Landlord & tenant · Maryland
the short answer
Your landlord has 45 days to return the deposit with simple interest. No written list of damages inside 45 days and the landlord loses the right to keep any of it. Money kept wrongly can be worth up to three times that amount, plus attorney's fees. You have two years to sue.
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governing statute
Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-203
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deadline
45 days
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Across the country. 5 of the 47 states written up answer this the same way as Maryland. The shortest is 14 days, as in Alaska; the longest is 60 days, as in Alabama. Compare every state →
penalty
Up to threefold the amount wrongfully withheld, plus reasonable attorney's fees. Failing to send the written list of damages within 45 days forfeits the right to withhold any of it.
source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.
which court
District Court
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small claims limit
$5,000
source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.
also
The deposit comes back with simple interest, and you have two years from the end of the tenancy to bring the claim rather than the usual three.
source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.
your situation
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