Baltimore City Use & Occupancy Permit

[LaToya Martin]

Hey all, I just closed on my first rental property in Baltimore City. I obtained an inspection during the closing process. My inspector completed a “Baltimore City Rental License Inspection Form.”

Now I am trying to obtain a Use & Occupancy Permit. I paid the fee online and it indicated that I need to schedule my inspection with the city AFTER the fee was paid. Is this supposed to be a completely different inspection than the one my inspector did? If so, what is the “Baltimore City Rental License Inspection Form” used for? Thanks in advance for helping me decipher Baltimore’s requirement for landlords.

[Tim Youse]

Was the property rehabbed already or will you be doing the rehab? If the property was vacant for a period of time when you purchased it, the city needs to inspect it in order to get your use and occupancy permit - or "U&O" as most people refer to it. This is different than the inspection needed to register for your rental license - and if you get a voucher tenant, then you'll need yet another inspection. In order to get your rental license, you're going to need to have a lead test too. Leadprobe and Leadtech are two local companies that can handle that for you.