Maryland Repair Request Letter to Landlord
A free Maryland repair request letter to landlord that follows Maryland law. Fill in the boxes, check the rules below, then print or copy it. Keep a copy and proof of how you sent it.
What Maryland law says
| Repair and deduct | No statute |
|---|---|
| Withholding rent | Rent escrow. If the landlord fails to fix serious conditions (lack of heat, light, electricity, hot or cold water; inadequate sewage; rodent infestation in 2+ units; dangerous structural defects; fire or health hazards) within a reasonable time after notice, the tenant may file a rent escrow action and pay rent into court, or withhold rent and raise the conditions as a defense to an eviction. Notice can be certified-mail written notice, actual notice, or a government violation notice. More than 30 days after notice is presumed unreasonable. |
| Landlord retaliation | Landlord may not bring or threaten a possession action, arbitrarily raise rent or reduce services, or terminate a periodic tenancy because the tenant made a good-faith complaint (to the landlord or a public agency) about a lease/law violation or a substantial health or safety threat, sued or testified in a suit involving the landlord, joined a tenants' organization, or called police/emergency services. Remedy: damages up to 3 months' rent plus reasonable attorney's fees and costs. Source: Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-208.1 |
| Heat | Lack of heat is a listed serious defect: if the landlord doesn't fix it within a reasonable time after notice, the tenant can use rent escrow. This does not apply when the tenant pays the utility and the lack of heat is from the tenant's own nonpayment. No state statute sets a minimum temperature. The state Minimum Livability Code adopts the 2012 International Property Maintenance Code, which contains heating standards, for housing in localities without a substantially similar local code. |
| Mold | Yes, by statute (Maryland Tenant Mold Protection Act, effective July 1, 2025). Landlords must give each tenant the state mold information pamphlet when the lease is signed and on request, and ask the tenant to sign an acknowledgment. Within 15 days after written notice of mold from the tenant, a building occupant or the local housing-code agency, the landlord must do a mold assessment. If mold is found, the landlord must remediate it within 45 days after the assessment, or within a reasonable time if 45 days isn't feasible. Assessment and remediation must follow industry guidelines and state and local law. The landlord must keep the property properly ventilated with low indoor humidity, communicate with occupants during the work, and meet minimum livability codes. |
Fill in your letter
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To: [landlord or manager name], [landlord address]
From: [your name], tenant at [rental address]
I am asking you to repair the following problems at my rental: [describe each problem, where it is, and when it started].
I first reported this on [date first reported] by [phone, text, email, portal or letter].
Please make these repairs by [date]. You may enter to make repairs after giving the notice required by law; times that work for me: [access times].
Maryland law protects tenants from retaliation for asking for repairs (Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-208.1).
Date: [today's date]
Tenant: [your name]
Signature: ____________________
How to send it: use a method you can prove — certified mail with return receipt, or email/text if your lease allows notices that way. Write down the date.
Repair Request Letter to Landlord templates for other states · All Maryland landlord-tenant rules · Free legal help in Maryland
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.