Maryland caps late-rent penalties at 5% of the delinquent rent. Under Real Property § 8-208, a lease may not impose a late fee greater than 5% of the overdue rent for the rental period. For weekly rent, the cap is $3 per week and no more than $12 per month. Overreaching late-fee clauses are unenforceable.
Md. Code, Real Property § 8-208(d)(3) prohibits a residential lease from providing "a penalty for the late payment of rent in excess of 5% of the amount of unpaid rent due for the rental period for which the payment was delinquent." For leases under which rent is paid in weekly installments, the lease may not provide "a late penalty of more than $3 per week or a total of no more than $12 per month." Section 8-208 lists this among prohibited lease provisions, so a clause exceeding these limits is void and unenforceable against the tenant. The statute does not require any grace period before a permitted late fee may be charged, and the cap is measured against the delinquent rent, not the full monthly rent.
A late-fee clause exceeding 5% of the delinquent rent (or the weekly $3/$12 limits) is an unenforceable prohibited provision; the tenant is not obligated to pay the excess (Real Property § 8-208).
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Anne Arundel County, MD
Anne Arundel County Code §12-4-101(36) defines a dog that continuously barks, howls, or whines causing unreasonable annoyance to neighbors as a public nuisan...
Anne Arundel County, MD
Anne Arundel County restricts commercial vehicle parking in residential zoning districts. Vehicles over 10,000 lbs GVW may not be parked in residential areas...
Anne Arundel County, MD
Anne Arundel County requires building permits for new driveways and curb cuts. Driveways must not block pedestrian access or sight triangles. Impervious surf...
Anne Arundel County, MD
Anne Arundel County requires electrical permits for Level 2 EV chargers and follows the 2018 IBC/IRC EV-ready provisions adopted statewide. Maryland RP §2-12...
Anne Arundel County, MD
Anne Arundel County does not have a countywide overnight parking ban. Annapolis restricts overnight parking in residential permit zones and prohibits on-stre...
Anne Arundel County, MD
Anne Arundel County enforces the 2018 IRC Appendix G pool barrier standards as adopted by Maryland — 48-inch barrier, self-closing/self-latching gate with la...
See how Pasadena's late fees & grace periods rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.