Maryland Mold, Pests, Heat & AC Rules
Maryland rules on mold, pests, heat & ac for renters and landlords, with the statute or official page behind each answer. Last verified: 2026-10-23.
Short answer: 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. Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-220; Md. Code, Envir. § 6-1702 (2025 Md. Laws ch. 539, SB 856)
The rules in Maryland
| 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. Session law: https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2025RS/Chapters_noln/CH_539_sb0856e.pdf. The Department of the Environment must adopt uniform mold assessment and remediation standards by June 1, 2027. Mold that creates a serious health hazard may also support rent escrow under Real Prop. § 8-211. |
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| Pests & bed bugs | No bed-bug-specific statute. A rodent infestation in two or more units is a listed serious defect: if the landlord fails to fix it within a reasonable time after notice (over 30 days is presumed unreasonable), the tenant may use rent escrow. Other infestations that create a health hazard can also qualify. The state Minimum Livability Code, which adopts the International Property Maintenance Code, applies where no substantially similar local code exists. COMAR 09.12.54.03: https://regs.maryland.gov/us/md/exec/comar/09.12.54.03. The IPMC's pest-extermination allocation rules were not reproduced on the state site and are not quoted here. County and city codes (e.g., Baltimore City, Montgomery County) often have more specific pest rules. |
| 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. COMAR 09.12.54.04 (application): https://regs.maryland.gov/us/md/exec/comar/09.12.54.04. Most populous jurisdictions have their own housing codes with set temperatures. |
| Air conditioning | No statewide requirement to provide air conditioning. Under the rent-escrow statute, there is a rebuttable presumption that the absence of air conditioning is not a covered serious defect, unless it poses a serious and substantial threat to life, health or safety. Some counties have local air-conditioning requirements for rentals. Separately, evictions are stayed during excessive-heat warnings (Real Prop. § 8-401(f)). |
| Smoke and CO detectors | The landlord or property owner is responsible for installing, repairing, maintaining and replacing required smoke alarms. Testing is the occupant's responsibility, and occupants may not remove or disable alarms. A tenant must notify the landlord in writing (certified mail, return receipt, or hand delivery with a receipt) of a failed alarm, and the landlord must acknowledge it in writing and repair or replace the alarm within 5 calendar days. At least one smoke alarm is required in each sleeping area, and older battery-only alarms must be upgraded, for example on a change of tenant if the unit has not had sealed long-life battery alarms with a hush button within the previous 10 years. |
Related questions
- Does a landlord have to fix mold?
- Who pays for pest control and bed bugs in a rental?
- Does a landlord have to provide heat?
- Does a landlord have to provide air conditioning?
Maryland vs. neighboring states
| State | Mold | Pests & bed bugs | Heat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 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. Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-220; Md. Code, Envir. § 6-1702 (2025 Md. Laws ch. 539, SB 856) | No bed-bug-specific statute. A rodent infestation in two or more units is a listed serious defect: if the landlord fails to fix it within a reasonable time after notice (over 30 days is presumed unreasonable), the tenant may use rent escrow. Other infestations that create a health hazard can also qualify. The state Minimum Livability Code, which adopts the International Property Maintenance Code, applies where no substantially similar local code exists. Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-211(d)(3), (d)(5), (g); COMAR 09.12.54.03-.04 | 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. Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-211(d)(1); COMAR 09.12.54.03-.04 |
| Delaware | No statute — general habitability/repair duty applies. Delaware has no mold disclosure or remediation law for rentals. The landlord must comply with all state and local housing codes, provide a unit that does not endanger the health, welfare or safety of tenants, and make all repairs needed to keep the unit in the condition it was, or should have been, at the start of the tenancy. 25 Del. C. § 5305(a)(1)-(2), (4) | Delaware has a bed-bug statute. Before renting, the landlord must visually inspect the unit for evidence of bed bugs and disclose if adjacent units are infested or being treated. After a report of a known or suspected infestation, the landlord must inspect or get a pest management professional to inspect within 120 hours, start professional remediation within 14 days of notice if bed bugs are found, inspect adjacent units within 5 days, notify affected tenants of the findings, and keep written records. The landlord pays for investigation and remediation if the tenant reports within 60 days of move-in or within 30 days of an infestation being found in an adjoining unit; for later reports the tenant shares reasonable remediation costs for the tenant's unit (except in public housing authority properties). Tenants may not knowingly bring in infested belongings. 