Maryland landlord rules: deposits, late fees and notices

Security deposit

Maximum deposit

1 month's rent

Return deadline

45 days after the tenancy ends

Penalty for late return

3x wrongfully withheld amount

Interest owed

Yes

Note

cap dropped to 1 month Oct 2024; interest ~1.5%/yr or statutory index - verify current rate

Work out the return date for a move-out

Source: Md. Real Prop. §8-203

Verify this with the statute or a local attorney before you act on it. The rule changed recently or has known ambiguity.

Late fees

Rule

capped at 5% of monthly rent

Grace period

Not in our data

No statute cited in our data

Notice periods

Notice to pay or quit

10 days

Ending a month-to-month tenancy

60 days

Notice before entering a unit

24 hours

Note

60-day MTM and 24h entry effective Oct 2025 - verify

Work out the last day of a notice

No statute cited in our data

Verify this with the statute or a local attorney before you act on it. The rule changed recently or has known ambiguity.

Screening

Source-of-income protection

Yes, statewide. Refusing a housing voucher is illegal.

No statute cited in our data

Licensing

To manage for others

No license required.

No statute cited in our data

Verify this with the statute or a local attorney before you act on it. The rule changed recently or has known ambiguity.

How long an eviction takes

Slow: about 2 to 4 months. This is a rough tier from our data, not a court timeline.

Montgomery County rent cap

Formula

lesser of CPI + 3% or 6%

This year's figure

This year's figure is not loaded in our data. Use the formula and check the publisher.

Published by

Montgomery County, annually

Applies to

Montgomery County

Source: county rent stabilization law

Interest owed on deposits

Formula

statutory index (~1.5% or per state schedule)

This year's figure

This year's figure is not loaded in our data. Use the formula and check the publisher.

Published by

MD, annually

Applies to

state

Source: Md. Real Prop. §8-203

A federal rule that can override this

Notice for nonpayment on covered properties

30 days

Note

Applies to 'covered properties' (federally backed mortgage or federal housing program). The 30-day notice requirement has no statutory sunset and courts are split - safest practice is a 30-day nonpayment notice on any covered property, regardless of shorter state timelines.

Source: CARES Act §4024