is an anti-slumlord bill,” he said, “not an anti-landlord bill.” He added that less than half of all Baltimore property owners are licensed and that posted violation notices haven’t been sufficient enough to generate more meaningful action out of some landlords.

In a tight real estate market that puts homeownership and affordable housing out of reach for more people, a wave of housing policies has sought to correct what some have referred to as an uneven power dynamic between property owners and their tenants. Earlier this year, Gov. Wes Moore’s administration successfully pushed for a bevvy of new tools designed to empower renters, including hiking the eviction filing fees and creating a state-run office meant to serve as a liaison between housing providers and tenants.

Cohen’s bill, last heard in late March, also aims to put renters at the forefront, he said. At the time, the city’s Department of Housing and Community Development called it problematic and said it would be difficult to enforce.

A new amendment would require landlords to post a public notice when their properties are unlicensed, and all advertisements and leases must also include proof of licensure. Tenants would receive a copy of the latest inspection report and could also advocate for their units to be placed on the priority list.

The City Council — rather than a mayor-appointed task force, which an earlier version of the legislation sought to create — would provide oversight for the new requirements. The housing department would be tasked with drafting a “detailed annual report” for review.

The bill received some pushback Tuesday from Kathy Kelly-Howard, general counsel at Regional Management Inc., a property management company.

She argued that well-meaning landlords could wind up on the list through no fault of their own — due to a tenant’s noncompliance with the rules, for example — and that housing providers who abate the problems in their buildings should not be penalized.

“Some of the ways these things are written are going to catch some of those tunas in the net,” she said.

Cohen said while the “vast majority” of landlords in the city should not be concerned with the legislation, a small handful must be brought into compliance. He and City Councilman Robert Stokes, whose term ends in December, said the bill aims to strengthen renters’ rights, even at the expense of some landlords.

Though Cohen said he intends for the bill to be revenue-neutral, Baltimore budget director Laura Larsen clarified that the bill would likely require more city funding, largely to hire more housing employees to see to the work. That could amount to as much as $1 million in annual costs, she said.

If passed, the bill would take effect in January 2026. It was not immediately clear when the full council vote would take place.