Several Maryland housing laws took effect on October 1, 2026. Some of them reach single family rentals and some do not. Owners who rent out a house need to know which is which before the next lease or application goes out. This post covers what changed, who it applies to, and what to update.
Why the details matter
Maryland passed more than 300 new laws that start this fall, and only a few touch rental housing. The full list of 2026 new Maryland laws is long, and most of it has nothing to do with landlords. Among the ones that do, the rules often depend on how many units a person owns or manages. A landlord with one house can land on a different side of that line than a company with fifty. Getting this wrong can mean fines, so each rule below includes who it covers.
Fair Chance Housing Act (SB 937)
This law changes how criminal history is used when screening rental applicants. It covers housing providers who own or manage five or more residential units in Maryland. It does not cover owner-occupied rental units, and it does not cover providers who never run criminal background checks.
Under the new process, a provider generally has to make a conditional offer before looking at an applicant's criminal history. If that offer is pulled because of what the check shows, the provider must give the reason and allow the applicant to ask for a reassessment. The applicant can send in more documents, and the provider has to weigh specific factors before deciding again.
Other parts of the law are simple to state. Ads cannot say that people with criminal records will not be considered. Drug and alcohol testing cannot be required of applicants. Each violation can bring a penalty of up to $500.
An owner with one rental house is likely outside this law. The picture changes for management companies. A company that manages five or more homes may be covered even if every owner holds just one property. Owners should ask their manager how screening is handled.
Protections for renters with housing subsidies (SB 335 and HB 315)
When an applicant will pay rent with help from an income-based subsidy, such as a housing voucher, a landlord generally cannot turn the person down because of income. The same goes for credit score, a missing credit score, or bad credit history from a time before the person had the subsidy.
Landlords can still check that the applicant can cover the part of the rent the subsidy does not pay. They can also look at references from past landlords, lease violations, unpaid utilities, nuisance complaints, and property damage. The state notice does not list a unit minimum for this rule, so single family owners should plan to follow it. A written set of screening standards, applied the same way to every applicant, is the best protection.
Positive rent reporting
The same bills require landlords to offer tenants the choice of having on-time rent payments reported to credit bureaus. Only complete and timely payments count as positive history.
The timing works like this. New leases signed on or after October 1, 2026 must include the option. Leases signed before that date must offer it by January 1, 2027. After that, the option has to be offered at least once a year. A landlord may charge a tenant who signs up a fee, but it cannot be more than the landlord's actual cost or $10 a month, whichever is less.
In practice, a reporting service has to be set up and the lease needs new wording. A firm that provides Bowie property management for single family homes needs a reporting vendor and updated lease language, and owners who self-manage need the same.
Air-conditioning rule (SB 12)
This one gets mentioned often but does not reach most houses. It applies to apartment buildings with 10 or more units. Covered units must be able to cool to 80 degrees Fahrenheit or lower between June 1 and September 30. A detached single family rental is outside the rule. A broken cooling system in a house should still be repaired quickly, since general repair duties under Maryland law and the lease still apply.
Rules that started earlier
Some older changes still catch owners off guard. The security deposit cap is one month of rent, which has applied since October 2024. Landlords must attach the state's Tenants' Bill of Rights to leases, and the Department of Housing and Community Development has published an updated version effective October 1, 2026. Old copies should be replaced. Small rentals also come with a tenant right of first refusal when the owner sells, so anyone planning a sale should check the current requirements first.
What owners should do now
- Replace the old Tenants' Bill of Rights with the new one in every lease packet.
- Add the rent reporting option to new leases, and send the offer to current tenants before January 1, 2027.
- Write down screening standards for income, credit, rental history, and criminal history.
- Review rental ads for any wording that shuts out applicants with a record.
- Keep a dated record of every offer and notice given.
Owners in Prince George's and Anne Arundel counties should also check for local rules on top of state law, since some jurisdictions add their own. Anyone who uses a property management service should ask the company for a written summary of how it is handling each change. A short checklist from the manager is far better than finding out about a gap in the middle of an application dispute.
This post gives general information and is not legal advice. An attorney or the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development can answer questions about a specific situation.
