Maryland Lease Agreement: What to Include

A Maryland residential lease needs to reflect this state's actual rules on security deposits, entry notice, late fees, and required disclosures — not a generic template written for a different state. The figures below come from Maryland's residential landlord-tenant statute; where the state sets no fixed number, that's stated plainly rather than glossed over, since "the state doesn't specify" is itself something you need to know.

Security deposit

Security deposit limit: 2 months rent. Maryland requires landlords to pay interest on held deposits — check the current statutory rate and any escrow requirements before you hold tenant funds. Return deadline after move-out: 45 Days.

Entry notice, late fees, and rent increases

Entry notice: 24 Hours. Late fees: Generally 5% of monthly rent; weekly tenancies have special cap; no statewide grace period requirement. Rent increase notice for month-to-month tenancies: 60 days. (Entry notice citation: No statewide statute.)

Required disclosures

A Maryland lease should include or accompany:

• • Federal lead-based paint
• • security deposit receipt
• • move-in/out inspection rights
• • water/sewer allocation
• • MD lead/rental registration where applicable

Eviction notice for nonpayment

For nonpayment of rent, Maryland's standard notice period is 10 days. This is the minimum notice before you can move to the next step in the eviction process — actual court timelines run longer once a case is filed. (Eviction notice citation: Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-401 (10-day notice of intent to file, per Renters Rights and Stabilization Act of 2024).)

What actually distinguishes Maryland

Maryland caps the security deposit at: 2 months rent.

Maryland is one of a smaller group of states that requires landlords to pay tenants interest on held security deposits — factor that into how you hold the funds.

Maryland requires 24 hours notice before a landlord enters an occupied unit for routine, non-emergency purposes.

Rent increase notice for month-to-month tenancies in Maryland is 60 days — different from the 30-day default most other states use, so don't assume the general rule applies here.

Sources and the bottom line

The figures above reflect Maryland's residential landlord-tenant statute as summarized on LeasePilot HQ's Maryland landlord-tenant law page, which lists the specific sources behind each number. Security deposit rules specifically are codified at Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-203 (1 month, exceptions to 2 for utility-assistance-qualified tenants), with the return deadline set by Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-203 (45 days). Primary and cross-reference sources used in compiling this page:

• • https://www.peoples-law.org/security-deposits
• • https://www.peoples-law.org/right-possession-and-right-entry
• • https://ipropertymanagement.com/laws/security-deposits
• • https://www.justia.com/real-estate/landlord-tenant/information-for-landlords/right-of-entry/
• • https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/state-landlord-tenant-laws

State landlord-tenant law changes through legislative sessions and court decisions — treat the numbers above as a starting point, verify against Maryland's current statute (linked above) before relying on them for an actual lease, and see LeasePilot HQ's full Maryland landlord-tenant law summary for the complete breakdown, or generate a lease with Maryland-specific clauses built in automatically.