What a Landlord Cannot Do in Maryland
The main limits Maryland law puts on landlords — lockouts and utility shutoffs, entering without notice, retaliation, deposits, fees and discrimination — each with the statute or official source.
In short: a Maryland landlord cannot evict without a court order, cannot punish a tenant for asserting legal rights where state law protects them, and must follow the state's rules on entry, deposits and fees shown below.
| Lockouts & utility shutoffs | Prohibited. A landlord may not take or threaten to take possession by locking out the tenant, willfully cutting heat, running water, hot water, electricity, or gas to force the tenant out, or by any other action. Possession may be taken only under a court warrant of restitution executed by a sheriff or constable, or after abandonment/surrender. Remedy: actual damages plus reasonable attorney's fees and costs; other remedies also available. No fixed statutory damages amount. Landlord may temporarily secure an unsecured property (including changing locks) if it makes good-faith efforts to notify the tenant they may be promptly restored to possession (§ 8-216(d)). Leases may not allow taking possession or the tenant's property without legal process (§ 8-208(d)(6)). Source: Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-216 |
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| Landlord entry notice | Written notice at least 24 hours in advance stating the approximate date/time and specific purpose; entry only 7:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m., Monday-Saturday, unless the tenant agrees in writing to another time or shorter notice. Permitted purposes include repairs/maintenance, inspections, showing the unit, safety, government-ordered work, and responding to a written tenant request. No notice needed in an emergency. Enacted by 2025 Md. Laws ch. 564 (HB 1076), approved May 13, 2025, effective October 1, 2025 (https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/HB1076?ys=2025RS). Notice may be mailed first-class with a certificate of mailing, posted on the door, or sent electronically if the tenant chose that method. Remedies: injunction and/or damages for breach of quiet enjoyment. A tenant alleging a housing code violation must allow access within 24 hours after notifying the landlord (§ 8-221(f)). A 2026 bill to allow entry without notice for tenant-requested repairs (SB 635) did not pass. Source: Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-221 |
| 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. No presumption period. An action taken more than 6 months after the tenant's protected act is not retaliatory (§ 8-208.1(e)). Tenant must be current on rent unless lawfully withholding (escrow) (§ 8-208.1(d)). Bad-faith tenant claims can result in fees awarded to the landlord. State law overrides any less-protective local ordinance (§ 8-208.1(g)). Source: Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-208.1 |
| Security deposit limit | 1 month's rent per dwelling unit, regardless of the number of tenants. Up to 2 months' rent is allowed only if the tenant qualifies for Department of Human Services utility assistance, the lease requires the tenant to pay utilities directly to the landlord, and both agree in writing. A landlord who charges more than the cap can be sued for up to 3 times the extra amount plus reasonable attorney's fees. Cap reduced from 2 months to 1 month by the Renters' Rights and Stabilization Act of 2024 (HB 693), effective Oct 1, 2024. The DHCD Tenants' Bill of Rights (effective Oct 1, 2026) says deposits up to 2 months' rent remain valid for leases signed before Oct 1, 2024. Separately, a landlord may not require more than the security deposit plus the first month's rent before move-in (§ 8-208(d)(11)). |
| Penalty for withholding | If the landlord fails to return the deposit and interest within 45 days without a reasonable basis, the tenant may sue for up to 3 times the withheld amount plus reasonable attorney's fees. Deposit provisions cannot be waived in a lease (§ 8-203(l)). Landlord must give a written receipt for the deposit, included in any written lease (§ 8-203(c), § 8-203.1). |
| Late fees | Capped at 5% of the amount of unpaid rent for the rental period. For weekly rent: no more than $3 per week, with a total of no more than $12 per month. No statutory grace period. Lease terms exceeding the cap are unenforceable (§ 8-208(g)). The AG's guide notes a grace period may come only from the lease or local law. |
| Rent control / increase limits | No statewide rent control or statewide cap on rent increases. Local jurisdictions may adopt rent regulation (statewide preemption not found). Rent-increase notice is statutory: written notice at least 90 days before an increase for tenancies over 1 month, 60 days for tenancies over 1 week up to 1 month, and 7 days (written lease) / 21 days (no written lease) for weekly tenancies (Real Prop. § 8-209(b)(3)). Local rent stabilization exists in Montgomery County: for July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027 the allowance is 5.2% (the lesser of CPI-U + 3% or 6%), Montgomery County Code §§ 29-57, 29-58 (https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/department-housing-community-affairs/rent-stabilization/rent-stabilization-increases-limitations). Takoma Park and Prince George's County also have local rules; see the county pages. |
| Statewide ban on refusing Section 8 / source of income | Yes (HOME Act). It is illegal to refuse to rent to someone, or discriminate in rental terms, because of source of income. 'Source of income' means any lawful source of money paid to or for a renter, including any government or private rental assistance and Housing Choice (Section 8) vouchers. |
| Cameras & privacy | No landlord-specific statute, but strong criminal rules apply. A person may not place a camera on real property where a private residence is located to deliberately and secretly observe someone inside the residence. It is not a defense that the defendant owns the residence. Exceptions include cameras placed with an adult resident's consent and cameras without intent to secretly observe people inside. Violations are a misdemeanor (up to 1 year and/or $2,500) and give the person observed a civil claim for damages and attorney fees. Secret surveillance with prurient intent in a private place such as a bedroom or bathroom is separately a crime. Recording private conversations generally requires the consent of ALL parties. § 3-902: https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gcr§ion=3-902&enactments=false. § 10-402: https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gcj§ion=10-402&enactments=false. § 3-903(b)(8) exempts certain licensed security professionals observing common areas of multiunit dwellings. |
| Other rental fees | Move-in cap: a lease may not require more than the security deposit plus the first month's rent to start the lease and move in. Late fees are capped at 5% of the unpaid rent (weekly leases: $3 a week, $12 a month). A lease may not make the tenant pay the District Court filing surcharge assessed against the landlord, except as § 7-301(c)(5)(ii) of the Courts Article allows. The landlord may charge no more than $5 for the 6-day eviction notice. The lease must include the Maryland Tenants' Bill of Rights. No general statewide ban on convenience or online-payment fees and no total-cost-of-rent disclosure statute was found. |
Can I sue my landlord in Maryland? · All Maryland tenant rights
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.