State Guide
Landlord–tenant law in Maryland
The rules that come up in practice — returning a deposit, charging a late fee, raising the rent — each read against the Maryland statute and quoted on its own page.
Security deposit return
Full rule →45 days
The 41st shortest of 49 states with a deadline.
Md. Real Prop. 8-203(g)
Late fee limit
Full rule →5% of the unpaid rent due for the delinquent period
No mandatory grace period — a fee may be charged as soon as rent is late, if the lease provides for it.
Md. Real Prop. 8-208(d)(3)
Rent increase notice
Full rule →90 days
A statute written specifically about rent increases. The 47th shortest of 49.
Md. Real Prop. 8-209
What is distinctive about Maryland
- Deposits: 45 days. Failing to send the list forfeits the right to withhold for damages; threefold damages plus fees available.
- Late fees: capped at 5% of the unpaid rent due for the delinquent period. There is no mandatory grace period.
- Rent increases: 90 days under a statute written for the purpose.
The mistake that costs the most here
Charging a late fee above Maryland’s cap. The clause is void rather than reduced, and the tenant’s signature does not save it — which tends to surface in an eviction hearing, exactly when the lease needs to hold up.
Where these figures come from
Each rule above was read against the section it cites and the statutory wording is quoted on the dedicated page, so you can check it rather than take our word for it. That matters more than it sounds on this subject: when we read all 51 jurisdictions we found several widely-published figures to be wrong, including a Kentucky deposit deadline that does not exist, a South Dakota one reported as 14 days when the statute says 21, and late-fee caps for nine states that actually come from their self-storage statutes.
Local ordinances can add requirements the state does not, and statutes move — Washington, Connecticut, Nevada, Rhode Island and Maryland have all changed in the last three years. Each figure carries the date we read it.
States with the same deposit deadline
Common questions about Maryland
- How long does a Maryland landlord have to return a security deposit?
- 45 days under Md. Real Prop. 8-203(g).
- What is the maximum late fee in Maryland?
- 5% of the unpaid rent due for the delinquent period, under Md. Real Prop. 8-208(d)(3). A fee above the cap is unenforceable even if the lease says otherwise.
- How much notice before a rent increase in Maryland?
- 90 days under Md. Real Prop. 8-209.
- Does Maryland have rent control?
- No statewide frequency limit is verified for Maryland. Only California, Oregon and Washington cap the amount of an increase statewide; some cities do so locally.
Let the software know the Maryland rules
Pacific Rentals Pro checks a lease’s late fee against the Maryland cap, counts the deposit deadline from the move-out date, and works out the latest day to serve a rent increase. Same verified data as this page.
Start free →Maryland rules last read against their cited sources on November 6, 2026. General information, not legal advice — verify the current text before relying on it, and check your city and county, which can impose more than the state does.