Renters' Rights · Security Deposit
Security Deposit Laws in Maryland
The most a landlord can charge, how long they have to return it, and what it costs them to keep your money without cause in Maryland.
Prefer a calculator? Run your rent and move-out date through the Maryland security deposit calculator →
What your landlord can hold, and when it's due back
Enter your rent for the Maryland maximum, plus the return-deadline clock.
Estimate only, based on Maryland's statutory cap. Your lease may set a lower deposit, and local ordinances can be stricter. Not legal advice.
The full rules, with the statute
Every requirement and where it comes from in the code.
Exceptions: The Renters' Rights and Stabilization Act of 2024 lowered the cap from two months' rent to one month's rent for leases signed on or after October 1, 2024. The one-month limit applies per dwelling unit regardless of the number of tenants and includes any pet deposit. A landlord may charge up to two months' rent only in a narrow case: the tenant qualifies for utility assistance through the Department of Human Services, the lease requires the tenant to pay utilities directly to the landlord, and both sides agree to the amount in writing.
Penalties & recent changes
What happens if the landlord keeps your deposit wrongfully.
Renters' Rights and Stabilization Act of 2024 (effective 2024-10-01): Cut the maximum security deposit from two months' rent to one month's rent for leases signed on or after the effective date.
What Maryland renters get wrong
Maryland is one of the states that makes landlords pay interest on your security deposit, so your money is not supposed to just sit idle. Interest is owed on any deposit of $50 or more that the landlord has held for at least 6 months, at the greater of the 1-year U.S. Treasury rate set each January or 1.5% a year, and the state runs a free official calculator to work out the amount. The size of the deposit itself also dropped recently: for leases signed on or after October 1, 2024, a landlord can ask for no more than one month's rent, down from the old two-month cap. After you move out, the landlord has 45 days to return the deposit with interest or mail you an itemized list of any damages being charged. If the landlord keeps your money in bad faith or misses that 45-day deadline, you can recover up to three times the amount wrongfully withheld plus your attorney's fees.
Common questions
How much can a Maryland landlord charge for a security deposit?
For any lease signed on or after October 1, 2024, the most a landlord can charge is one month's rent, and that limit includes any pet deposit and applies no matter how many tenants share the unit. The old cap was two months' rent. A landlord can go up to two months' rent only in a narrow case: the tenant qualifies for utility assistance from the Department of Human Services, the lease makes the tenant pay utilities directly to the landlord, and both sides agree to the amount in writing.
Does my Maryland landlord have to pay me interest on my deposit?
Yes, if your deposit is $50 or more and the landlord held it for at least 6 months. The interest is simple and accrues monthly from the day you paid it. Each year the rate is the greater of the 1-year U.S. Treasury yield as of the first business day of that year or 1.5% per year. You can check the exact figure using Maryland's official Rental Security Deposit Calculator on the state housing department website.
How long does a Maryland landlord have to return my deposit?
Within 45 days after your tenancy ends, the landlord must return the deposit with any interest owed, or mail you a written, itemized list of the damages being charged along with whatever is left. If the landlord misses the 45-day deadline, they generally lose the right to keep any of it for damages.
What can I do if my Maryland landlord wrongfully keeps my deposit?
If the landlord withholds your deposit in bad faith or fails to send the itemized list on time, you can sue for up to three times the amount wrongfully withheld plus your reasonable attorney's fees. You have until 2 years after the tenancy ends to file. Send a written demand first, then file in Maryland District Court; in Montgomery County you can also complain to the Office of Landlord-Tenant Affairs.
Not legal advicePlainStatute provides plain-language summaries of public law for general information only. This is not legal advice. Statutes change; always confirm current requirements with the official source linked above before acting.