With renters squeezed by high prices, Maryland cities consider rent stabilization

When Kia Jefferson received a renewed lease in June for her apartment in Laurel, she said it felt “like somebody punched me in the gut.” The monthly rent on her home of 17 years would be increasing from $1,311 to $2,050. “It’s gotta be a typo,” Jefferson recalled thinking at first. A new landlord had taken over the Patuxent Place Apartments and begun renovating some units so they could be rented at far higher rates. Even though Jefferson’s apartment hadn’t been renovated — or even, she said, received a new coat of paint since she’d moved in — she and other longtime tenants faced steep increases.