Prince George's County, MD Rental Property Rules: Rent Control (2026)
Rent control rules in Prince George's County, MD, also known as rent stabilization or rent cap ordinances, limit annual rent increases and protect tenants from displacement.
Key Facts
- Standard annual cap
- Lesser of CPI-U+3% or 6%
- Senior housing cap
- Lesser of CPI-U or 4.5%
- Absolute ceiling per increase
- 10% of base rent, banking included
- Capital-improvement surcharge cap
- 20% building-wide or 15% unit-specific
- Key exemption
- Landlords owning 5 or fewer units
- Violation penalty
- $1,000 first, up to $5,000 subsequent
Summary
Prince George's County limits how much a landlord can raise rent on a regulated unit at lease renewal to the lesser of CPI-U plus 3% or 6% per year, under Code Sec. 13-144(a). Senior housing units get a lower cap: the lesser of CPI-U or 4.5%.
(a)Annual rent increase allowance. The Director annually shall calculate a rent increase allowance for regulated rental units applicable to rental lease renewals equal to the lesser of:(1)CPI-U plus 3 percent; or(2)6 percent.(3)Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsections (1) and (2) of this Subsection, the rent increase allowance for a regulated unit in an age restricted senior housing facility with a twelve (12) or twenty-four (24) month lease may not exceed the lesser of the CPI-U or 4.5 percent.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 2026 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 13-144(a) creates Prince George's County's rent stabilization formula: the Director annually calculates a rent increase allowance for regulated rental units applicable to lease renewals equal to the lesser of CPI-U plus 3 percent or 6 percent. 5 percent. Sec. 13-145 then layers on the mechanics: a landlord cannot raise rent above the base rent plus that allowance plus any banked amount of unused prior increases, and the total increase can never exceed 10 percent of the base rent regardless of banking. Landlords can add a capital-improvement surcharge on top under Sec.
13-145(b), capped at 20% of base rent when spread across an entire building over at least 96 months, or 15% over at least 60 months for improvements to specific units, and a landlord seeking more than the formula allows can petition the Director for a fair-return increase under Sec. 13-146. Sec. 13-147 exempts broad categories from the cap entirely, including units built on or after January 1, 2000, owner-occupied group houses, religious facilities, licensed assisted living and nursing homes, accessory dwelling units, condominiums owned by County-domiciled individuals, and landlords who own five or fewer rental units in the County.
Landlords must report rents and increase notices to the County annually by September 30th under Sec. 2, and the framework, enacted as the Permanent Rent Stabilization and Protection Act (CB-007-2023, CB-055-2024), took its current numeric caps from those 2023-2024 bills.
Violations & Fines
Charging rent above the Sec. 13-144 allowance, plus any approved surcharge or fair-return increase, without qualifying for an exemption under Sec. 13-147 violates the rent stabilization Subdivision. Sec. 13-147.3(c) sets the penalty: DPIE can impose a $1,000 civil fine for a first violation and up to $5,000 for each subsequent violation, with proceeds split between the Prince George's County Rental Assistance Program and DPIE. Landlords also risk having a disputed increase invalidated back to the lawful allowance amount.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the maximum rent increase a landlord can charge in Prince George's County?
Is Prince George's County rent control the same for every rental?
Can a landlord raise rent more than the annual cap for building upgrades?
What if a landlord thinks the rent cap doesn't cover their costs?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Prince George's County
Compare Prince George's County to another location·View the Maryland rental property rules overview
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