Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott vetoed a controversial bill Monday afternoon that would have expanded the market for a “security deposit insurance” company tenant advocates have called “predatory.” The bill, which would require landlords to offer one of two alternatives to traditional security deposits, passed in the Council 12-2, with one abstention. Scott considered the bill up until the very last minute — if he hadn’t vetoed the bill by 5 pm Monday, it would have automatically become law. “I applaud the bill’s sponsor for seeking to reduce the burden on residents as they seek to secure stable housing in the City of Baltimore,” Scott wrote in a letter to the City Council. He praised one of the two alternatives laid out in the bill — the option to spread the security deposit payment over a three-month period — as a way to help residents struggling with the upfront cost of renting an apartment.