Sources checked:
Quick answer. Maryland: deposit capped at 1 month of rent; deposit returned within 45 days; 60-day notice to end month-to-month; 10-day notice for unpaid rent; 24-hour entry notice; $50 eviction filing fee; $5,000 small claims limit. 23 of 23 items are confirmed on official pages; none are open.
Key numbers
- Deposit limit
- 1 month's rent
- Deposit back within
- 45 days
- Month-to-month notice (landlord)
- 60 days
- Unpaid rent notice
- 10 days
- Entry notice
- 24 hours
- Filing fee
- $50
- Time to answer or appear
- At the hearing
- Judgment to writ
- 7 court days
- Writ to lockout
- 6 days
- Small claims limit
- $5,000
Security deposit (6 of 6 confirmed)
Law read: Md. Code, Real Property 8-203.
Need the other side served? Process serving with an affidavit of service.
-
ConfirmedDeposit limit
No more than one month's rent per unit, regardless of the number of tenants; up to two months if the tenant qualifies for Department of Human Services utility assistance, the lease has the tenant pay utilities to the landlord, and both agree in writing (8-203(b)).
Source: Maryland General Assembly: Real Property 8-203 (current statute text), checked November 2026
-
ConfirmedReturn deadline
Within 45 days after the tenancy ends: the deposit with interest, less damages rightfully withheld (8-203(e)).
Source: Maryland General Assembly: Real Property 8-203 (current statute text), checked November 2026
-
ConfirmedItemized list of deductions
A written list of damages claimed with itemized costs, sent by first-class mail to the tenant's last known address within 45 days; costs need supporting documents, which may be an estimate, with the final invoice after repairs (8-203(g), (j), (k)).
Source: Maryland General Assembly: Real Property 8-203 (current statute text), checked November 2026
-
ConfirmedInterest on the deposit
Simple interest at the greater of the one-year U.S. Treasury yield curve rate on the first business day of the year or 1.5% a year, accruing monthly; owed only on deposits of $50 or more held at least six months (8-203(e)). DHCD publishes the rates and a calculator (8-203(m)-(n)).
Source: Maryland General Assembly: Real Property 8-203 (current statute text), checked November 2026
-
ConfirmedWhere the deposit is held
Within 30 days of receipt, in a federally insured institution doing business in Maryland, in an in-state branch, in an account used only for deposits; or in insured certificates of deposit or government securities (8-203(d)).
Source: Maryland General Assembly: Real Property 8-203 (current statute text), checked November 2026
-
ConfirmedPenalty the law states
Up to three times the amount withheld plus reasonable attorney fees, where the landlord had no reasonable basis (8-203(e)(4)); up to three times any excess charged over the limit (8-203(b)(3)).
Source: Maryland General Assembly: Real Property 8-203 (current statute text), checked November 2026
More: Security deposit rules by state · Deposit return deadline calculator
Notice periods (6 of 6 confirmed)
What the official text says about each notice. Cities and counties can add their own notice, just-cause or rent rules. Check local rules too.
| Notice | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ending month-to-month (landlord) | At least 60 days' written notice. | Source: Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development: Maryland Tenants' Bill of Rights (effective October 1, 2026), checked November 2026 (Real Property 8-402 and related sections) |
| Ending month-to-month (tenant) | At least 30 days' written notice, unless the lease requires more. | Source: Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development: Maryland Tenants' Bill of Rights (effective October 1, 2026), checked November 2026 (Real Property 8-402 and related sections) |
| Rent increase notice | Written notice 90 days before an increase in most cases, unless it comes with a notice ending the tenancy. | Source: Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development: Maryland Tenants' Bill of Rights (effective October 1, 2026), checked November 2026 (Real Property 8-205, 8-205.1 and related sections) |
| Unpaid rent notice | Written notice at least 10 days before filing for failure to pay rent. | Source: Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development: Maryland Tenants' Bill of Rights (effective October 1, 2026), checked November 2026 (Real Property 8-401, 8-402 and related sections) |
| Entry notice | Written notice at least 24 hours before an inspection or repairs; entry Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., except emergencies. | Source: Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development: Maryland Tenants' Bill of Rights (effective October 1, 2026), checked November 2026 (Real Property 8-208.1, 8-208.2 and related sections) |
| Late fee limits | No more than 5% of the late rent amount; on a partial payment, only on the unpaid part. | Source: Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development: Maryland Tenants' Bill of Rights (effective October 1, 2026), checked November 2026 (Real Property 8-208 and related sections) |
More: Notice periods by state · Notice date calculator
Eviction case, in order (10 of 10 confirmed)
- Notice before filing The written notice comes first; its length is in the notice table above.
