HB0080 • 2026

Landlord and Tenant - Residential Leases - Fee Disclosures

Children Housing

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Delegate Vogel
Last action: 2026-03-20
Official status: In the Senate - Hearing 3/25 at 1:00 p.m.
Effective date: 2026-10-01

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Landlord and Tenant - Residential Leases - Fee Disclosures

Requiring a landlord to provide certain information to prospective tenants about fees imposed on tenants and prohibiting a landlord from imposing a mandatory fee that was not disclosed; applying the Act to a lease signed or renewed on or after October 1, 2026, and a landlord that offers four or more dwelling units for rent; and authorizing a tenant to file a claim against a landlord for a violation of the Act on or after February 1, 2027, and during the tenancy or up to 2 years after the tenancy expired.

What This Bill Does

Requiring a landlord to provide certain information to prospective tenants about fees imposed on tenants and prohibiting a landlord from imposing a mandatory fee that was not disclosed; applying the Act to a lease signed or renewed on or after October 1, 2026, and a landlord that offers four or more dwelling units for rent; and authorizing a tenant to file a claim against a landlord for a violation of the Act on or after February 1, 2027, and during the tenancy or up to 2 years after the tenancy expired.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

653228/1

None

Favorable with Amendments { 653228/1 Adopted

Plain English: AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 80 (First Reading File Bill) On page 2, in line 17, after “WATER,” insert “TRASH COLLECTION,”; and in line 18, strike “MINOR”.

AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 80 (First Reading File Bill) On page 2, in line 17, after “WATER,” insert “TRASH COLLECTION,”; and in line 18, strike “MINOR”.
HB0080/653228/1 BY: Economic Matters Committee

Bill History

2026-03-20 Senate
Hearing 3/25 at 1:00 p.m.
2026-03-03 House
Favorable with Amendments Report by Economic Matters
2026-02-24 House
Third Reading Passed (94-35)
2026-02-23 House
Favorable with Amendments { 653228/1 Adopted
2026-02-23 House
Second Reading Passed with Amendments
2026-02-23 Senate
Referred Judicial Proceedings
2026-01-19 House
Hearing 2/05 at 1:00 p.m.
2026-01-14 House
First Reading Economic Matters
2025-08-13 House
Pre-filed
Maryland General Assembly
Text - First - Landlord and Tenant - Residential Leases - Fee Disclosures
Maryland General Assembly
Vote - House - Committee - Economic Matters
Maryland General Assembly
Text - Third - Landlord and Tenant - Residential Leases - Fee Disclosures

Official Summary Text

Requiring a landlord to provide certain information to prospective tenants about fees imposed on tenants and prohibiting a landlord from imposing a mandatory fee that was not disclosed; applying the Act to a lease signed or renewed on or after October 1, 2026, and a landlord that offers four or more dwelling units for rent; and authorizing a tenant to file a claim against a landlord for a violation of the Act on or after February 1, 2027, and during the tenancy or up to 2 years after the tenancy expired.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
*hb0080*

HOUSE BILL 80
N1 6lr0689
HB 1257/25 – ENT (PRE–FILED)
By: Delegate Vogel
Requested: August 13, 2025
Introduced and read first time: January 14, 2026
Assigned to: Economic Matters
Committee Report: Favorable with amendments
House action: Adopted
Read second time: February 23, 2026

CHAPTER ______

AN ACT concerning 1

Landlord and Tenant – Residential Leases – Fee Disclosures 2

FOR the purpose of requiring a landlord to provide certain information to prospective 3
tenants about fees imposed on tenants and prohibiting a landlord from imposing a 4
mandatory fee that was not disclosed; authorizing a tenant to file a claim against a 5
landlord for a violatio n of this Act; authorizing a local jurisdiction to adopt certain 6
local laws; and generally relating to residential leases and fee disclosures for tenants. 7

BY adding to 8
Article – Real Property 9
Section 8–212.5 10
Annotated Code of Maryland 11
(2023 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 12

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 13
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 14

Article – Real Property 15

8–212.5. 16

(A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE F OLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 17
INDICATED. 18

2 HOUSE BILL 80

(2) “DWELLING UNIT” MEANS THAT PORTION OF A BUILDING THAT IS 1
DESIGNATED, INTENDED, OR ARRANGED FOR USE OR OCCUPANCY AS A RESIDENCE 2
BY ONE OR MORE PERSO NS, INCLUDING A RENTED R OOM IN A SINGLE –FAMILY 3
HOUSE. 4

