Prince George's County renters live in large apartment communities, townhomes, and single-family houses. Wherever water gets in through a roof, a window, a plumbing leak, or an air conditioning system and stays, mold can follow. Tenants in Prince George's County have protection from three directions: the County's housing code, Maryland's Tenant Mold Protection Act, and public health guidance that explains why damp buildings matter.
The World Health Organization reviewed the research on damp buildings in its 2009 Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality: Dampness and Mould. It concluded that the most important health effects are increased respiratory symptoms, allergies, and asthma, together with disturbance of the immune system. The World Health Organization named the prevention of persistent dampness and microbial growth inside buildings as the most important way to avoid those effects.
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health, reports that damp, moldy buildings increase occupants' risk of respiratory problems, including shortness of breath and worsening asthma. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home, states that the key to mold control is moisture control and that water-damaged areas should be dried within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth.
Since July 1, 2025, the Maryland Tenant Mold Protection Act, Real Property Article § 8-220, has set deadlines that apply in Prince George's County. Once a landlord receives written notice of mold from a tenant or from the local code enforcement agency, the landlord must perform a mold assessment within 15 days. If the assessment finds mold, the landlord must complete remediation within 45 days, or within a reasonable time if 45 days is not feasible.
The same law requires the landlord to follow recommended industry guidelines and state and local law, to keep occupants informed during the work, to ensure proper ventilation and low indoor humidity, and to maintain the property under all applicable housing and building codes. A landlord must also give each tenant a mold pamphlet when the lease is signed, and the State may use the EPA's Brief Guide for that pamphlet.
The Act defines mold to include Alternaria, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Fusarium, Memnoniella, Mucor, Penicillium, Stachybotrys chartarum, and Trichoderma. It also directs the Maryland Department of the Environment to adopt uniform assessment and remediation standards by June 1, 2027, with remediation measured against the EPA's Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings.
Prince George's County sets its housing standards in Subtitle 13 of the County Code, Housing and Property Standards. Since August 1, 2021, the Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement (DPIE) has enforced the 2018 International Property Maintenance Code with County amendments. Rental homes in the County must hold a rental license, and DPIE handles complaints about housing conditions.
Several incorporated cities and towns in Prince George's County have adopted their own housing codes, so a tenant in one of those municipalities may need to contact the city or town rather than the County. A written notice from the local code agency that identifies mold starts the landlord's 15-day clock under the Tenant Mold Protection Act.
Rent escrow in the District Court can push a landlord to make repairs, but it does not compensate a tenant for illness, medical bills, lost wages, or ruined belongings. A claim for those losses proceeds separately in the circuit court. Before signing anything in a rent escrow or eviction case, read it carefully, because a release signed there can end an injury claim.
Report the mold and the water problem to the landlord in writing, and keep a dated copy. Report the leak or water damage to DPIE, or to your city or town if it enforces its own housing code, and keep any report it issues. Photograph the growth, the stains, and damaged belongings before anyone repaints. Hire your own qualified mold assessor rather than relying on the landlord's contractor, and save every message and repair ticket.
If new symptoms begin after exposure to mold or water-damaged building materials, including exposure you did not recognize at the time, see your doctor for care. Maryland injury claims generally must be filed within three years under Courts and Judicial Proceedings Article § 5-101, and claims against public housing carry earlier notice deadlines.
Christopher L. Beard, an Annapolis attorney, concentrates his practice in toxic mold injury and habitability claims for Maryland tenants and has filed mold cases in the Circuit Court for Prince George's County. To discuss a Prince George's County rental, e-mail chris@attorneybeard.com or call (410) 267-0227. You can also read our article on the Maryland Tenant Mold Protection Act.
This article is one part of a five-part series. Read the full series, Mold in Maryland Rentals, for every jurisdiction in one place.
For the same guidance in neighboring jurisdictions, read about mold in rentals in Baltimore County, Baltimore City, Anne Arundel County, and the Eastern Shore. You can also return to the attorneybeard.com home page or see how Chris Beard represents Maryland tenants injured by mold.
