(a) A landlord must not increase the rent until 90 days after the landlord gives the tenant written notice of the increase. A landlord must not impose more than one rent increase on a tenant in any 12-month period. Each written rent increase notice must contain the following information:
(1) The amount of monthly rent immediately preceding the effective date of the proposed increase (old rent), the amount of monthly rent proposed immediately after the rent increase takes effect (new rent), and the percentage increase of monthly rent.
(2) The effective date of the proposed increase.
(3) The applicable rent increase guideline issued under Section
29-53.
(4) A notice that the tenant may ask the Department to review any rent increase that the tenant considers excessive.
(5) Other information that the landlord deems useful in explaining the rent increase.
An otherwise valid notice of a rent increase is not invalid because the notice contained an incorrect rent increase guideline number if the landlord reasonably believed that the number was correct.
(b) Written notice may be delivered to the tenant by any reasonable means. However, a notice has not been delivered unless the notice is mailed via the United States Postal Service to the tenant's dwelling unit, or unless a signed receipt is obtained from the tenant or the tenant's representative. If the tenant is notified by mail, other than registered or certified mail, the landlord must certify, by affidavit dated at the time of mailing, that the landlord has mailed the notice. The landlord must retain a copy of the affidavit in the landlord's records.
(c) For the purposes of these notice requirements, the day after the postmark date is the date of delivery if the notice was delivered to the proper person by U.S. mail. If any notice is sent by U.S. certified or registered mail, the receipt or registration is presumptive evidence that the notice was delivered to the party to which addressed, and the date of the receipt or registration is the postmark date.
(d) When the last day for performing any act prescribed under this Chapter falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, the performance of that act is timely if it is performed on the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday. (1978 L.M.C., ch. 12, § 1; 1979 L.M.C., ch. 56, § 7; 1980 L.M.C., ch. 53, § 1; 1996 L.M.C., ch. 13, § 1; 2000 L.M.C., ch. 32, § 1; , § 1.)
Editor's note—Section 29-54, formerly § 29-56, was renumbered, amended, and retitled pursuant to 2000 L.M.C., ch. 32, § 1. Former Section 29-56 [formerly Chapter 93A, which concerned rent control guidelines] is cited in Lawrence N. Brandt, Inc. v. Montgomery County Commission on Landlord-Tenant Affairs, 39 Md.App. 147, 383 A.2d 688 (1978).