25 Del. C. § 5317 | Only if the rental agreement says so: the landlord must supply (or arrange) water, hot water, heat and electricity when the lease so specifies. If the landlord substantially fails to provide heat, the tenant may, on written notice, procure substitute housing with rent abating, or keep two-thirds of the per-diem rent while heat is not supplied, among other remedies. State law sets no minimum indoor temperature. 25 Del. C. §§ 5305(b)(2), 5308 |
| Pennsylvania | No statute — Pennsylvania has no mold disclosure, remediation or exposure-standard law for rentals. Conditions such as mold are governed by the court-created implied warranty of habitability, which requires the landlord to keep the unit fit and habitable and to fix serious defects affecting safety or the ability to live there; the duty cannot be waived by the lease. Implied warranty of habitability (Pugh v. Holmes, 405 A.2d 897 (Pa. 1979)), as described in the PA Attorney General's Consumer Guide to Tenant and Landlord Rights | No statute — no state bed-bug or pest law for rentals. The Attorney General lists rodent infestation as an example of an uninhabitable condition under the implied warranty of habitability; the tenant must notify the landlord and allow a reasonable opportunity to fix it. Implied warranty of habitability (Pugh v. Holmes, 405 A.2d 897 (Pa. 1979)); PA AG Consumer Guide, Part IV.C | No state statute sets a heat requirement or minimum temperature for rentals. Lack of heat in winter is treated as an uninhabitable condition under the implied warranty of habitability. Implied warranty of habitability (Pugh v. Holmes, 405 A.2d 897 (Pa. 1979)); PA AG Consumer Guide, Part IV.C |
| Virginia | Yes — detailed statute. Disclosure: the move-in inspection report must state whether there is visible evidence of mold in readily accessible interior areas; a 'no visible mold' statement is deemed correct unless the tenant objects in writing within 5 days. If mold is disclosed, the tenant may terminate and not take (or keep) possession, or take possession and have the landlord remediate within 5 business days, reinspect and issue a new report. Duty: the landlord must maintain the premises to prevent moisture accumulation and mold growth, respond promptly to tenant notices, and promptly remediate visible mold to professional standards, reinspect, and give the tenant a summary of remediation information. Where mold materially affects health or safety, the landlord may relocate the tenant for up to 30 days to a comparable unit or hotel at no cost to the tenant (rent continues). Tenants must use reasonable efforts to prevent moisture and mold and promptly report it. Va. Code § 55.1-1215; § 55.1-1220(A)(5); § 55.1-1227(A)(10); § 55.1-1231 | The landlord's general duty to keep the premises fit and habitable and to comply with housing codes applies. The tenant must keep the part of the unit the tenant occupies free from insects and pests and promptly notify the landlord of them, and is financially responsible for added treatment costs caused by unreasonable delay in reporting and for treatment costs caused by the tenant's fault in failing to prevent infestation. The landlord must give at least 48 hours' written notice before applying insecticide or pesticide in a unit (unless the tenant requested it or agrees to less), post notice for common-area applications, and the tenant must prepare the unit per the landlord's written instructions. Va. Code § 55.1-1220(A)(1)-(2); § 55.1-1227(A)(3), (14); § 55.1-1223 | Yes. The landlord must supply heat in season (unless heat is generated by equipment within the tenant's exclusive control or supplied by a direct public utility connection) and keep heating facilities in good and safe working order. Heat is an 'essential service'; if the landlord willfully or negligently fails to supply it, the tenant may give written notice and, after a reasonable time to correct, pursue statutory remedies (such as damages for reduced rental value). State law sets no minimum temperature or dates for the heating season; local codes may. Va. Code § 55.1-1220(A)(4), (7); § 55.1-1200 ('essential service'); § 55.1-1239 |
