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Maryland

Maryland Landlord-Tenant Laws

Security deposit limits, eviction notices, rent control, and more for Maryland.

How we research these summaries

Every rule on this page is drawn from state statutes and municipal codes and summarized with AI assistance. Each one cites the statute it's based on and links to a published text of that law so you can read it firsthand. Where a page says a city or county has no local rule on a topic, that means none was found for the topics covered here — not that none exists. Local governments also regulate rental housing in ways these pages don't track, including registration, licensing, inspections and habitability standards. These summaries may be incomplete or out of date, laws change often, and every property and tenancy has specifics a summary can't capture — so treat this as a starting point for your own research, not as legal advice, and check with the local jurisdiction and a qualified attorney before acting on your particular situation.

What to Know in Maryland

Sources last checked July 2026

Maryland's Renters' Rights and Stabilization Act of 2024 cut the maximum security deposit from two months' rent to one and now requires 90 days' written notice before any rent increase, up from a merely reasonable period. Ending a periodic tenancy also takes longer here than in many states: a month-to-month tenancy requires 60 days' notice and a year-to-year tenancy requires 90, under Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-402(c). A narrower foreclosure-notice shortcut exists but does not reach Baltimore City, Montgomery County, or landlords with five or more units.

  • 10-day notice required before eviction for nonpayment of rent
  • 60-day move-out notice required for month-to-month tenancies
  • Maryland has no statewide rent increase cap. Landlords may raise rent by any amount, subject to the 90-day notice requirement and the one-increase-per-12-months limit under HB 693.
  • 90-day advance written notice required for rent increases
  • Security deposits capped at 1 month's rent
5 rules summarized · Each linked to the law it cites

Security Deposit Limits

Security Deposit Limits

What is the security deposit limit in Maryland?

Effective October 1, 2024, the Renters' Rights and Stabilization Act (HB 693) reduced the maximum allowable security deposit in Maryland from 2 months' rent to 1 month's rent for most residential tenancies. An exception permits up to 2 months' rent if the tenant receives qualifying utility assistance from a governmental or charitable source. Landlords must hold security deposits in a separate escrow account and pay interest. Deposits must be returned within 45 days after the tenancy ends, with a written itemization of any deductions. Landlords who wrongfully withhold deposits are liable for the amount wrongfully withheld, plus penalty damages.

Maryland Real Property Code § 8-203 (as amended by HB 693, 2024)

Eviction Notice Requirements

Eviction Notice Requirements

What are the eviction notice requirements in Maryland?

Maryland uses a specialized court process for evictions. For nonpayment of rent, the landlord must first give the tenant at least 10 days' written notice of intent to file (Maryland Real Property Code § 8-401(c)(1), in effect since October 2021) before filing a Failure to Pay Rent complaint in District Court. For breach of lease terms, the landlord must first provide at least one month's written notice specifying the violation, unless the breach presents a 'clear and imminent danger' to persons or property, in which case 14 days' written notice suffices (Maryland Real Property Code § 8-402.1). The 2024 Renters' Rights Act increased the mandatory wait time between a judgment of possession and execution of a warrant of restitution from 4 to 7 days, giving tenants more time to vacate. Maryland does not have a statewide just-cause eviction requirement for market-rate rentals.

Maryland Real Property Code §§ 8-401, 8-402, 8-402.1

Rent Increase Notice Periods

Rent Increase Notice Periods

How much notice is required for rent increases in Maryland?

Effective October 1, 2024, the Renters' Rights and Stabilization Act (HB 693) requires Maryland landlords to give tenants at least 90 days' written notice before any rent increase takes effect on leases longer than one month. Prior law required only a reasonable notice period. A landlord may not impose more than one rent increase on a tenant in any 12-month period. For week-to-week or other shorter periodic tenancies, notice requirements follow the tenancy term. Retaliatory rent increases — imposed after a tenant exercises legal rights such as making a good-faith complaint about housing conditions — are prohibited under Maryland Real Property Code § 8-208.1.

Maryland Real Property Code § 8-208 (as amended by HB 693, 2024)

Rent Control / Rent Increase Caps

Rent Control / Rent Increase Caps

Is there rent control in Maryland?

Maryland has no statewide rent increase cap. Landlords may raise rent by any amount, subject to the 90-day notice requirement and the one-increase-per-12-months limit under HB 693. However, several Maryland jurisdictions have local rent stabilization: Montgomery County caps annual increases at the lesser of CPI plus 3% or 6% of base rent; Prince George's County limits increases to 6% or CPI plus 3%, whichever is lower; Takoma Park has its own rent stabilization program. Landlords in unregulated jurisdictions have no cap on the amount of a rent increase. A retaliatory rent increase is prohibited under Maryland Real Property Code § 8-208.1.

Maryland Real Property Code §§ 8-208, 8-208.1

Move-Out & Lease Termination Notice

Move-Out & Lease Termination Notice

What is the move-out notice requirement in Maryland?

Ending a periodic tenancy in Maryland requires more notice than is commonly assumed. Under Real Property § 8-402(c)(2) a tenancy from month to month — or any lease exceeding one week — requires 60 days' written notice; a tenancy from year to year requires 90 days; a farm tenancy from year to year requires 180 days; and a week-to-week tenancy requires 7 days where there is a written lease, or 21 days where there is not. A separate and much narrower provision allows a landlord who has personally received notice of an intent to foreclose on the property to give shorter notice — 30 days month-to-month, 60 days year-to-year — but that shortcut is unavailable for property in Baltimore City or Montgomery County, for a landlord offering five or more residential units for rent in the State, and where the property is already subject to an order to docket. Those 30- and 60-day figures belong to the foreclosure provision alone and are not the general rule.

Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-402(c)

Local Jurisdictions with Additional Rules

Montgomery County County Baltimore City

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