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Maryland Residential Lease Agreement

A plain-language lease for a house or apartment in Maryland. The deposit, notice and disclosure clauses follow Maryland statute, cited in the document. Download the blank PDF or e-sign it online; electronic signatures are recognized under the federal ESIGN Act and state UETA laws.

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Maryland rules in this lease

Security deposit cap
No more than one month's rent, or two months' rent only when the Tenant qualifies for utility assistance from the Department of Human Services, pays utilities to the Landlord under the lease, and both parties agree in writing
Deposit return
Within 45 days after the tenancy ends, the Landlord returns the deposit with accrued simple interest less any damages lawfully withheld, and when any part is withheld mails a written list of the damages and an itemized statement of the cost incurred by first-class mail to the Tenant's last known address within the same 45 days, or forfeits the right to withhold any part for damages.
Where the deposit is kept
Within 30 days after receiving it, the Landlord places the deposit in an account at a federally insured financial institution doing business in Maryland that is devoted exclusively to security deposits and bears interest, and a deposit of $50 or more held six months or longer earns simple interest for the Tenant at the greater of 1.5% a year or the one-year U.S. Treasury yield curve rate.
Ending a month-to-month tenancy
The Landlord ends a month-to-month tenancy with at least 60 days' written notice, and the Tenant with at least 30 days' notice.
Landlord entry
No notice period in the statute; the lease uses 24 hours
Disclosures
6 items, listed below with the section that requires each one
Local rules
Montgomery County and Takoma Park limit annual rent increases, and Baltimore City adds its own licensing and notice rules.
Statutes
Md. Code, Real Prop. 8-203, Md. Code, Real Prop. 8-402, Md. Code, Real Prop. 8-208, Md. Code, Real Prop. 8-210, Md. Code, Real Prop. 8-220. Read the Maryland statute
Rules read on
2026-10-23

A general form, not legal advice, and not a claim that it complies with any law. Rules change and vary by city. Check the statute cited here, or ask a lawyer, before you rely on it.

What is different in Maryland

Pick Maryland and three parts of this lease change: the security deposit clause, the notice clause for a month-to-month tenancy and the disclosures checklist, each rewritten from the Maryland statute. The rest of the document reads the same in every state.

Start with the deposit. Maryland caps it at one month's rent, or two months' rent only when the Tenant qualifies for utility assistance from the Department of Human Services, pays utilities to the Landlord under the lease, and both parties agree in writing, and the statute also says where the money sits while the tenant lives there. The return rule, quoted in full below, says when and how the deposit comes back, and requires an itemized statement of anything kept, sends the deposit back with interest and takes the right to keep any of it away from a landlord who misses the deadline.

Notice to end a month-to-month tenancy is not symmetrical in Maryland; the two sides give different notice. The Landlord ends a month-to-month tenancy with at least 60 days' written notice, and the Tenant with at least 30 days' notice.

On entry the Maryland statute is silent, so the lease fills the gap with at least 24 hours' notice at a reasonable time and no notice in an emergency, and the footer says the statute set no period.

The disclosures checklist carries five Maryland items on top of the federal lead paint notice, among them a copy of the current Maryland Tenants' Bill of Rights attached to the lease, each with the section that requires it and a line for the landlord's initials.

City rules are the other thing to watch. Montgomery County and Takoma Park limit annual rent increases, and Baltimore City adds its own licensing and notice rules. The state clauses follow five sections of Maryland law, read on October 23, 2026 and listed in the Statutes row above; the same citations print in the footer of the PDF.

Read the Maryland clauses

The wording below is what prints in the PDF for Maryland, word for word, under the headings Security deposit, Entry, Ending the lease and default, and Disclosures.

Security deposit

Within 45 days after the tenancy ends, the Landlord returns the deposit with accrued simple interest less any damages lawfully withheld, and when any part is withheld mails a written list of the damages and an itemized statement of the cost incurred by first-class mail to the Tenant's last known address within the same 45 days, or forfeits the right to withhold any part for damages. The deposit may not exceed one month's rent, or two months' rent only when the Tenant qualifies for utility assistance from the Department of Human Services, pays utilities to the Landlord under the lease, and both parties agree in writing. Within 30 days after receiving it, the Landlord places the deposit in an account at a federally insured financial institution doing business in Maryland that is devoted exclusively to security deposits and bears interest, and a deposit of $50 or more held six months or longer earns simple interest for the Tenant at the greater of 1.5% a year or the one-year U.S. Treasury yield curve rate.

