5276

COUNTY LOCAL LAWS

law is enacted pursuant to the authority including the
police powers vested in Montgomery County, as an
emergency measure which, it is hoped, will be temporary
in nature.

The foregoing findings existed at the time of the
initial enactment of this Article in February, 1973. The
problems associated with housing in Montgomery County
have not appreciably abated or been remedied since that
enactment. Aside from the curtailment of exorbitant rent
increases which have resulted from the enactment of this
Article, the findings delineated above have continued
application today. Recent updating of local housing
surveys highlight a severe absence of moderate priced
housing and housing such as one and two bedroom
apartments needed by most of our renting citizenry. The
availability of luxury housing is not an accurate measure
of the housing stock for the general populace.
Accordingly, the lack of available housing together with
all the other findings, except for exorbitant rent
increases, continue to justify temporary rent controls.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, it is the intention
of the County Council in re—enacting this Article that
the Article's provisions and any regulations adopted to
implement it permit fair and reasonable compensation to
landlords for the use of their property by tenants,
including adjustments in rent to meet rising operating
expenses, while preventing the execution of unjust,
unreasonable, and oppressive rental agreements. It is
also the intention of the County Council to encourage
meaningful communication and dialogue between landlords
and their tenants so as to further a mutual understanding
of their respective concerns and problems. It is the
hope of the County Council that discussions between
landlords and tenants will result in agreement as to
reasonable and appropriate rent adjustments, thus
avoiding some of the delays and expense which necessarily
accompany the invocation of the governmental machinery to
resolve all questions that relate to rent increases.

29—48. Rent stabilization.

As of the effective date of the Act and until the
expiration of the system of rent controls set forth in
this Article, except as otherwise provided in the said
system, no person may increase, offer to increase, or
give notice of intent to increase the rent for a dwelling
unit to an amount in excess of the base rent for the said
dwelling unit.

29-49 Rent control scope.

a. The system of rent control set forth in this