§ 8-208. Written lease requirements
West's Annotated Code of MarylandReal PropertyEffective: October 1, 2016
Effective: October 1, 2016
MD Code, Real Property, § 8-208
§ 8-208. Written lease requirements
(a)(1) On or after October 1, 1999, any landlord who offers 5 or more dwelling units for rent in the State may not rent a residential dwelling unit without using a written lease.
(b) A landlord who rents using a written lease shall provide, upon written request from any prospective applicant for a lease, a copy of the proposed form of lease in writing, complete in every material detail, except for the date, the name and address of the tenant, the designation of the premises, and the rental rate without requiring execution of the lease or any prior deposit.
(c) A lease shall include:
(d) A landlord may not use a lease or form of lease containing any provision that:
(e)(1) Except for a lease containing an automatic renewal period of 1 month or less, a lease that contains a provision calling for an automatic renewal of the lease term unless prior notice is given by the party or parties seeking to terminate the lease, shall have the provision distinctly set apart from any other provision of the lease and provide a space for the written acknowledgment of the tenant's agreement to the automatic renewal provision.
(f) No provision of this section shall be deemed to be a bar to the applicability of supplementary rights afforded by any public local law enacted by the General Assembly or any ordinance or local law enacted by any municipality or political subdivision of this State; provided, however, that no such law can diminish or limit any right or remedy granted under the provisions of this section.
(g)(1) Any lease provision which is prohibited by terms of this section shall be unenforceable by the landlord.
(2) If the landlord includes in any lease a provision prohibited by this section or made unenforceable by § 8-105 of this title or § 8-203 of this subtitle, at any time subsequent to July 1, 1975, and tenders a lease containing such a provision or attempts to enforce or makes known to the tenant an intent to enforce any such provision, the tenant may recover any actual damages incurred as a reason thereof, including reasonable attorney's fees.
Credits
Added by Acts 1974, c. 375, § 1. Amended by Acts 1976, c. 272; Acts 1976, c. 789; Acts 1980, c. 65; Acts 1999, c. 219, § 1, eff. Oct. 1, 1999; Acts 1999, c. 649, § 1, eff. Oct. 1, 1999; Acts 2015, c. 22, § 5; Acts 2016, c. 643, § 1, eff. Oct. 1, 2016.
MD Code, Real Property, § 8-208, MD REAL PROP § 8-208
Current with legislation effective through June 1, 2023, from the 2023 Regular Session of the General Assembly. Some statute sections may be more current, see credits for details.
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