Maryland Tenant/Landlord law delegates that a landlord cannot unreasonably deny a tenant’s request to sublease a rental. If a landlord wishes to deny a tenant’s sublet request, he or she must present a valid reason for their rejection.
A sublease is an agreement between the original tenant (sublessor or sublandlord) under a lease agreement for a rental unit and a new individual (sublessee or subtenant) who does not have a direct connection with the original lease agreement; the sublease agreement is tied to and incorporates the original (master) lease. In Maryland, if the original lease does not contain language giving permission for the tenant to enter into a sublease, the original tenant (sublessor) must obtain written permission from the landlord to do so. The original tenant (sublessor) is still bound by all the requirements/obligations under the original (master) lease agreement.
A Maryland sublease agreement should include the following sections: