What Are the Move-Out and Deposit Rules in DC, Maryland and Virginia?

The rules side by side

• Washington, DC: deposit capped at one month's rent; return it, or send a written notice of what you are withholding, within 45 days of move-out.
• Maryland: deposit capped at one month's rent for leases signed on or after October 1, 2024; return it with interest, less itemized damages, within 45 days.
• Virginia: deposit capped at two months' rent; send the itemized statement and the balance within 45 days after the lease ends or the tenant leaves, whichever is later.

Washington, DC

The deposit can be no more than one month's rent and can be charged only once (14 DCMR § 308). Within 45 days after the tenancy ends, the landlord returns the deposit with interest or gives the tenant written notice that some or all of it is being withheld. The landlord then has 30 more days to refund the rest with an itemized list of the charges (14 DCMR § 309).

The move-out inspection happens within 3 days, not counting weekends and holidays, before or after the tenancy ends, and the tenant gets at least 10 days' written notice of its date and time (14 DCMR § 310). Skip these steps and the tenant gets the whole deposit back with interest, and the fine can reach $5,000 per violation.

Maryland

Since the Renters' Rights and Stabilization Act of 2024, the cap is one month's rent for leases signed on or after October 1, 2024. Older guides that still say two months are out of date (Real Property § 8-203).

Within 45 days after the tenancy ends, the landlord returns the deposit plus simple interest, less damages. If anything is withheld, a written list of the damages and their costs goes out by first-class mail within the same 45 days. Miss that list and the landlord loses the right to withhold for damages; withholding without a reasonable basis can cost up to three times the amount withheld, plus attorney's fees.

The tenant can be present at the damage inspection by telling the landlord, by certified mail at least 15 days before moving, the move-out date and the new address. The inspection then happens within 5 days before or after the move-out date. The landlord has to explain these rights in writing when the deposit is paid.

Virginia

The deposit can be up to two months' rent. Within 45 days after the lease ends or the tenant vacates, whichever is later, the landlord sends an itemized written statement and the amount due. If a contractor is needed to price the damage, written notice within the 45 days buys 15 more days to itemize (Va. Code § 55.1-1226).

The tenant has a right to be present at the move-out inspection, and the landlord must tell them so in writing. If the tenant asks in writing, the inspection happens within 72 hours of getting the unit back.

DC rent stabilization: the rent does not reset between tenants

DC has no vacancy decontrol. On a rent-stabilized unit, the rent can go up between tenants only by a capped vacancy increase: 10% of the current allowable rent if the last tenant stayed 10 years or less, or 20% if they stayed more than 10 years (D.C. Code § 42-3502.13, as rewritten in 2018).

The unit must be registered, the increase cannot come within 12 months of another increase, and the new tenant gets a disclosure of the rent history on the Rent Administrator's form. The RENTAL Act, effective December 31, 2025, changed the annual caps; confirm with DHCD's Rental Accommodations Division whether it changed the vacancy rule before you plan a turnover around a higher rent.

Rental licenses and inspections before you re-rent

• Washington, DC: a Basic Business License in a housing category (one-family, two-family, which covers an English basement, or apartment), and the unit has to pass a free DOB inspection to get or renew it. A failed or late-cancelled inspection costs $90 to redo.
• Montgomery County: a rental housing license, and multifamily properties are inspected at least every 3 years. Serious violations put a property on annual inspection.
• Prince George's County: a county rental license with an inspection before it is issued. Bowie, College Park, Greenbelt, Laurel, Hyattsville and the other municipalities license rentals themselves.
• Alexandria: the Residential Rental Inspection program, with a Certificate of Compliance good for 48 months and 30 days to fix any violation it finds.
• Fairfax County: no general landlord rental license was found, but the unit still has to meet code and the Virginia landlord-tenant law.

What this means for the turnover

The 45-day clock starts at move-out, and the itemized list is only as good as the damage you wrote down. Photograph and list everything at the move-out inspection, then turn the list into a priced scope. Our move-out inspection checklist covers the walk itself.

Then set the budget from the rent you can legally charge. The turnover planner compares your rent with the local market and, for DC properties, flags the rent-stabilization limit.