With the Maryland General Assembly’s passage of the Renters Rights and Stabilization Act in 2024[1], Maryland is now the first state in the nation to mandate a Tenants’ Bill of Rights as part of every residential lease.[2] Starting July 1, 2025, landlords must affix this required eight-page document[3] to a lease agreement. This reform responds to longstanding concerns that tenants often lacked clear, accessible notice of their rights and remedies under state law, which contributed to confusion in eviction proceedings and uneven enforcement of housing protections.[4] By standardizing and prominently disclosing these rights, this measure marks a major pivot in Maryland’s efforts to improve housing stability as the state has consistently ranked among the highest in the nation for eviction filings.[5]

The Tenants’ Bill of Rights identifies nine protection areas, covering everything from rental applications and lease terms to eviction procedures and prohibited landlord practices.[6] These categories encapsulate the key principle that renters are entitled to quiet enjoyment of their homes.[7] To enforce that promise, landlords must maintain safe and habitable units, and tenants who encounter serious problems now have legal tools to respond.[8]

Another focus of the new law is curbing excessive charges and predatory practices that can jeopardize housing stability.[9] The law caps late rental fees at five percent of the total rent due, requires security deposits to be limited to one month’s rent, and prevents landlords with five or more units from charging more than twenty-five dollars in application fees.[10] These measures create more predictability in leasing costs, particularly for tenants who already struggle with steep upfront costs.

Equally important, the Bill of Rights aims to reduce the information imbalance between landlords and tenants.[11] It requires that leases avoid any terms that strip tenants of their legal protections, obligates landlords to inform renters about how security deposits must be handled, and ensures that tenants have the right to appear and be represented in eviction proceedings.[12]

Beyond outlining rights and restrictions, the document also connects renters to enforcement support.[13] The newly established Office of Tenant and Landlord Affairs will serve not only as a centralized resource hub, but as an enforcement body with the capacity to investigate violations, mediate disputes, and ensure uniform application of tenant protections across jurisdictions.[14] Importantly, it points tenants to Maryland’s Access to Counsel in Evictions Program,[15] a legal assistance program for renters facing eviction who meet the income threshold of fifty percent or less of the state’s Area Median Income.[16]

For tenants, the Tenants Bill of Rights is a long-awaited step toward clarity and fairness as the Bill presents new opportunities to support tenants in asserting their rights. The standardized disclosure requirements, coupled with new enforcement mechanisms, represent a meaningful shift from reactive, court-driven processes to proactive rights education and access to support. At the same time, landlords and property managers will need to update their practices and documents to comply with the new requirements, creating a new compliance landscape for real estate attorneys. In this way, the Bill of Rights represents not merely a tenant protection measure, but a structural change in how landlord-tenant relationships will be regulated and litigated in Maryland moving forward.

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Deborah Yi is a fourth-year evening student at the University of Baltimore School of Law and an Associate Editor for Law Forum. Deborah earned her bachelor’s degree from American University in Political Communications. Deborah has experience in government relations and currently works for the National Council of State Housing Agencies. Deborah has plans to pursue a career in housing law after graduation.

[1] Md. Dep’t of Hous. and Cmty. Dev., Maryland Publishes Nation’s First Statewide Tenants’ Bill of Rights, https://news.maryland.gov/dhcd/2025/06/16/maryland-publishes-nations-first-statewide-tenants-bill-of-rights/ (Jun. 16, 2025).

[2] Id.

[3] Md. Dep’t of Hous. and Cmty. Dev., Tenants’ Bill of Rights, https://dhcd.maryland.gov/Tenant-Landlord-Affairs/Documents/Tenant-Bill-of-Rights-V1.pdf.

[4] The Eviction Lab, Estimating Eviction Prevalence Across the United States (2022), https://evictionlab.org/docs/Eviction_Lab_Methodology_Report_2022.pdf.

[5] Id.

[6] Id.

[7] See Pamela Wood, Gov. Moore Asks Lawmakers to Support Bills Expanding Housing, Protecting Renters, The Baltimore Banner, (Feb. 20, 2024, 4:46 PM), https://www.thebanner.com/politics-power/state-government/governor-moore-housing-testimony-74TABUF4EJDCHFU4Y73ZIKGU44/?_gl=1*1xgyn1l*_gcl_au*NTYxMDE3NTg2LjE3NTczODEyNTA.*_ga*OTE2MTIyNzIuMTc1NzM4MTI1NQ..*_ga_NK7S4BZPM5*czE3NTc0MDQ3ODMkbzIkZzEkdDE3NTc0MDYzOTAkajM4JGwwJGg3MDM4MTE0NTA.

[8] Tenants’ Bill of Rights supra note 3 at §5.

[9] Tenants’ Bill of Rights supra note 3 at §3.

[10] Tenants’ Bill of Rights supra note 3 at §§ 1, 3.

[11] See Nori Leybengrub, Your Lease Will Come with a ‘Bill of Rights.’ Here’s What That Means, The Baltimore Banner(Jun. 30, 2025, 5:30 AM), https://www.thebanner.com/community/housing/maryland-renter-bill-of-rights-YRVBI3AVBZCKJBDQCQ7CE3MJYU/.

[12] Tenants’ Bill of Rights supra note 3.

[13] Tenants’ Bill of Rights supra note 3 at 10.

[14] Id.

[15] Id.

[16] Id.