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What Every Maryland Landlord Must Know About the 2024 Renters’ Rights and Stabilization Act

Effective October 1, 2024, Maryland’s most significant landlord-tenant legislation in decades changed the rules. If you haven’t updated your leases, your screening process, and your court filing workflow — you may already be non-compliant.

1. Security Deposits Are Now Capped at One Month’s Rent

Under prior Maryland law, landlords could collect up to two months’ rent as a security deposit. The Renters’ Rights and Stabilization Act (HB 693) reduced that cap to one month’s rent, effective October 1, 2024. There are very limited exceptions.

Additionally, security deposits may no longer be treated as liquidated damages or forfeited for a breach of lease in excess of the landlord’s actual damages. You can only keep what you can document.

2. FTP Filing Fees Increased Significantly

The cost to file a Failure to Pay Rent complaint increased from $8 to $43 statewide, with an additional $10 surcharge in Baltimore City — bringing the total to $53 per filing in Baltimore City. These fees are paid by the landlord at filing and cannot be passed to tenants unless a judgment for possession is entered and the lease specifically allows for it.

The increased revenue funds legal services for low-income tenants, eviction prevention programs, and the new Office of Tenant and Landlord Affairs.

3. Maryland Tenants’ Bill of Rights Must Be Attached to Every Lease

Beginning July 1, 2025, every residential lease in Maryland must include a copy of the Maryland Tenants’ Bill of Rights as an attachment at signing. The document is published by the Office of Tenant and Landlord Affairs and will be updated annually every October 1st.

This was previously a Baltimore City-only requirement. It now applies statewide. Failing to include the attachment does not void the lease but does expose landlords to complaints and enforcement action.

4. Tenant Right of First Refusal Now Applies Statewide

Before the RRSA, tenants in Baltimore City had the right to make an offer to purchase their rental property before it was listed for sale. That right now extends to all Maryland rental properties with fewer than four units. Landlords must provide written notice of the tenant’s right to purchase before listing the property, following a specific process.

Failure to comply allows the tenant to file a lis pendens action, which can halt the sale entirely. If you’re planning to sell a rental property, consult a real estate attorney before listing.

5. Eviction Record Shielding

A companion law (SB 19/HB 181) requires District Court to shield any FTP case record within 60 days if the case was dismissed. Tenants may also request shielding if a judgment was entered but rent was paid in full after a period of time. This limits landlords’ ability to rely on prior court records when screening future applicants.

What Landlord Ally Did Immediately

We updated all client lease templates, adjusted court filing workflow to reflect the new fee structure, and added the Tenants’ Bill of Rights to all new lease packages for portfolio management clients. If you’re self-managing, now is the time to do the same.

Note: This article is for informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Laws change. Consult a licensed Maryland attorney for guidance specific to your situation.

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Baltimore City Rental Licensing in 2026: The Complete Compliance Checklist

Operating a rental property in Baltimore City without a valid license isn’t just a code violation — it legally voids your right to collect rent and bars you from filing any court action. Here is everything you need to stay current.

Who Needs a License?

Since January 1, 2019, every non-owner-occupied dwelling unit in Baltimore City requires a rental housing license — regardless of whether it’s occupied, vacant, or producing income. This includes single-family homes, duplexes, multi-family buildings, and rooming houses.

The Three Requirements to Get Licensed

1. Property Registration — Register annually with Baltimore City DHCD. Registration is required by January 1st each year. New owners must register within 10 days of acquiring title or face a $500 fine. The fee is $30 per unit.

2. Third-Party Inspection — Your property must be inspected by a state-licensed home inspector who is registered with Baltimore City. The inspector uses a standardized checklist covering structural safety, plumbing, smoke/CO detectors, and more. New rental licenses are issued for two years. All open code violations must be corrected before a license can be issued or renewed.

3. Lead Certification — If your property was built before 1978, you must provide current MDE lead certification. A new lead inspection certificate is required at every change of occupancy.

2026 Update: Priority Dwellings

Beginning in 2026, Baltimore City DHCD will begin identifying certain large buildings as “priority dwellings.” These are generally rental properties with 20 or more units that show ongoing safety or habitability problems. Properties designated as priority dwellings face increased scrutiny, more frequent inspections, and potential license revocation. If you own a larger building, proactive compliance is more important than ever.

Licenses No Longer Transfer with the Property

Under current law, rental licenses do not transfer when a property is sold. A new owner must apply for a new rental license within 60 days of acquiring the property. If you recently purchased a rental in Baltimore City, verify your licensing status before placing a tenant or filing any court action.

Baltimore County Is Different

Baltimore County has its own separate registration and licensing requirements. Properties with six or fewer units must all be inspected. The county requires a Multifamily New Tenant Information form in every lease package. If you own in both City and County, you are operating under two separate regulatory regimes. Landlord Ally tracks both.

Note: This article is for informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Requirements change. Verify current requirements with DHCD directly.

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The Five Reasons Baltimore Landlords Lose Cases They Should Win

We’ve been in Baltimore rent court. We’ve watched landlords walk in with open-and-shut cases and walk out with nothing. Every single time, it came down to one of these five things.