Unpaid rent: Written notice at least 10 days before filing for failure to pay rent.
- Filing the case Where the case goes and what it costs to start.
-
ConfirmedCourt
Failure to pay rent and other landlord-tenant cases are handled by the District Court.
handled by the District Court
Source: Maryland Courts: Housing Cases, checked November 2026
-
ConfirmedFiling fee
$50 for a Failure to Pay Rent complaint in every county but Baltimore City ($60 there), plus $5 for each tenant of record; the amount includes state surcharges. Tenant holding over and breach of lease cases cost more.
Summary Ejectment (Failure to Pay Rent) (all counties except Baltimore City) $50.00
Source: Maryland Judiciary: DCA-109 District Court Cost Schedule (Rev. 03/2026), checked November 2026
-
- The tenant's answer or appearance
-
ConfirmedTime to answer or appear
No written answer is described; the tenant defends by attending the hearing, and a judgment can be entered against a tenant who doesn't.
Attend the hearing if you want to defend your case.
Source: Maryland Courts: Housing Cases (legal help), checked November 2026
-
- Hearing or trial
-
ConfirmedHearing after filing
The summons sets the Failure to Pay Rent trial for the fifth day after the complaint is filed; the court can postpone it by one day (longer only if all parties agree).
to appear before the District Court at the trial to be held on the fifth day after the filing of the complaint
Source: Maryland General Assembly: Real Property 8-401 (2026 statute text), checked November 2026
-
- Judgment and the writ The order that lets the officer act.
-
ConfirmedJudgment to writ
The landlord may file for the warrant of restitution no sooner than 7 business days after the judgment, and must file within 60 days of it (or of the end of any stay).
Warrant of Restitution: May be filed no sooner than seven (7) business days from the date of judgment.
Source: Maryland Courts: Failure to Pay Rent, Information for Landlords and Tenants (DC-CV-082BR, rev. 10/2025), checked November 2026
-
- Lockout Carried out by an officer, not by either side.
-
ConfirmedWrit to lockout
Once the eviction is scheduled, the landlord gives written notice at least 6 days before it (14 days by mail and 7 by posting in Baltimore City).
at least 6 days before it takes place
Source: Maryland Courts: Rent Court for Landlords Part 2, I Won in Rent Court, Now What?, checked November 2026
-
ConfirmedWho carries out the lockout
The warrant of restitution tells the sheriff or constable to restore the property to the landlord.
tells the sheriff or constable to go to a property
Source: Maryland Courts: Housing Cases, checked November 2026
-
- Along the way Paying to stop the case, counsel and diversion programs.
-
ConfirmedPaying to stop the case
The tenant can stop the eviction by paying the rent the judge found due plus court costs; the landlord can't refuse it.
your tenant can stop the eviction if they pay you the amount of rent the judge determined was due, plus the court costs.
Source: Maryland Courts: Rent Court for Landlords Part 2, I Won in Rent Court, Now What?, checked November 2026
-
ConfirmedRight to counsel (statewide)
Eligible tenants may get a free lawyer through the statewide Access to Counsel in Evictions (ACE) program; call 211.
