MontCo Tenant Group To Call For Rent Stabilization, Improved Renter Laws

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

Rent stabilization and improved renter laws in Montgomery County are among the recommendations the Montgomery County Tenants Work Group will make to the Montgomery County Council today. "Right now there's very little to protect renters in Montgomery County against out-of-control rent increases and landlord abuse," says Work Group Chair Matt Losak, former National Labor College Communications Director, and Baltimore-Washington Newspaper Guild Executive Board member. "Between the current economic crisis and the existing housing shortage, renters need increased protections." The Tenant's Work Group - formed in 2008 by County Executive Isiah Leggett - issued its formal report in March and is urging concerned union members and tenants to turn out to support their recommendations at the County Council this morning at 10a (Council Chambers, 100 Maryland Avenue, Rockville MD), where they'll also recommend the establishment of a permanent organization dedicated to advancing the cause of tenants rights. "In response to the report's recommendations, we will soon announce the founding of the Montgomery County Renters Alliance, a non-profit dedicated to implementing the TWG's report recommendations and establishing a permanent voice for the more than 200,000 renters living in the County," says Losak.
- photo courtesy Coalition for Economic Survival