Starting October 1, Maryland renters who are being charged late fees can only be charged the 5% late fee on the actual portion of rent that’s overdue.

Example: If your rent is $1500 per month, but you made a partial payment of $500 before the due date, you can only be charged a late fee on the remaining $1000.

For tenants who pay their rent weekly, the late fees are limited to $3 per week, not to exceed $12 per month.

Any lease clauses that that include penalties that exceed these limits will not be able to be enforced.

Landlords who do not revise their leases to account for the new rule will not be able to enforce any penalties that go beyond what’s listed above.

You can read the new law here.

If you have a Maryland tenant-landlord issue unrelated to a need for financial assistance, please fill out our intake form.