In June 2025, Maryland made history. The state became the first in the nation to publish and mandate a statewide Tenants’ Bill of Rights — a plain-language document that must be attached to every residential lease signed in Maryland, starting July 1, 2025. An updated version took effect October 1, 2025, and DHCD will release a new edition annually each fall.

This isn’t a formality. Landlords in Baltimore City and Baltimore County who aren’t including the current Maryland Tenants’ Bill of Rights (TBOR) with every new and renewing lease are out of compliance — and under Maryland’s rules, that omission can be raised as a legal defense by tenants at a Failure to Pay Rent hearing. In other words: skip this document, and you risk losing an eviction case you’d otherwise win on the merits.

What the Maryland Tenants’ Bill of Rights Actually Is

The Maryland Tenants’ Bill of Rights is a 14-page plain-language document published by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) through its Office of Tenant and Landlord Affairs. It covers the most important rights and responsibilities in a Maryland rental relationship — from security deposits and rent increases to habitability standards, eviction procedures, and discrimination protections.

The TBOR was established through the Renters’ Rights and Stabilization Act of 2024 (House Bill 693), signed by Governor Wes Moore on April 25, 2024. The distribution requirement took effect July 1, 2025, with the first annual update published October 1, 2025. Maryland is now the only state in the country with this requirement — which is exactly why many Baltimore landlords haven’t heard about it yet.

The critical point for landlords: you cannot edit, modify, or summarize the document. You must attach the official DHCD version — in full — to every residential lease. You also need the tenant’s signature acknowledging receipt of the document.

The Four Requirements Every Baltimore Landlord Must Follow

What Happens If You Don’t Include the TBOR

This is where many Baltimore landlords will be surprised. The Maryland TBOR requirement isn’t just an administrative checkbox — it carries a direct legal consequence at eviction proceedings.

If you file a Failure to Pay Rent complaint against a tenant in Baltimore City or Baltimore County District Court, and you haven’t provided the current TBOR with the original lease, the tenant can raise that omission as a pre-filing defense at the hearing. Judges have the authority to treat a non-compliant lease as a procedural failure — which can delay or derail an otherwise legitimate eviction claim.

In a rental market where an FTPR filing now costs $53 in Baltimore City and the average full eviction timeline runs four to six weeks, the last thing any landlord needs is a procedural defense that could have been avoided with one document added to their lease packet. The fix is free. The omission can cost thousands.

Other Lease Requirements Baltimore Landlords Can’t Miss in 2026

The TBOR is the most prominent new lease requirement, but it sits alongside several other Maryland and Baltimore-specific obligations that a fully compliant 2026 lease packet must address. Here’s a quick-reference summary of what every Baltimore landlord needs to have in place:

Written Lease Required for Landlords with 5 or More Units

If you own five or more rental units in Maryland, a written lease is legally required for each residential tenancy. The lease must clearly state the property’s condition, utility and repair responsibilities, the security deposit amount and receipt, the current TBOR attachment, and the landlord’s or property manager’s contact information.

Late Fee Cap: 5% of Monthly Rent

Maryland now caps late fees at 5% of the overdue monthly rent. Any lease clause specifying a higher late fee is unenforceable above that threshold — courts will void the excess. Landlords who wrote inflated late fee clauses into older lease templates need to review and correct those provisions before their next renewal cycle.

Security Deposit: One Month Maximum

Since October 1, 2024, security deposits are capped at one month’s rent under the Renters’ Rights and Stabilization Act. There is a narrow exception for tenants who receive utility assistance through the Maryland Department of Human Services. Any deposit collected above one month’s rent on a new or renewing lease creates legal exposure.

45-Day Return Deadline After Tenancy Ends

Security deposits — with itemized deductions and accrued interest — must be returned to tenants within 45 days of the end of the lease term. Missing this deadline creates statutory liability: landlords can face penalties of up to three times the withheld deposit amount, plus attorney’s fees. This is one of the most common and costly compliance failures among self-managing Baltimore landlords.

How Self-Managing Baltimore Landlords Can Close the Gap Today

If you’re self-managing and haven’t updated your lease packet since mid-2025, here’s exactly what to do before your next signing or renewal:

Download the current TBOR from DHCD. The official version is published at dhcd.maryland.gov through the Office of Tenant and Landlord Affairs. Always verify you’re using the most current version — the October 1, 2025 edition is in force now. DHCD releases an update each September for an October 1 effective date.

Add the TBOR as an appendix and require a signature page. The signed acknowledgment of receipt is essential — it’s your evidence of delivery if the omission is ever challenged in court. If you use a digital lease platform, add the TBOR as a required attachment before any tenant can countersign.

Review your late fee clause. If your lease specifies a late fee above 5% of monthly rent, revise it now. Courts will void the excess, and the provision becomes a liability rather than an enforcement tool.

Confirm your security deposit is no more than one month’s rent. Any new or renewing lease that collects above one month’s deposit (outside the utility-assistance exception) is non-compliant under current Maryland law.

Put October 1 on your calendar — every year. DHCD publishes the updated TBOR by September 1 for an October 1 effective date. Any lease signed after October 1 requires the new version. Set a recurring annual reminder before lease renewal season begins.

The Bottom Line for Baltimore Landlords

Maryland’s Tenants’ Bill of Rights requirement is exactly the kind of compliance update that gets lost in the noise — especially for landlords who aren’t tracking DHCD publications or working with a property manager whose job it is to stay current. But the stakes are real: a missing TBOR attachment can become a tenant defense at an FTPR hearing at the precise moment when you need the court proceeding to go smoothly.

The fix is genuinely simple. The TBOR is free to download from DHCD’s website. Adding it to your lease packet takes minutes. Getting a signed receipt takes seconds. But for a Baltimore landlord who hasn’t touched their lease template since 2024, the exposure is real on every new lease and renewal signed in the last year.

The landlords who are best positioned in Baltimore right now are the ones whose compliance is handled automatically — where every lease, every renewal, and every tenant onboarding reflects the current Maryland requirements without the owner having to track regulatory updates themselves. That’s the baseline standard Sungate has maintained since 2018, across 400+ properties and through every round of law changes Maryland has passed since.