Most landlords require security deposits.
By law, a security deposit can be no greater than two months rent. It can not be used for the last month's rent payment unless the landlord agrees to this arrangement. The following is a summary of Section 8-203 of the Real Property Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland which governs how security deposits should be handled by landlords in the state of Maryland. This measure can often prevent problems at the end of a tenancy because the damages have been documented right from the start. If there are damages omitted from the list that the landlord provides, the tenant should immediately write to the landlord, indicating any additional items not on the list.