Bill Gives Pr. George's First Shot at For Sale Apartments

The Prince George's County Council is considering how to implement a bill which requires the owners of large apartment complexes to give the county the first right of refusal before selling their apartment buildings on the real estate market. 

County Bill 27, which has already been approved, makes the requirement only in not-yet-determined designated areas within the county, according to a report in The Gazette, and only for apartment complexes of 20 or more units. 

The goal, according to local tenant advocacy organizations, is to give the county government a tool to save troubled apartment complexes from falling into the hands of absentee landlords.  

The bill has been criticized by lobbying groups for apartment owners. Ronald Wineholt, with the Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington, told The Gazette that the measure "strikes at the very mot fundamental right of property ownership, which is the ability to sell your property to a willing buyer in the marketplace."