A Maryland Rental Application is a document that allows landlords and property owners to collect relevant information about prospective tenants and select reliable renters for a property.
Laws
- Application Fee – Non-refundable
- Fee Limits – No limits
- Security Deposit – Maximum payment equal to two months’ rent.
Application Fees
Landlords can charge application fees but must use these fees for screening purposes. Any amount over $25 not used for screening, such as credit checks, must be refunded to the applicant, with an itemized list of expenses provided [1] .
This refund requirement doesn’t apply if the fee is under $25, or to landlords with four or fewer units, seasonal, or condominium rentals. There’s no cap on the application fee amount, but excess fees over $25 must be returned within 15 days. Landlords are allowed to retain fees used for actual screening costs.
Fair Housing Protections
- No Discrimination in Housing: It’s illegal to refuse to sell, rent, or negotiate housing to anyone because of their race, religion, gender, disability, marital or family status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or where they’re from.
- Equal Treatment Required: Discriminating in the conditions, services, or privileges of housing based on these characteristics is not allowed.
- No Biased Advertising: Ads for housing can’t show a preference or discourage anyone based on these characteristics.
- No False Information: You can’t lie about the availability of housing to someone because of their background or identity.
- No Scare Tactics for Profit: It’s illegal to try to persuade someone to sell or rent their home by suggesting people from a certain group are moving into the neighborhood [2] .
Security Deposits
- The security deposit must be placed in an FDIC-insured bank in Maryland and the account can only be used for deposits.
- Interest is required if the security deposit is held for over six months.
- Landlords can deduct from the deposit for unpaid rent or excessive damages.
- Remaining deposit must be returned to the tenant within 45 days post-tenancy.
- Maximum charge for an unfurnished apartment’s security deposit is limited to 2 months’ rent.
- Overcharging can lead to the tenant receiving three times the overcharged amount plus lawyer fees.
- Tenants must receive a receipt for the security deposit, which should be outlined in the written lease [3] .
Pet Deposits
State law allows landlords to charge a pet deposit, but it cannot total more than two months’ rent. The fee does not apply to service pets and emotional support animals.
Sample
Below is a free, downloadable Maryland rental application form you can print and fill out. You can also create a customized form in our step-by-step document builder.
