Prince George's County, Maryland, USA
Interior Nat Harbor

Single-Family Rental Licensing

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Momentum:  The Online Process for Rental Licenses!

All Prince George’s County Rental Licenses, including Multifamily Rental Licenses, are processed in Momentum, the County's online system. The system allows customers to submit applications, upload documentation and make payments online. When the applications have been reviewed and approved, the temporary and permanent licenses are issued and sent in the application’s attachments. Customers will be able to print their licenses at work or at home.

Rental License Responsibilities in Prince George's County

Information for Homeowners before Applying for a Single-Family Rental

DPIE Enforcement's responsibility is to regulate rental licenses for all residential properties in Prince George's County (apart from some municipalities). This includes rental licenses for single-family rental facilities, which are any building or structure (or combination of related buildings and structures) in which a landlord provides one or two dwelling units. A "dwelling unit" is a single unit providing complete, independent living facilities for one or more persons with permanent provisions for sleeping, eating, living, cooking, and sanitation.

To be eligible for a rental license, a single-family rental facility must be compliant with the Housing Code, which may be found in Subtitle 13, Division 1 of the County Code and includes the 2018 IPMC (International Property Maintenance Code). DPIE is responsible for ensuring the safety of all tenants and, once an application has been filed, DPIE will conduct an inspection to determine if the property is in compliance. A rental license will not be issued if the property is found to have life safety violations, including (but not limited to) any unpermitted or illegal construction or conversion that may create fire safety and housing code violations. Additionally, if a property is found to have undergone unpermitted construction, the matter will be referred to DPIE's Inspections Division for further investigation.

Finally, if the space you are renting has two (2) or more separate dwelling units, you must obtain a use and occupancy permit from DPIE's Permitting and Licensing Division. If you have applied for a rental license for two (2) or more separate dwelling units but have not obtained a use and occupancy permit, a rental license will not be granted.

  • All Single-Family and Multifamily Rental Licenses are administered by DPIE's Enforcement Division, except for the following cities/towns which are NOT licensed in our jurisdiction:
    Berwyn Heights, Bowie, Brentwood, Capitol Heights, Cheverly, College Park, District Heights, Edmonston, Forest Heights, Greenbelt, Hyattsville, Landover Hills, Mount Rainier, New Carrollton, Riverdale Park, Seat Pleasant, Town of Laurel and University Park.
  • To verify your municipality falls under this exception, look up your property address in the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) Real Property Search link. If the above municipalities/towns are listed under the "Town" column on the SDAT page, you will need to apply with your municipality.

For questions related to single-family, multifamily and short-term rental licenses, email MyPGC.us/ContactDPIE.
 

Single-Family Rental Process

Once an approved application is submitted, a temporary license is issued for 30-90 days so the area inspector can perform an inspection. The inspector will visit the property, either in person and/or virtually, to conduct an exterior inspection and place a hang tag on the front door. If there are no violations and the tenant does not have any concerns within their rental unit, then a license will be issued after 48 hours of the visit.
(Please note: If there are concerns from the tenant, an inspection will be scheduled to view any violations. The owner will be notified of the violations and given 10 days to come into compliance. If he/she does not, then this will start a process of denying the license application and possibly issuing a citation.)
Email MyPGC.us/ContactDPIE for questions.
 

Single-Family Rental Requirements

To apply for a single-family rental license, it is necessary to submit the following.
Please Note: All Documents must be obtained prior to submitting the application, and all fees are NON-REFUNDABLE. You must verify your municipality falls under our jurisdiction; to do so, look up your property address on the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) Real Property Search link. For your single-family rental license application, you will need to apply with your municipality if the following municipalities/towns are listed under the "Town" column on the SDAT page:  Berwyn Heights, Bowie, Brentwood, Capitol Heights, Cheverly, College Park, District Heights, Edmonston, Forest Heights, Greenbelt, Hyattsville, Landover Hills, Mount Rainier, New Carrollton, Riverdale Park, Seat Pleasant, Town of Laurel and University Park.

  •  Provide the HUD1 or Deed showing the name of the current owner if different from SDAT.
  • HOA Requirements:
    1. If your property is part of an HOA, provide a letter from the condominium association, cooperative housing corporation or homeowner's association showing unit has “clean hands” and does not have any liens for non-payment of fees, condo fees and the unit does not have any violations of bylaws. Letter must be no older than 3 months.
    2. If SDAT lists your property as a Townhouse or Condominium and it is not part of an HOA, you must confirm that this property is not part of a HOA. To confirm, attach a brief letter from you stating so.
  • If the property is managed by a management company on your behalf, you must submit the following:
    1. A letter or contract from the property owner authorizing the management company or representative to act on behalf of the owner.
    2. This document must be accompanied by either the owner’s driver license if the owner is an individual person; or the EIN letter of the company that owns the property.

Attestations

  1. All property owners applying for a Single-family Rental License are required to attest and ensure that all life safety devices and measures required by the County Code are up to date, in good working order and will be properly maintained.
  2. Basements or portions of basements shall not be used for bedrooms or as a habitable space unless authorized by the Enforcement Division of the Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement.

You will be required to pay all applicable Prince George's County fees BEFORE your application can be reviewed. Use this link to view the DPIE Fee Schedule.
 

License Fee

A single-family rental property must have a valid rental license. Please view the DPIE Fee Schedule for the cost of a Single-Family House/Townhouse Rental License, which is for a 2-year license.
 

Exemptions

No license shall be required for a single-family rental facility in any of the following circumstances. However, documentation of the license exemption must be provided to and accepted by the Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement for the provisions below.

  1. If the tenant is the landlord's parent, son, daughter, sibling, grandchild, grandparent or in-law.
  2. If the landlord is an active member of any branch of the United States Armed Forces, Diplomatic Corps or Foreign Service, who maintains the subject property for his/her domicile and permanent residence.
  3. If the landlord has been relocated for employment or education, maintains the subject property as his/her domicile and permanent residence, and the subject property has not been leased for more than two (2) consecutive years.
  4. If a buyer or a seller of a single-family dwelling enters into a Pre-Settlement Occupancy Agreement and/or a Post-Settlement Occupancy Agreement.
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STOP:  Read the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) Rental Requirements

More Information

If a rental property is located where there is a Condominium Association, Cooperative Housing Corporation or Homeowners’ Association, certification must be provided from the appropriate entity that the dwelling unit does not have a lien for non-payment or Common Ownership fees and the dwelling unit does not violate any existing covenants or bylaws.

Lease Agreement Information for Seniors

Per CB-59-2015, Prince George’s County seniors living in specified age-restricted housing have the opportunity to enter into a 24-month lease agreement. Seniors will not incur fees or rent increases for the term of the lease. Landlords are required to provide written notice concerning the 24-month period when entering into a new lease or a renewal lease.

Should you have questions regarding this policy, please call PGC311 at 3-1-1.

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