Landlord and Tenant - Evictions - Tenant's Personal Property and Moving Expenses and Services (Small Landlord Eviction Relief Act)

HB 1093, the "Small Landlord Eviction Relief Act," modifies Maryland law to clarify how landlords handle tenant belongings during evictions and restricts local governments from requiring landlords to cover moving costs. It adds a new definition (§8-407) stating "moving expenses" include costs for packing, unpacking, storing, or transporting a tenant’s personal property, but explicitly prohibits counties or municipalities from enforcing local rules that force landlords to pay for these expenses or provide moving services. The bill amends existing eviction statutes (§§8-401, 8-402, 8-402.1) to incorporate these changes, ensuring landlords can remove tenant belongings without local mandates for moving assistance. This directly affects landlords (who no longer face local moving expense requirements) and tenants (who lose potential local protections for moving costs).