1. Expired or Missing Lead Certificate

If your property was built before 1978, you need a current MDE lead certificate at the time of filing — not at the time of the lease signing. Not last year’s certificate. A certificate issued for a prior tenancy does not cover the current one. An expired certificate is an automatic dismissal, no matter how much the tenant owes.

The fix is straightforward: check your certificate before you file, not after. Landlord Ally verifies this on every single case.

2. No Valid Rental License

Your rental license number must appear on the Failure to Pay Rent complaint. If your license is expired, suspended, or you can’t produce the number, the case is dismissed. A tenant or their attorney can challenge your licensing status at the hearing — and they increasingly do.

3. Ledger Not in the Right Format

You need to prove how much is owed and when each payment was missed. A screenshot from Venmo or a handwritten note is not a ledger. Baltimore rent court expects a document showing the monthly rent amount, each payment received (with date), and the running balance. If your ledger is unclear, inconsistent, or incomplete, a judge will question the amount owed — and may reduce or dismiss the judgment.

4. Habitability Defense

Under Maryland’s Warranty of Habitability (Real Property § 8-211) and the Tenant Safety Act of 2024, tenants can raise maintenance failures as a defense in rent court. If your unit has unaddressed repair issues — mold, no heat, structural problems — the tenant’s attorney can argue for rent abatement. The 2024 law even shifted the burden: the court presumes the tenant is entitled to abatement unless the landlord proves otherwise.

The best defense is proactive maintenance. Landlord Ally flags repair issues for portfolio clients before they become courtroom leverage.

5. Not Showing Up (or Sending Someone Who Doesn’t Know the Case)

Baltimore rent court is a fast-moving environment. Cases are called, heard, and decided in minutes. If you don’t appear, the case is dismissed. If you send someone who doesn’t have the lease, the ledger, and the certificates — same result. The court will not reschedule to accommodate an unprepared landlord.

This is exactly what Landlord Ally is for. We show up with every document. We know the courtroom. We know the judges. And we have never walked in unprepared.

Note: This article is for informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice.

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Baltimore Lead Paint Compliance: What Landlords Get Wrong

Lead paint compliance is the most misunderstood area of Baltimore rental law. It is also the most expensive to get wrong. This is everything you need to know.

Who Does the Law Apply To?

Maryland’s Reduction of Lead Risk in Housing Act applies to all residential rental properties built before 1978 — even if the property has been fully renovated since. The only exemptions are properties that have been tested and hold a valid Lead-Free or Limited Lead-Free certificate from MDE.

Three Certificate Categories

Lead-Free: An MDE-accredited inspector has tested every painted surface and confirmed lead content is below the legal standard. This certificate never expires and does not need to be renewed at change of occupancy. It is the most protective status for a landlord.

Limited Lead-Free: Interior-only lead-free certification. The exterior may still have lead paint. Requires some management at change of occupancy.

Full Risk Reduction Standard: The most common status. The property has been inspected and meets the risk reduction standard for the current tenancy, but a new inspection and certificate is required at every change of occupancy. This is the certificate that most Baltimore landlords hold — and the one most commonly expired when they arrive in court.

What You Must Provide to Tenants

At each new occupancy, and again every two years thereafter, you must provide the tenant with:

• A copy of the current, valid lead inspection certificate
• The HUD brochure “Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home”
• Maryland’s “Notice of Tenants’ Rights” form

Keep signed acknowledgment receipts. Lead paint lawsuits can be filed until a child turns 21. Document everything and keep records for at least 21 years.

The Court Consequence

The lead certificate number must appear on your Failure to Pay Rent complaint. If it’s missing, expired, or does not match the current tenancy — the case is dismissed at the hearing. No continuance. No opportunity to fix it that day. You refile, pay the fees again, and wait another 30–45 days.

Landlord Ally checks every client’s MDE certificate status before filing. We have never had a case dismissed for lead compliance.

Note: This article is for informational purposes only. Requirements are subject to change. Verify current MDE requirements at mde.maryland.gov.

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Why Baltimore Landlords Are Switching from Percentage-Based Management

The standard property management model in Baltimore charges 8–10% of rent collected. That number sounds modest until you do the math — and until you realize what the incentive structure actually rewards.

The Problem with Percentage-Based Pricing

A PM firm charging 10% on a $1,200/month unit earns $120 per month from you. If you raise the rent to $1,400, they earn $140. Their revenue grows automatically when your rent grows — without doing any additional work.

This creates a misalignment. Your PM firm has little incentive to push for rent increases aggressively, because the upside is modest for them but the tenant friction is real. They have no incentive to reduce vacancy quickly, because a vacant unit doesn’t cost them anything.

What Flat-Rate Pricing Changes

A flat fee per unit per month aligns the PM firm’s incentive with yours. Landlord Ally charges court services separately and transparently. If we already manage your portfolio, you get 15% off every court service. The landlord always pays actual court filing costs — we never mark those up.

What a Good Property Manager Actually Does

Many landlords who feel they need a property manager actually need a few specific things: someone to collect rent, someone who knows how to file in rent court without errors, and someone who tracks compliance deadlines and provides monthly owner reports.

What to Ask a Prospective PM Firm Before You Sign

• Do you charge a separate fee for court appearances?
• How do you handle lead cert and rental license tracking?
• How do you communicate with owners?
• What does your termination clause look like?

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