What happens if a tenant breaks a lease in Maryland?
In Maryland, a landlord has a duty to mitigate damages when a tenant ends occupancy before the end of the lease term. The duty does not require the landlord to show or lease the vacated unit in preference to other available units. The landlord may sublet the unit without prior notice to the tenant in default, and the tenant stays secondarily liable for rent for the original term if the landlord gives prompt notice of any default by the sublessee. The duty cannot be waived in a lease. Separately, federal law lets a servicemember end a lease early after receiving qualifying military orders. This is Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-207.
| What | Maryland |
|---|---|
| Landlord’s duty to re-rent | Required by statute |
| What it means | The landlord must make reasonable efforts to re-rent |
Source
Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-207
Read the statute in the Maryland Code (Maryland General Assembly): mgaleg.maryland.gov.
Checked against the statute on November 13, 2026.
This is a summary of a published statute, not legal advice. Rules change, local ordinances can add to them, and the terms of a specific lease may differ. Check the citation and speak to a lawyer before acting.
How Seayora uses this rule
Seayora keeps every lease’s term, rent and signers in one record and dates every change to it. This page states the state’s rule so a lease’s own early-termination and sublet clauses can be checked against it before the lease is signed.
Guides on this rule
- Breaking a Lease by State: What the Tenant Owes — What a tenant owes after leaving a lease early, and the 34 states whose statutes say whether the landlord must try to re-rent the home.
Compare this rule in every state
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- Every Maryland rule on one page
The same question in other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- California
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Kansas