In Maryland, a landlord cannot enter your rental without permission except in a genuine emergency. A law effective October 1, 2025, requires at least 24 hours’ written notice before any non-emergency entry, and the visit itself must fall between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday.1Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Real Property 8-220 – Notice of Landlord Entry If your landlord has been letting themselves in without notice, outside those hours, or for reasons the law doesn’t recognize, you can ask a court to stop the behavior and award damages.
The One Exception: Real Emergencies
A landlord can skip notice only in an emergency, which the statute defines as an event requiring immediate action to protect or preserve the property, to protect the safety of the people living there, or to safeguard the health and welfare of other tenants and building staff.1Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Real Property 8-220 – Notice of Landlord Entry A burst pipe flooding other units or a gas leak qualifies. Forgetting to send notice, deciding to “swing by,” or claiming urgency for a cosmetic repair does not.
What Counts as Valid Notice
The 24-hour notice has to say something specific. It must state the date, the approximate time, and the reason for the entry. “Maintenance visit sometime this week” doesn’t cut it.1Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Real Property 8-220 – Notice of Landlord Entry
The notice can arrive by first-class mail with a certificate of mailing sent at least 24 hours ahead, by a paper notice posted on your unit’s door, or electronically (email, text, or tenant portal) if you have agreed to receive notices that way and the landlord can prove transmission.
Entry outside the 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. window, Monday through Saturday, is off-limits unless you and your landlord agree in writing to a different time. You can also waive the 24-hour wait for a single visit in writing, which commonly happens when you want a repair handled right away. That waiver covers only that one entry.
Reasons a Landlord Is Allowed to Enter
Even with proper notice, entry has to connect to a legitimate purpose: repairs and maintenance, inspections, showings to prospective buyers or tenants, lenders, or contractors, addressing safety concerns, completing government-ordered work, or responding to something you asked for in writing.1Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Real Property 8-220 – Notice of Landlord Entry A landlord who shows up to look around or to pressure you about a lease renewal isn’t exercising a right the law recognizes.
What Your Lease Cannot Override
Many leases include an access clause, and it’s worth reading yours. A lease can set the delivery method or confirm that you prefer electronic notice. It cannot strip the protections the statute gives you.
Maryland law makes any lease provision that asks a tenant to waive a legal right unenforceable.2Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Real Property 8-208 – Lease Requirements A clause saying your landlord can enter “at any time and for any reason,” or a buried line shortening notice from 24 hours to 2, carries no legal weight even with your signature on the lease. You can agree to shorter notice case by case in writing, but not as a blanket waiver.
What to Do if Your Landlord Enters Without Permission
Start by documenting what happened. Note the date, the time you noticed or witnessed the entry, who came in, and whether any notice arrived beforehand. Photograph anything moved or damaged. A detailed record is what turns a dispute into a credible legal claim.
Then put your landlord on notice in writing. A letter or email referencing the specific dates of unauthorized entry, the statute’s notice requirements, and a request that they comply going forward creates a paper trail. Certified mail gives you proof of delivery; a saved email also works.
If the entries continue, you can go to court. You need to show either that the landlord entered in violation of the law, or that the landlord made repeated demands for entry that didn’t comply with the notice rules. The court can issue an injunction, award damages for breach of your right to quiet enjoyment, or both.1Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Real Property 8-220 – Notice of Landlord Entry
The landlord is also responsible for violations by anyone acting on their behalf, including property managers and maintenance workers they directed to enter.1Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Real Property 8-220 – Notice of Landlord Entry “My maintenance guy went in on his own” is not a defense.
You Cannot Be Punished for Complaining
Many tenants hesitate because they fear retaliation. Maryland law addresses that directly. A landlord cannot evict you, raise your rent, or reduce your services because you complained about a legal violation, filed a lawsuit, or called emergency services. If any of those actions happens within six months of your protected complaint, the law presumes it was retaliatory, and the landlord has to prove otherwise.3Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Real Property 8-208.1 – Retaliatory Evictions
If a court finds retaliation, you can recover damages of up to three months’ rent plus reasonable attorney fees and court costs.3Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Real Property 8-208.1 – Retaliatory Evictions You can raise retaliation as a defense if the landlord tries to evict you, or bring it as a standalone claim for damages while you’re still in the unit.