Maryland landlord-tenant law.
Updated August 2026. No statewide cap. Takoma Park has had rent stabilization for decades, and Montgomery County adopted a countywide rent stabilization law effective July 2024 limiting annual rent increases to roughly the inflation rate; the rest of the state has no rent control.
As of October 1, 2024, capped at 1 month's rent per dwelling unit, down from the historical 2-month cap. Up to 2 months' rent is still allowed only if the tenant qualifies for utility assistance through the Department of Human Services, pays utilities directly to the landlord, and both parties agree to the amount in writing (Md. Code, Real Property Section 8-203(b), as amended by 2024 Md. Laws ch. 124, HB 693, the Renters' Rights and Stabilization Act of 2024). This is a real and recent change, not the older, still-cited flat 2-month rule.
Landlord must return the deposit within 45 days after the tenancy ends, with simple interest (the greater of the 1-year U.S. Treasury yield curve rate as of each year's first business day, or 1.5% annually) on deposits of $50 or more held at least 6 months. Any withheld amount requires an itemized list of damages within the same 45 days, or the landlord forfeits the right to withhold anything (Md. Code, Real Property Section 8-203(e) to (g)).
Before filing, the landlord must give the tenant written notice of intent to file, with 10 days to cure by paying; trial is then set for the 5th day after the complaint is filed. After judgment, the warrant of restitution cannot be ordered until 7 days after judgment, increased from 4 days effective October 1, 2024 under the same 2024 reform (Md. Code, Real Property Section 8-401).
Genuinely unsettled at the state level: Maryland has no general statewide statute fixing an advance-notice period for landlord entry into an occupied unit. Practice defaults to a common-law reasonable-notice standard, and some counties have their own landlord-tenant codes with specific entry-notice rules, so the actual requirement can vary by county. Do not hard-code a specific hours or days figure for Maryland without checking local county code for the property's location.
Security deposits
Deposit limit. As of October 1, 2024, capped at 1 month's rent per dwelling unit, down from the historical 2-month cap. Up to 2 months' rent is still allowed only if the tenant qualifies for utility assistance through the Department of Human Services, pays utilities directly to the landlord, and both parties agree to the amount in writing (Md. Code, Real Property Section 8-203(b), as amended by 2024 Md. Laws ch. 124, HB 693, the Renters' Rights and Stabilization Act of 2024). This is a real and recent change, not the older, still-cited flat 2-month rule.
Getting it back. Landlord must return the deposit within 45 days after the tenancy ends, with simple interest (the greater of the 1-year U.S. Treasury yield curve rate as of each year's first business day, or 1.5% annually) on deposits of $50 or more held at least 6 months. Any withheld amount requires an itemized list of damages within the same 45 days, or the landlord forfeits the right to withhold anything (Md. Code, Real Property Section 8-203(e) to (g)).
Late fees and rent
Capped at 5% of the rental payment due for that period, or for weekly tenancies, $3 per week up to $12 a month. No statutory grace period is specified before a late fee may be charged (Md. Code, Real Property Section 8-208(d)(3)).
Ending a tenancy
Nonpayment of rent. Before filing, the landlord must give the tenant written notice of intent to file, with 10 days to cure by paying; trial is then set for the 5th day after the complaint is filed. After judgment, the warrant of restitution cannot be ordered until 7 days after judgment, increased from 4 days effective October 1, 2024 under the same 2024 reform (Md. Code, Real Property Section 8-401).
Month-to-month termination. 60 days' written notice before the end of the period to terminate a month-to-month tenancy (90 days for year-to-year tenancies, 7 days for week-to-week) (Md. Code, Real Property Section 8-402).
Landlord entry
Genuinely unsettled at the state level: Maryland has no general statewide statute fixing an advance-notice period for landlord entry into an occupied unit. Practice defaults to a common-law reasonable-notice standard, and some counties have their own landlord-tenant codes with specific entry-notice rules, so the actual requirement can vary by county. Do not hard-code a specific hours or days figure for Maryland without checking local county code for the property's location.
Required disclosures
- Federal lead-based paint disclosure for housing built before 1978 (42 U.S.C. Section 4852d)
- State lead risk reduction: pre-1978 rental units must be registered with the Maryland Department of the Environment and, once treated, the landlord must provide the tenant a copy of the lead risk reduction certificate (Md. Code, Environment Section 6-801 and following, registration at Section 6-811)
- Every lease must include a copy of the current Maryland Tenants' Bill of Rights, a new requirement from the 2024 reform (Md. Code, Real Property Section 8-208, as amended by 2024 ch. 124; exact subsection not independently verified against primary statute text)
- Written receipt for the security deposit as part of the lease (Md. Code, Real Property Section 8-203(c))
Lease clauses that do not hold up
- Confession-of-judgment clauses (Md. Code, Real Property Section 8-208)
- Clauses waiving a tenant's statutory rights or remedies, or requiring shorter notice to quit than the law allows (Md. Code, Real Property Section 8-208)
- Late fees above the 5% cap, or requiring the tenant to accept electronic notice of rent increases (Md. Code, Real Property Section 8-208)
- Requiring payment at move-in beyond the security deposit plus first month's rent, or waiving or conditioning a tenant's statutory right of first refusal on sale of small (3-unit-or-fewer) rental properties (Md. Code, Real Property Section 8-208, as amended by 2024 ch. 124)
Notes for landlords
The 2024 Renters' Rights and Stabilization Act (HB 693, ch. 124, effective October 1, 2024, with eviction-data-collection provisions effective October 1, 2025) is the single biggest recent change: it cut the deposit cap to 1 month's rent, added a tenant right of first refusal on sale of small rental properties, extended the post-judgment warrant-of-restitution wait from 4 to 7 days, and created a state Office of Tenant and Landlord Affairs. This differs from the HB 260 bill number referenced in some sources; the verified statute and session law citation is HB 693, ch. 124 of 2024. Confirm no property being onboarded is subject to a stricter local code (Montgomery County or Takoma Park) on rent increases or entry notice.
Sources
- https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=grp§ion=8-203&enactments=false
- https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=grp§ion=8-208&enactments=false
- https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=grp§ion=8-402&enactments=false
- https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=grp§ion=8-401&enactments=false
- https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/hb0693?ys=2024RS
- https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2024RS/fnotes/bil_0003/hb0693.pdf
- https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gen§ion=6-811&enactments=false
- https://codes.findlaw.com/md/real-property/md-code-real-prop-sect-8-203/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rent_control_in_the_United_States
This guide is general legal information for landlords, not legal advice. Statutes change and local ordinances can add stricter rules on top of state law. Confirm any requirement with the current statute or a licensed attorney in your state before acting on it.
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Collect rent and track leases for two dollars a unit a month, with a fifty dollar monthly minimum.