Maryland now gives tenants specific protections when mold appears in a rental home. The General Assembly passed the Maryland Tenant Mold Protection Act as Senate Bill 856, and the Governor signed it as Chapter 539 of the 2025 Laws of Maryland. The law took effect on July 1, 2025, and it sets deadlines that landlords must meet once a tenant reports mold in writing.
Landlords must give tenants written information about mold when they sign a lease. The landlord may provide a pamphlet from the Maryland Department of the Environment or the Environmental Protection Agency guide on mold and moisture. Landlords must also provide the information again when a tenant asks for it.
After a landlord receives written notice of suspected mold, the landlord must perform a mold assessment within 15 days. Written notice matters. A phone call or a conversation in the hallway may not start the clock, so send an e-mail, a letter, or a message through the landlord's online portal, and keep a copy that shows the date.
If the assessment finds mold, the landlord must complete remediation within 45 days after the assessment. If remediation within that period is not feasible, the law requires the landlord to complete it within a reasonable time. The assessment and remediation must follow industry standards, and the landlord must communicate with occupants during the work and coordinate access to the unit.
These deadlines give tenants a clear measure of whether a landlord responded properly. A landlord who misses them, skips the assessment, or performs work that does not follow industry standards creates a record that may support rent escrow, a habitability claim, or an injury claim. Keep copies of your notice, the landlord's responses, any assessment report, and photographs of the work.
If you have given written notice and your landlord has not met these deadlines, or if mold has affected your health and you are weighing a mold injury claim, e-mail chris@attorneybeard.com or call (410) 267-0227.
