(a) In connection with a protected action, an owner: (1) may not terminate or alter the terms and conditions of a lease entered into before the effective date of the protected action; (2) may not interfere with the efforts of individual tenants to obtain housing subsidies or other public assistance; (3) may not discriminate based on source of income or receipt of a housing subsidy; (4) may not interfere with the rights of a tenant to occupy an assisted unit under an existing lease or applicable federal, State, or local law; and (5) shall cooperate with a tenant to execute all necessary documents to enable the payment of housing subsidies to or for the tenant. (b) If the owner has interfered with a tenant’s application for a housing subsidy or other public assistance, the nonpayment of any amount of rent for an assisted unit in excess of 30% of the tenant’s income is not grounds for the owner to terminate the lease or sue for possession of the leased property.
Maryland Legal Code