Tenants may qualify for a free lawyer.
Source: Maryland Courts: Housing Cases (legal help), checked November 2026
-
ConfirmedDiversion or mediation (statewide)
The District Court's Alternative Dispute Resolution program offers free mediation.
The District Court's Alternative Dispute Resolution Program (ADR) offers mediation free of charge.
Source: Maryland Courts: Failure to Pay Rent, Information for Landlords and Tenants (DC-CV-082BR, rev. 10/2025), checked November 2026
-
The October 2025 rent brochure (DC-CV-082BR) puts the earliest warrant request at seven business days after judgment, which matches the eighth-business-day rule on one court page; an older page said four business days.
Example: a case filed Monday, March 1, 2027
The earliest date of each stage the confirmed rules allow, from our eviction timeline estimator. Earliest under the statute; courts' calendars often take longer.
| Stage | Earliest date |
|---|---|
| Case filed | Monday, March 1, 2027 |
| Answer or appear | Saturday, March 6, 2027 |
| Hearing or trial | Saturday, March 6, 2027 |
| Judgment | Saturday, March 6, 2027 |
| Writ or warrant of possession | Tuesday, March 16, 2027 |
| Earliest lockout | Monday, March 22, 2027 |
Help the official pages name: Maryland Court Help Center, free talk with a lawyer.
More: Maryland eviction process · Eviction timeline estimator
Deposit disputes: small claims
-
ConfirmedSmall claims limit (for a deposit dispute)
$5,000: the most a small claims case can ask for.
$5,000 or less, for money only, and without discovery such as interrogatories.
Filing fee to start a case: $34.
Source: District Court of Maryland: How to File a Small Claim (DC-CV-001BR, rev. 10/2023), checked November 2026
More: Maryland small claims court
Maryland kit
Maryland Landlord Compliance Kit
This page as a printable checklist with every source link and check date, a move-in and move-out deposit checklist with the Maryland return deadline, a notice calendar, an eviction timeline sheet, and an Excel workbook with a tenant notice log, a deposit tracker that works out the return date, and a rent ledger.
General information, not legal advice. We are not lawyers, and MCC Solutions is not a law firm. The same rules apply whichever side of the lease you are on; this page describes them and doesn't take a side. Rules change, cities and counties can add their own, a lease can add terms, and the official source has the final word.
Common questions
How much can a security deposit be in Maryland?
No more than one month's rent per unit, regardless of the number of tenants; up to two months if the tenant qualifies for Department of Human Services utility assistance, the lease has the tenant pay utilities to the landlord, and both agree in writing (8-203(b)).
How long does a Maryland landlord have to return a deposit?
Within 45 days after the tenancy ends: the deposit with interest, less damages rightfully withheld (8-203(e)). What goes with it: A written list of damages claimed with itemized costs, sent by first-class mail to the tenant's last known address within 45 days; costs need supporting documents, which may be an estimate, with the final invoice after repairs (8-203(g), (j), (k)).
How much notice ends a month-to-month tenancy in Maryland?
From the landlord: At least 60 days' written notice. From the tenant: At least 30 days' written notice, unless the lease requires more.
What notice comes before an unpaid-rent case in Maryland?
Written notice at least 10 days before filing for failure to pay rent.
How much notice before a landlord enters a rental in Maryland?
Written notice at least 24 hours before an inspection or repairs; entry Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., except emergencies.
How long does an eviction case take in Maryland?
Time to answer or appear: At the hearing. Hearing after filing: At least 5 days. Judgment to writ: 7 court days. Writ to lockout: 6 days. These are the stated rules; the court's calendar often takes longer.
What does it cost to file an eviction case in Maryland?
$50 for a Failure to Pay Rent complaint in every county but Baltimore City ($60 there), plus $5 for each tenant of record; the amount includes state surcharges. Tenant holding over and breach of lease cases cost more.
Related: Landlord rules by state · Kits for landlords