As Chair of Frederick County Progressives, I reached out to Scott Bruton, Director of Housing and Community Affairs for Montgomery County, to learn from his experience implementing rent stabilization under Bill 16-23. He provided clear, informed insights on common challenges and how they’ve been addressed. His core message: rent stabilization is workable and beneficial when thoughtfully designed and closely monitored.

Below is a summary of Mr. Bruton's feedback as it relates to Frederick County. If you’d like to see his full, unedited email, please let me know.

Developer Opposition

• Despite concerns that rent stabilization would discourage development, Montgomery County’s housing pipeline remains strong. Washington, DC has reached 96% of its 2025 housing production goal—including 79% of its affordable housing target: https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/34000_and_counting_dc_is_96_of_way_towards_meeting_2025_housing_production_/22275.

Bruton credits their success to policy features such as:

• A 23-year exemption for new construction
• A generous 6% rent cap—historically above average rent increases

Maintenance Incentives

Montgomery County has not seen an uptick in property neglect. Protections and incentives include:

• Rent increase exemptions for capital improvements
• A 23-year exemption for major renovations (those costing over 40% of a property's assessed value)

Development Slowdown Concerns

Bruton emphasized that if development slows after rent stabilization is implemented, it’s unlikely to be caused by the policy alone. Broader economic factors are typically at play.

Administrative Complexity

Montgomery County uses a complaint-based oversight model, which Bruton says is functioning well. Reforms are underway to reduce the burden on tenants and strengthen enforcement.

Disparate Impacts & Unintended Consequences

Montgomery County’s law includes vacancy control, meaning that units remain rent-stabilized even after tenants move out. This helps:

• Prevent landlords from evicting tenants just to charge higher rents
• Extend rent protections to new renters

The law also includes rent banking, which allows landlords to:

• Defer unused rent increases and apply them later (up to 10%), but only with the same tenant
• Avoid disproportionate benefit to long-term tenants while allowing a fair return

Low-income renters benefit the most, as rent stabilization protects them from sudden, unaffordable rent hikes.

A California-based study found vacancy control improves tenant stability, but its impact on property maintenance is harder to measure. However, the risk of maintenance decline can be reduced with:

1. Capital improvement passthroughs (tied to actual upgrades)
2. Clear maintenance standards and proactive inspections
3. Major renovation exemptions, like those in Montgomery County

Public Perception and Misinformation

Rent stabilization is often mislabeled as “rent control” or a “rent freeze.” Bruton noted that clear, consistent messaging is key. Despite public confusion, Montgomery County’s Bill 16-23 passed successfully.

Mr. Bruton’s insights were thoughtful and appreciated. He is open to further discussion. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at [email protected], or reach out to Mr. Bruton directly at [email protected].