Maryland has no statewide limit on how much a landlord can raise rent. Outside cities and counties with rent stabilization, a landlord can raise rent by any amount at renewal. Rent stabilization means a local law that caps annual increases for covered units.
That does not leave tenants without protection. State rules control timing and notice, and a few local areas set a yearly percentage cap. The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development explains in its Tenants' Bill of Rights 2026 that increases generally happen at renewal with 90 days' written notice.
Table of Contents
- When can your landlord raise the rent?
- How much notice does your lease type require?
- What is the cap in Montgomery County?
- What are the caps in Prince George's County and Takoma Park?
- What if your city has no local cap?
When can your landlord raise the rent?
For most tenants, the answer is at lease renewal. A landlord generally cannot raise rent in the middle of a fixed lease term. The increase takes effect when a new lease period begins.
In most cases, the landlord must give written notice 90 days before the increase starts. That gives time to negotiate, plan, or decide whether to renew. Keep the notice and compare its effective date to your lease end date.
How much notice does your lease type require?
Tenancies longer than one month require at least 90 days' advance notice of a rent increase under Md. Code Real Property § 8-209. The state statute sets that rule through the Maryland General Assembly.
Shorter tenancies have a shorter notice period. The key date is when the increase takes effect, not when the letter was mailed. Count back 90 days from that effective date. If notice is late, the increase should shift later.
What is the cap in Montgomery County?
Montgomery County caps annual increases for regulated units at Washington-area CPI-U plus 3 percentage points or 6%, whichever is lower. CPI-U measures consumer price inflation for the region. The county Department of Housing and Community Affairs publishes the yearly allowance on its Montgomery County rent stabilization page.
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For regulated units, the maximum increase is 5.2% for increases taking effect July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. That figure reflects 2.2% CPI-U plus 3%. It applies only to units covered by the county program.
What are the caps in Prince George's County and Takoma Park?
Prince George's County caps most regulated units at the lower of 6% or CPI-U plus 3%. The county set the allowance at 5.7% for July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026, according to the Prince George's County PRSA update. Age-restricted senior housing has a lower county cap.
The limit is the lesser of 4.5% or CPI-U, adopted as 2.7% for the same 2025-2026 period. Takoma Park uses a different formula tied to 100% of regional CPI inflation with no added 3%. The city reported 3.0% for July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027 in its Takoma Park policy review.
What if your city has no local cap?
Baltimore City and most Maryland jurisdictions have no local percentage cap for 2025-2026. Tenants there rely on lease-renewal timing and 90-day notice rights rather than a limit.
A Steadily analysis citing the 2026 SB 953 fiscal note reaches the same point for Baltimore. Use the notice period as a checklist before you renew:.
- Confirm the new rent, effective date, and lease length in writing.
- Ask whether the unit is covered by county or city stabilization.
- Compare an above-cap demand to the published allowance for that year.
- Get any correction or renewal offer in writing before you sign.
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