| West Virginia | No statute — West Virginia's landlord-tenant law does not mention mold and sets no disclosure or remediation rule. Mold is governed by the general duty to deliver and maintain the unit in a fit and habitable condition, to meet applicable health, safety, fire and housing codes, and to make repairs needed to keep it habitable — unless the problem was caused by the tenant, family or guests' lack of reasonable care. The landlord need not make repairs while the tenant is behind on rent. W. Va. Code § 37-6-30(a)(1)-(2), (4), (c) | No statute — no pest or bed-bug provision in the landlord-tenant chapter. Infestations are handled under the fit-and-habitable duty and applicable health and housing codes; the landlord's duty does not extend to conditions caused by the tenant, family members or guests, or to repairs while rent is in arrears. W. Va. Code § 37-6-30 | Yes. For units served by direct public utility connections, the landlord must supply reasonable heat between October 1 and the last day of April (plus running water and reasonable hot water at all times), unless heat is generated by an installation within the tenant's exclusive control. The landlord must also keep heating facilities it supplies in good and safe working order. No minimum temperature is set by state law. W. Va. Code § 37-6-30(a)(5), (a)(7) |
| District of Columbia | Yes. After written or electronic notice from a tenant that mold or suspected mold exists in the unit or a common area, the property owner must inspect within 7 days and remediate within 30 days of the inspection (unless a shorter deadline is ordered). Mold above the District's contamination threshold must be remediated by a licensed mold remediation professional. A professional mold assessment finding contamination creates a rebuttable presumption of a housing code violation, and a court may award assessment costs, attorney fees and, for bad-faith failure to remediate within 60 days, treble damages. When a tenant applies, the landlord must disclose either a 3-year history of mold contamination in the unit and common areas or proof of proper remediation. D.C. Code §§ 8-241.01, 8-241.02, 8-241.04, 8-241.05(a); D.C. Tenant Bill of Rights (OTA, rev. Sept. 25, 2026) | No bed-bug-specific statute. Under the D.C. Housing Code, all rental dwellings must be free of insects and rodents, and structures and exterior property must be kept free from rodent harborage and infestation. Keeping the premises free of rodents and pests is part of the implied warranty of habitability; maintenance of the unit is a shared responsibility, while common areas are primarily the landlord's responsibility. D.C. Housing Code (14 DCMR) and Property Maintenance Code (12G DCMR), as summarized by the Department of Buildings; D.C. Tenant Bill of Rights § 7 | Yes. Heating equipment must keep all habitable rooms, bathrooms and toilet rooms at no less than 68°F from 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and 65°F from 11:00 p.m. to 6:30 a.m., from October 1 to May 1. With a two-pipe system or any system needing more than 15 days to switch from air conditioning to heat, heat must start no later than October 15. Landlords must also have heating and hot water systems professionally tested annually. 14 DCMR § 501; D.C. Tenant Bill of Rights § 7 |
City rules that may add to state law
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Maryland Mold, Pests, Heat & AC Rules FAQ
Does a landlord have to fix mold in Maryland?
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. (Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-220; Md. Code, Envir. § 6-1702 (2025 Md. Laws ch. 539, SB 856))
Who pays for pest control and bed bugs in Maryland?
No bed-bug-specific statute. A rodent infestation in two or more units is a listed serious defect: if the landlord fails to fix it within a reasonable time after notice (over 30 days is presumed unreasonable), the tenant may use rent escrow. Other infestations that create a health hazard can also qualify. The state Minimum Livability Code, which adopts the International Property Maintenance Code, applies where no substantially similar local code exists. (Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-211(d)(3), (d)(5), (g); COMAR 09.12.54.03-.04)
Does a landlord have to provide heat in Maryland?
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. (Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-211(d)(1); COMAR 09.12.54.03-.04)
Does a landlord have to provide air conditioning in Maryland?
No statewide requirement to provide air conditioning. Under the rent-escrow statute, there is a rebuttable presumption that the absence of air conditioning is not a covered serious defect, unless it poses a serious and substantial threat to life, health or safety. (Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-211(e)(2)(iv))
Who is responsible for smoke detectors in a rental in Maryland?
The landlord or property owner is responsible for installing, repairing, maintaining and replacing required smoke alarms. Testing is the occupant's responsibility, and occupants may not remove or disable alarms. A tenant must notify the landlord in writing (certified mail, return receipt, or hand delivery with a receipt) of a failed alarm, and the landlord must acknowledge it in writing and repair or replace the alarm within 5 calendar days. At least one smoke alarm is required in each sleeping area, and older battery-only alarms must be upgraded, for example on a change of tenant if the unit has not had sealed long-life battery alarms with a hush button within the previous 10 years. (Md. Code, Pub. Safety §§9-104, 9-106)
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.