Pet Policies for Baltimore Landlords:
Deposits, Fees, and Maryland Law
in 2026
Two law changes in two years just rewrote the rules on pet deposits, non-refundable fees, and required disclosures. If you own rental property in Baltimore and allow pets — or are thinking about it — here’s exactly what you need to know before the next lease is signed.
Roughly 70% of U.S. households own a pet. In Baltimore’s rental market — where competition for quality tenants is real and vacancy costs can exceed $3,000 per month — a blanket no-pets policy is increasingly a financial decision as much as a property protection one. But allowing pets without understanding Maryland’s rules can expose you to legal penalties you didn’t see coming.
Two significant law changes in 2024 and 2025 directly affect how Baltimore landlords can structure pet policies: the Renters’ Rights and Stabilization Act of 2024 (HB 693), which capped security deposits at one month’s rent, and the Pet Policy Transparency Act of 2025 (HB 1152/SB 896), which requires written disclosure of all pet-related charges. If your lease was drafted before October 2024 and hasn’t been updated, you may be operating outside the law right now.
The stakes are higher than most landlords realize: Maryland law classifies illegal deposit overcharges as treble damages — meaning a landlord who over-collects even $500 in pet deposits can be ordered to repay $1,500 plus attorney fees. That’s not a technicality. Courts have enforced it.
What the 2024 Security Deposit Cap Means for Pet Deposits
Before October 1, 2024, a common Baltimore landlord strategy was to charge a one-month security deposit plus a separate pet deposit — effectively collecting two months upfront. That strategy is no longer legal for leases signed after that date.
Under the Renters’ Rights and Stabilization Act, all security deposits are capped at one month’s rent per dwelling unit. And Maryland law defines a security deposit as any payment made “to protect the landlord against nonpayment of rent, damage due to breach of lease, or damage to the leased premises.” A pet deposit — collected to protect against pet-caused damage — meets that definition. Which means it counts toward the one-month cap, not in addition to it.
In plain terms: if your rent is $1,800/month, your total refundable deposit — whether you call it a security deposit, pet deposit, or both — cannot exceed $1,800 for a lease signed after October 1, 2024.
Any refundable deposit tied to pet ownership is legally a security deposit. It cannot exceed 1 month’s rent combined with your standard security deposit. Collecting separately doesn’t change that.
A non-refundable fee not linked to specific damage may be permissible, but Maryland courts have scrutinized them. If the fee functions as a protective deposit under another name, treble damages may apply.
Charging additional monthly rent for pets is generally permitted statewide. This is the safest way to recoup expected pet-related wear — it avoids the deposit classification problem entirely.
As of October 1, 2025, landlords must separately disclose all pet-related charges in writing: upfront fees, refundable deposits, and monthly pet rent. Burying these in a general lease section is no longer sufficient.
Non-Refundable Pet Fees: A Legal Minefield to Navigate Carefully
Many Baltimore landlords have tried to sidestep the deposit cap by labeling a charge “non-refundable pet fee” — something that sounds like a flat administrative cost rather than a protective deposit. The problem is that Maryland courts look at the function of a charge, not what it’s called. If the purpose of a fee is to protect the landlord against property damage, it is a security deposit, regardless of the label.
Maryland’s Court of Special Appeals has consistently held that deposit-cap violations trigger treble damages and attorney fees under the law. The 2024 cap reduction from two months to one month makes this more important than ever — a landlord who collects $1,800 in deposit plus a $400 “non-refundable pet fee” on a $1,800/month lease may have just created $1,200 in treble-damages exposure ($400 × 3) if challenged in court.
The safer path for most Baltimore landlords is one of two structures: a refundable pet deposit that fits within the one-month total cap, or monthly pet rent that isn’t subject to deposit rules at all. Many property managers in Baltimore have moved to pet rent as the primary vehicle for recovering expected pet-related maintenance costs.
At Sungate, we help owners decide whether to allow pets on a property-by-property basis — weighing the expanded tenant pool against the real maintenance implications. For properties where pets make sense, monthly pet rent of $50–$100/month is typically the most defensible and owner-protective structure under current Maryland law. Our in-house maintenance crew covers 70–75% of repairs in-house, which means pet-related wear costs owners significantly less than if they were paying retail contractor rates.
Assistance Animals and ESAs: A Category You Cannot Treat Like Pets
One of the most important distinctions in any Baltimore pet policy is between pets and assistance animals. They are not the same thing legally, and conflating them is one of the more consequential mistakes a landlord can make.
Under the federal Fair Housing Act and Maryland state law, landlords must make reasonable accommodations for tenants with disabilities who require assistance animals — including emotional support animals (ESAs). This applies even if your property has a strict no-pets policy. A no-pets clause does not override a tenant’s right to a reasonable accommodation.
What you cannot do with assistance animals or ESAs:
Charge a pet deposit or pet fee. Neither a refundable deposit nor a non-refundable fee can be applied to an assistance animal. Maryland law is explicit: charging additional rent or fees for a service dog or assistance animal is prohibited under State Government § 20-706. A landlord who charges an ESA tenant a “pet fee” faces fair housing complaints and potential civil liability.
