Breaking a lease in Maryland

The mitigation question

Good news

Your landlord must make reasonable efforts to re-rent — you owe the gap, not the whole remainder. Yes — Md. Real Prop. Code §8-207: landlord must make reasonable efforts to relet; landlord does not have to prefer the vacated unit over other available units.

Your protected exits

• Military. Reported (confirm with a licensed attorney): SCRA baseline (50 U.S.C. § 3955); Maryland recognizes state military exit for PCS/temp duty >3 months — exact state cite Guide →
• Domestic violence. Yes — Md. Real Prop. §§8-5A-02 through 8-5A-04: victim of domestic violence or sexual assault may terminate future lease liability by written notice of intent to vacate (first-class mail or hand delivery) + copy of a… Md. Real Prop. Code §§8-5A-02 to 8-5A-04 Guide →
• Uninhabitable conditions. Reported (confirm with a licensed attorney): Yes — Md. Real Prop. §§8-211, 8-211.1: repair-and-deduct via District Court rent-escrow after written notice; constructive eviction where unit violates habitability/health codes. Tenant-initiated termination without the…
• Physician certification exit: tenant may terminate with written physician certification requiring termination (Md. Real Prop. §8-212.2)
• Montgomery County only: involuntary employment change, wage-earner death, or unemployment — termination with charge capped at the lower of one month's rent or actual damages (Mont. Co. Code §29-27(s))
• Lead-paint risk-reduction noncompliance exit (§8-215)
• Premises rendered untenantable by fire/unavoidable accident

Notice periods

Early-termination fees

No statute authorizing flat early-termination fees; landlord's remedy is limited to actual lost rent under the mitigation duty (§8-207).

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