Photo: Silver Spring, MD, Bohemian Baltimore / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Rental license for a home or condo
Required.
Montgomery County DHCA
Single-family home and condo owners who rent their properties must obtain and renew a county rental license, and cannot be more than 30 days past due on HOA or condo fees to get or keep it.
Source: Montgomery County DHCA(opens in a new tab)Montgomery County has capped annual rent increases on regulated units at CPI-U plus 3 percent, up to 6 percent, since Executive Regulation 2-24 took effect in July 2024.
Source: Montgomery County Executive Regulation 2-24(opens in a new tab)A rental license is required before a unit may be rented or advertised. Operating without one bars a landlord from suing a tenant for unpaid rent in Maryland District Court.
Source: Montgomery County DHCA(opens in a new tab)The county's Office of Landlord-Tenant Affairs publishes an official handbook covering the rights and duties of county landlords and tenants.
Source: Montgomery County DHCA(opens in a new tab)Montgomery County has barred landlords from refusing an otherwise qualified applicant solely for using a housing choice voucher since 1991, a rule upheld by Maryland's highest court.
Source: Maryland Court of Appeals(opens in a new tab)Silver Spring station on the Red Line serves the area.
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.