Require professional training documentation. You may ask a tenant to confirm, in writing, that they have a disability and that the animal provides assistance related to that disability. You may not require medical records, a doctor’s letter detailing the diagnosis, or proof of training or certification.
Apply no-pets clauses. If a tenant requests a reasonable accommodation for an assistance animal, you must evaluate the request. Blanket refusals are not permitted.
Maryland’s ESA rules are broader than federal ones. While HUD narrowed federal guidance on ESAs in 2025, Maryland’s state-level tenant protections remain more expansive. An assistance animal in Maryland includes any animal that provides emotional support that reduces one or more identified effects of a person’s disability. This covers a wide range of situations — and means landlords should not assume narrowed federal rules apply at the Maryland state level.
The Business Case for a Smart Pet Policy in Baltimore
Setting aside the legal complexity, the underlying business question for Baltimore landlords is straightforward: does allowing pets help or hurt your investment? The honest answer is: it depends on how you structure it.
The case for allowing pets: In Baltimore’s current rental market, where average rent runs around $1,600/month and tenant competition varies considerably by neighborhood, allowing pets expands your qualified applicant pool by 60–70%. Pet-owning tenants tend to move less frequently — moving with pets is harder and more expensive, so they have a financial incentive to stay. Longer tenancy directly reduces turnover costs, which in Baltimore typically run $2,500–$5,000 per unit when you factor in lost rent, cleaning, and repairs.
The case against (or for limiting pets): Some property types carry real incremental maintenance exposure from pets — particularly carpeted units, older hardwood floors, and properties without private outdoor space. Unscreened pets can cause damage that exceeds what monthly pet rent recovers over a lease term.
The solution isn’t a blanket yes or no — it’s a structured policy that matches the risk profile of each specific property, evaluated for each specific applicant and pet at lease signing.
We evaluate pet decisions property by property and applicant by applicant. Our screening process scores each application quantitatively — and that includes evaluating pet history, breed, size, and prior rental references from landlords who can speak to how the applicant and their pet actually treated a unit. A well-screened pet-owning tenant in a pet-appropriate unit is often a better long-term investment than a no-pet restriction that keeps your unit vacant three weeks longer. We help owners make that call with real data, not just gut instinct.
Building a Compliant Pet Policy: What Every Baltimore Landlord Needs
If you decide to allow pets — or if you’re updating an existing policy to comply with current Maryland law — here’s what a legally sound pet policy looks like in 2026:
Required: A Written Pet Addendum
As of October 1, 2025 (Maryland’s Pet Policy Transparency Act), pet-related charges must be disclosed separately and in writing. This means your lease needs a dedicated pet addendum that itemizes: any upfront refundable deposit (within the 1-month total cap), any non-refundable fees (carefully drafted, with an understanding of the legal risk), and any monthly pet rent. A general clause buried in the lease is no longer sufficient.
Pet Screening Information
Your addendum should specify the information you require about any pet: species, breed, weight, age, and veterinary and rental history. Documenting that you evaluated the specific animal — not just accepted “pets generally” — gives you a defensible paper trail if damage occurs.
Maintenance Responsibility Language
Clearly state who is responsible for flea treatment, carpet cleaning at move-out, and any pet-specific damage beyond normal wear and tear. Courts have upheld specific, documented lease language on these points. Vague clauses (“tenant responsible for pet damage”) are harder to enforce than itemized obligations.
No-Pet-Clause Accommodation Language
Even if your policy is no pets, your lease should include language noting that the no-pets clause does not apply to assistance animals that qualify for reasonable accommodation under applicable law. This protects you from appearing to have a blanket policy that denies fair housing rights.
One policy mistake that costs Baltimore landlords every year: Using a lease template that pre-dates October 2024 — still charging a pet deposit on top of a full security deposit — without realizing the combined amount now exceeds the legal cap. The exposure isn’t hypothetical. Courts have awarded treble damages plus attorney fees in deposit-cap cases, and a tenant who knows the law can use this against you at move-out, when you’re already dealing with a vacancy.
The Bottom Line for Baltimore Property Owners
Pet policy decisions in Baltimore used to be simple: allow or don’t allow, charge a deposit, move on. Two years of law changes have made that approach inadequate. The one-month security deposit cap eliminates the ability to stack deposits. The Pet Policy Transparency Act requires formal written disclosure. Maryland’s assistance animal protections remain broader than federal law. And the penalty for getting any of this wrong — treble damages plus attorney fees — makes the cost of a sloppy lease template much higher than most landlords anticipate.
The owners best positioned heading into 2027 are those with leases that were updated after October 2024, a clear and defensible pet fee structure, documented screening for individual animals, and a property manager who knows where the lines are — and stays well inside them.
Want a Second Set of Eyes on Your Pet Policy and Lease Language?
Sungate has managed 400+ properties across Baltimore City and Baltimore County since 2018. When you call, you speak directly with Aldo or Ravi — the owners — not a salesperson. We’ll tell you exactly where your current lease stands.
📞 Call (443) 219-8410Or email connect@sungateproperty.com · sungateproperty.com · Your Property, Our Expertise.