Baltimore City, MD — landlord and rental rules

For failure to pay rent, Maryland Courts describes a written 10-day notice before filing, followed by a court case; removal requires a judgment, warrant of restitution, and sheriff or constable process.

The official procedure does not promise a fixed end-to-end duration. Case facts, service, defenses, redemption rights, court scheduling, and enforcement timing can change the result; obtain legal advice for a live case.

Baltimore City generally prohibits renting or offering a dwelling unit for rent without an effective rental dwelling license; Housing Authority units are excepted.

Article 13 ties licensing to registration, inspection, and applicable lead certification. A transfer requires a new license application; verify the current City record before relying on a seller's license.

Ordinary license term

Two years

Baltimore City's rental dwelling license process requires the property to satisfy Article 13 inspection and prerequisite compliance requirements before an effective license is issued.

Registration, inspection, lead certification where applicable, and licensing are separate compliance facts. This summary does not establish that a particular dwelling currently holds them.

Maryland requires affected pre-1978 rental dwelling units to be registered with the Department of the Environment and to satisfy the applicable lead-risk-reduction and certificate duties before occupancy changes.

MDE says registrations renew every two years beginning January 1, 2026. The required certificate and risk-reduction path depend on property and turnover facts; confirm the current MDE record rather than treating this summary as legal advice.

Construction

Built before 1978

Maryland ordinarily caps a cash security deposit at one month's rent per dwelling unit. It must be held in a qualifying interest-bearing in-state account and returned with required interest, less lawful withholding, within 45 days after the tenancy ends.

A narrow written utility-assistance arrangement may permit up to two months' rent. Interest applies to deposits of at least $50 held for at least six months, at the daily one-year U.S. Treasury yield-curve rate for the first business day of the year or 1.5% annually, whichever is greater. The statute also sets inspection, itemization, forfeiture, and potential threefold-damages and attorney-fee rules; this summary is informational, not legal advice.

Damages

3× the deposit, plus fees