Entry

The Landlord may enter at reasonable times to inspect, repair or show the Premises after at least 24 hours' notice, and without notice in an emergency.

Ending the lease and default

The Landlord ends a month-to-month tenancy with at least 60 days' written notice, and the Tenant with at least 30 days' notice. If rent is unpaid or a term is broken, the Landlord gives the written notice Maryland law requires before ending the tenancy, and the Tenant is responsible for rent through the end of the term unless the Premises is re-rented sooner.

Disclosures the Landlord initials

  • Lead-based paint and hazards, for a building built before 1978, with the EPA pamphlet (42 U.S.C. 4852d)
  • Name, address and telephone number of the Landlord or the person authorized to accept notice and service of process, in the lease or posted on the Premises (Md. Code, Real Prop. 8-210)
  • A written receipt for the security deposit describing the Tenant's inspection rights, the 45-day deadlines and the penalties (Md. Code, Real Prop. 8-203.1)
  • A statement that the Premises will be delivered in a safe and habitable condition and each party's responsibilities for heat, gas, electricity, water and repairs (Md. Code, Real Prop. 8-208(c))
  • A copy of the current Maryland Tenants' Bill of Rights attached to the lease (Md. Code, Real Prop. 8-208(c)(4))
  • The state mold pamphlet given at signing, with a signed Tenant acknowledgment of receipt (Md. Code, Real Prop. 8-220)

Montgomery County and Takoma Park limit annual rent increases, and Baltimore City adds its own licensing and notice rules.

Footer of the PDF: Maryland clauses follow Md. Code, Real Prop. 8-203, Md. Code, Real Prop. 8-402, Md. Code, Real Prop. 8-208, Md. Code, Real Prop. 8-210, Md. Code, Real Prop. 8-220 as read on 2026-10-23.

Maryland lease questions

How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Maryland?
No more than one month's rent, or two months' rent only when the Tenant qualifies for utility assistance from the Department of Human Services, pays utilities to the Landlord under the lease, and both parties agree in writing. The cap comes from Md. Code, Real Prop. 8-203, and the lease repeats it in the deposit clause.
When does the security deposit come back in Maryland?
Within 45 days after the tenancy ends, the Landlord returns the deposit with accrued simple interest less any damages lawfully withheld, and when any part is withheld mails a written list of the damages and an itemized statement of the cost incurred by first-class mail to the Tenant's last known address within the same 45 days, or forfeits the right to withhold any part for damages.
Where does a Maryland landlord keep the deposit?
Within 30 days after receiving it, the Landlord places the deposit in an account at a federally insured financial institution doing business in Maryland that is devoted exclusively to security deposits and bears interest, and a deposit of $50 or more held six months or longer earns simple interest for the Tenant at the greater of 1.5% a year or the one-year U.S. Treasury yield curve rate.
How much notice ends a month-to-month tenancy in Maryland?
The Landlord ends a month-to-month tenancy with at least 60 days' written notice, and the Tenant with at least 30 days' notice.
How much notice does a Maryland landlord give before entering?
Maryland statute sets no notice period before the landlord enters, so this lease uses at least 24 hours' notice at a reasonable time, and no notice in an emergency.
What does a Maryland landlord have to disclose with the lease?
Beyond the federal lead paint disclosure for a building built before 1978, the Maryland checklist has five items: name, address and telephone number of the Landlord or the person authorized to accept notice and service of process, in the lease or posted on the Premises; a written receipt for the security deposit describing the Tenant's inspection rights, the 45-day deadlines and the penalties; and a statement that the Premises will be delivered in a safe and habitable condition and each party's responsibilities for heat, gas, electricity, water and repairs. The other two are on the checklist in the document. Each one names its statute and the landlord initials it in the document.
Do any Maryland cities or counties add rules of their own?
Montgomery County and Takoma Park limit annual rent increases, and Baltimore City adds its own licensing and notice rules.
Which Maryland statutes does this lease cite?
Md. Code, Real Prop. 8-203; Md. Code, Real Prop. 8-402; Md. Code, Real Prop. 8-208; Md. Code, Real Prop. 8-210; and Md. Code, Real Prop. 8-220, read on October 23, 2026. They print in the document footer so a reader can check each clause against the statute in a minute.
Should a lawyer look at this Maryland lease before I use it?
It is a general form, not legal advice, and it does not claim to comply with any law. The clauses state what the Maryland statute requires and name the statute. A lawyer who works with Maryland landlords can tell you whether the form fits your property, your city and the terms you want to add, which is worth the hour before signing a lease for a large rent or a long term.

Other states

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