(3) “FEE” MEANS A CHARGE , A COST, OR A MONETARY OBLI GATION 5
OTHER THAN RENT. 6

(4) “MANDATORY FEE ” MEANS A COMPULSORY F EE IMPOSED ON A 7
TENANT AS A CONDITION OF TENANCY. 8

(5) (I) “OPTIONAL FEE” MEANS A VOLUNTARY FEE THAT A TENANT 9
MAY ELECT TO PAY A L ANDLORD FOR BENEFITS OR SERVICES RELATED TO THE 10
TENANCY. 11

(II) “OPTIONAL FEE” INCLUDES A FEE FOR PARKING, STORAGE, 12
OR PETS. 13

(B) (1) THIS SECTION APPLIES ONLY TO: 14

(I) A LEASE SIGNED OR RENE WED ON OR AFTER OCTOBER 1, 15
2026; AND 16

(II) A LANDLORD THAT OFFERS FOUR OR MORE DWELLING 17
UNITS FOR RENT. 18

(2) THIS SECTION DOES NOT APPLY TO: 19

(I) CHARGES IMPOSED ON A TENANT FOR THE PAYME NT OF 20
WATER, TRASH COLLECTION, SEWER, GAS, OR ELECTRIC UTILITIES; 21

(II) COSTS, FINES, OR FEES FOR MINOR VIOLATIONS OF A LEASE 22
AGREEMENT, OR OTHER IRREGULAR COSTS INCURRED AS A RESULT OF A TENANT’S 23
ACTIONS, SUCH AS A CHARGE FOR A REPLACEMENT KEY OR A PENALTY FOR A 24
VIOLATION OF THE BYL AWS OF A COMMON OWNE RSHIP COMMUNITY IF T HE 25
DWELLING UNIT IS LOCATED IN A COMMON OWNERSHIP COMMUNITY; OR 26

(III) THE WITHHOLDING OF AN Y PORTION OF A SECUR ITY 27
DEPOSIT AT THE END O F A TENANCY IN ACCOR DANCE WITH § 8–203 OF THIS 28
SUBTITLE. 29

(C) (1) A LANDLORD SHALL , IN WRITING , PROVIDE A PROSPECTIV E 30
TENANT WITH AN ITEMI ZED LIST THAT CLEARL Y IDENTIFIES ALL FEE S THAT A 31
HOUSE BILL 80 3

LANDLORD MAY IMPOSE ON THE PROSPECTIVE T ENANT AND INCLUDES T HE 1
FOLLOWING INFORMATION: 2

(I) THE BASIS FOR THE FEE; 3

(II) THE AMOUNT OF THE FEE; 4

(III) WHETHER THE FEE IS A MANDATORY FEE OR AN OPTIONAL 5
FEE; AND 6

(IV) WHEN THE FEE IS DUE , INCLUDING WHETHER TH E FEE IS 7
LUMP SUM, MONTHLY, OR PERIODIC IN SOME OTHER WAY. 8

(2) A LANDLORD MAY NOT IMPOSE A MANDATORY FEE ON A TENANT 9
THAT IS NOT DISCLOSED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THIS SUBSECTION. 10

(D) A LEASE PROVISION THAT IS IN VIOLATION OF THIS SECTION SHALL BE 11
VOID AND UNENFORCEABLE. 12

(E) (1) A TENANT MAY BRING AN ACTION AGAINST A LAN DLORD FOR A 13
VIOLATION OF THIS SECTION THAT OCCURRED: 14

(I) ON OR AFTER FEBRUARY 1, 2027; AND 15

(II) DURING THE TENANCY OR UP TO 2 YEARS AFTER THE 16
TENANCY EXPIRED. 17

(2) IF A COURT DETERMINES THAT A LANDLORD VIOL ATED A 18
PROVISION OF THIS SECTION, THE COURT MAY AWARD DAMAGES EQUAL TO THREE 19
TIMES THE AMOUNT OF ACTUAL DAMAGES TH AT RESULTED FROM THE VIOLATION 20
AND REASONABLE ATTORNEY’S FEES. 21

(F) (1) A COUNTY OR MUNICIPAL CORPORATION MAY ENACT LOCAL LAWS 22
CONSISTENT WITH THIS SECTION. 23

(2) ANY LOCAL LAW OR ORDI NANCE THAT IS COMPAR ABLE IN 24
SUBJECT MATTER TO TH IS SECTION SHALL SUPE RSEDE THE PROVISIONS OF THIS 25
SECTION TO THE EXTENT THAT THE LOCAL LAW OR ORDINANCE IS MORE STRINGENT 26
OR PROVIDES STRONGER PROTECTION TO A TENA NT OR BROADER APPLIC ABILITY 27
THAN THIS SECTION. 28

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 29
October 1, 2026. 30