Tools · Security Deposit

Maryland Security Deposit Calculator (2026)

Enter your rent and move-out date to see the most a Maryland landlord can charge and the exact date your deposit is due back: up to 1 month of rent, returned 45 days after the end of the tenancy.

Cited to Md. Code, Real Prop. §8-203Source: Md. Code Ann., Real Prop. § 8-203 (Maryland General Assembly).

Maryland security deposit calculator

Security deposit · Maryland

State

Monthly rent

Move-out date

Maryland rule applied to your numbers

Maximum deposit

$2,000

Up to 1 month’s rent under Maryland law. 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.

Return deadline

45 days

45 days after the end of the tenancy. Enter your move-out date for the exact deadline.

These are the Maryland figures applied to what you entered: a plain summary of the rule and the dates, not a determination that anyone did or did not comply.

If the landlord will not return the deposit, disputes this size are what small claims court exists for: see whether the amount fits under the Maryland small claims limit →

A dated written request is usually the first step: generate a Maryland demand letter with the citation and deadline filled in →

If a deposit is wrongly kept

A landlord who withholds a deposit in bad faith, or who fails to send the itemized list within 45 days, can be liable for up to three times the amount wrongfully withheld plus reasonable attorney's fees. Charging a deposit above the legal cap also exposes the landlord to up to three times the excess plus attorney's fees. A tenant may sue during the tenancy or within 2 years after it ends.

Interest on the deposit

Interest is required on any deposit of $50 or more that the landlord has held for at least 6 months. It accrues as simple interest at monthly intervals from the day the tenant hands over the deposit. 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. Maryland publishes an official Rental Security Deposit Calculator so the exact amount can be worked out.

Local ordinances

Montgomery County enforces the state rules through its Office of Landlord-Tenant Affairs, where tenants can file complaints, and treats a failure to meet the return requirements as forfeiting the landlord's right to withhold any part of the deposit. Baltimore City also follows the state statute. Check your county for extra local filing options before going to District Court.

PlainStatute

Security deposit · Maryland

Maximum deposit: $2,000 · 1 month’s rent
Monthly rent: $2,000
Move-out date: Not entered
Return deadline: 45 days after the end of the tenancy

Source: Md. Code, Real Prop. §8-203

https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=grp&section=8-203&enactments=false

Printed from plainstatute.com
Plain-language summary, not legal advice.

Informational only, not legal advice. Security-deposit rules carry exceptions (lease type, small landlords, city ordinances) this summary cannot weigh. See the full statute and exceptions on the Maryland security deposit reference, cited to Md. Code, Real Prop. §8-203.

How Maryland security deposits work

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.

This calculator shows the Maryland figures applied to your own rent and dates. It is informational only and not legal advice. Exceptions this summary cannot weigh may apply. For the full rules, penalties, and citations, see the Maryland security deposit reference.

Security deposit calculators for other states

Same tool, each with its own cap and return deadline.