Photo: Bethesda, MD, G. Edward Johnson / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Rental license for a home or condo
Required.
Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Affairs (DHCA)
A county rental license is required before a single-family home or condo unit can be rented, with an FY27 fee of $130 per single-family rental and $73 per condo unit.
Source: Montgomery County DHCA(opens in a new tab)Montgomery County caps rent increases on stabilized units at CPI-U plus 3 percent, not to exceed 6 percent. The cap is 5.2 percent for the period through June 30, 2027.
Source: Montgomery County DHCA(opens in a new tab)An owner of two or fewer rental units countywide is generally exempt from the rent stabilization cap, though the county license requirement still applies.
Source: Montgomery County DHCA(opens in a new tab)Rental properties built before January 1, 1978 must meet Maryland lead-paint standards before a county rental license can be renewed.
Source: Montgomery County DHCA(opens in a new tab)Montgomery County leases must include a plain-language lease summary and a window-guard addendum, and tenants must be told of their right to the county landlord-tenant handbook.
Source: Montgomery County DHCA(opens in a new tab)Bethesda station on the Red Line is at 7400 Wisconsin Avenue.
Source: WMATA(opens in a new tab)A landlord may not charge a security deposit of more than one month's rent per unit, except up to two months if a tenant pays utilities directly under a written utility-assistance agreement.
Source: Maryland Code, Real Property §8-203(opens in a new tab)Maryland law requires a landlord to return a tenant's security deposit within 45 days after the tenancy ends, minus any rightfully withheld damages.
Source: Maryland Code, Real Property §8-203(opens in a new tab)Deposits of $50 or more held at least six months accrue interest monthly at 1.5 percent a year or the one-year Treasury yield, whichever is greater.
Source: Maryland Code, Real Property §8-203(opens in a new tab)Rental units built before 1978 must register with the Maryland Department of the Environment's lead poisoning prevention program before being rented.
Source: Maryland Department of the Environment(opens in a new tab)Full-service management across Maryland, DC, and Virginia. 8% of monthly rent — that's the whole fee.
