Maryland self-storage rental agreement nonrenewal clause, in bold

From 1 July 2026 a Maryland self storage rental agreement nonrenewal clause in bold type is required (Commercial Law 18-503(b)(5)): what it must say.

From 1 July 2026, every Maryland self-storage rental agreement must contain a statement, in bold type, telling the occupant that if the operator does not renew the agreement it will deliver written notice to remove all personal property by the date stated in that notice. The requirement is Commercial Law 18-503(b)(5), added by HB 618 and SB 438 of 2026 (Chapters 216 and 215). It sits alongside four bold-type lien statements that Maryland agreements have had to carry for years, and it applies to paper and electronic agreements alike.

The text of the requirement

Section 18-503(b), as amended, reads:

(b) The rental agreement shall contain a statement, in bold type, advising the occupant:

(1) Of the existence of the lien;

(2) That personal property stored in the leased space may be sold to satisfy the lien if the occupant is in default;

(3) That personal property stored in the leased space may be towed or removed from the self-service storage facility if: (i) The personal property is a motor vehicle or watercraft; and (ii) The occupant is in default for more than 60 days;

(4) That a sale of personal property stored in the leased space to satisfy the lien if the occupant is in default shall be advertised: (i) In a newspaper of general circulation in the jurisdiction where the sale is to be held; (ii) By electronic mail; or (iii) On an online website; and

(5) That if the operator does not renew the rental agreement, the operator shall, in accordance with § 18-502 of this subtitle, deliver written notice advising the occupant to remove all personal property from the self-service storage facility by the date stated in the notice. (Commercial Law 18-503(b))

Items (1) to (4) were already law. Item (5) is new. All five share the same opening words: the agreement "shall contain a statement, in bold type, advising the occupant".

Substance, not script

The Act does not prescribe the words. It prescribes what the statement must advise the occupant of. That is a lower bar than a statutory sign with fixed text, but it means your wording has to carry each element of paragraph (5):

1. The trigger: the operator does not renew the rental agreement.
2. The promise: the operator will deliver written notice.
3. The reference: the notice is given in accordance with 18-502, which sets the delivery methods and the 30-day and 10-day periods.
4. The instruction: the occupant is to remove all personal property from the facility.
5. The deadline: by the date stated in the notice.

Here is an example that tracks the statute. It is illustrative wording, not text the Act requires, and the whole block would be set in bold:

If the operator does not renew this rental agreement, the operator will deliver written notice, in accordance with § 18-502 of the Maryland Self-Service Storage Act (Commercial Law Article, Title 18, Subtitle 5), advising the occupant to remove all personal property from the self-service storage facility by the date stated in the notice. The operator will give the occupant not less than 30 days after delivery of that notice, and at least until the end of the term of this rental agreement, to remove all personal property. Property remaining after that date may be disposed of after the operator delivers a notice of intent to dispose at least 10 days before disposal.

The first sentence is what paragraph (5) requires. The second and third sentences restate 18-502(d) and (e). They are not required, but they tell the occupant what the reference to 18-502 means, which is the point of the clause. For what the notice itself must say, see the nonrenewal notice requirements guide.

Formatting: what "bold type" does and does not require

• Bold type is the only formatting rule. The Act sets no font size, no heading, no capital letters, no box and no first-page placement.
• No initials. Unlike the email-consent statement for default notices in 18-504(b)(2), which requires the occupant's initials next to it, paragraph (5) requires nothing beyond bold type.
• Electronic agreements are covered. From 1 July 2026, 18-501(h) defines "rental agreement" as "any written or electronic agreement that establishes or modifies the terms, conditions, or rules concerning the use and occupancy of a self-service storage facility". In an e-signature platform, use an actual bold font weight in the document the occupant reads and signs, not a bold label on a summary screen or a checkbox.
• "Conspicuous" is not the standard. The statute says "bold type" and nothing more. If your agreement uses bold widely, the five-item statement can get lost. Giving it a heading and white space is good practice, not a requirement.

Where to put it

Section 18-503(b) treats the five items as one statement. The natural place for the new item is the existing bold lien paragraph, added after the advertising item as "(5)" or as a further sentence. Keep all five together so a reader, or later a judge, can see at a glance that the statement required by 18-503(b) is complete. Splitting the nonrenewal item into a separate section of the agreement is not prohibited, but it makes the completeness of the statement harder to show.

Existing agreements versus new ones

The Act contains no transition rule. Section 2 of Chapter 216 says only that the Act "shall take effect July 1, 2026". Section 18-506 grandfathers agreements entered into before 1 July 1983 that have not been renewed since, and nothing else. So the text does not say whether an agreement signed in, say, 2024 must be amended.

Two features of the Act point toward amending:

• "Rental agreement" means any written or electronic agreement that "establishes or modifies" the terms (18-501(h)). An addendum that modifies the terms is itself a rental agreement, so a signed addendum containing the bold statement satisfies the wording of 18-503(b) for that occupant.
• Most Maryland storage agreements run month to month and renew each month. From 1 July 2026, each renewal is of an agreement that 18-503(b) says "shall contain" the statement.

A practical split:

What if the statement is missing?

The Act does not say. There is no penalty section, no fine, and no statement that a nonrenewal notice is ineffective without the clause. Here is what the text does contain:

• Section 18-503(b) is mandatory: the agreement "shall contain" the statement.
• Section 18-504(g) limits the operator's liability after a lien sale "if the operator complies with the provisions of this subtitle". That protection is written for lien sales and the Act does not extend it to nonrenewal disposals.
• Section 18-502(c) makes the occupant's loss of the right to use the unit depend on delivery of the written notice, not on the agreement containing the clause.

So the clause and the notice are separate requirements, and neither is stated to cure the absence of the other. The safe position is to have both in place before you rely on 18-502. What a court would make of a missing clause is not something the text answers. For the full sequence of notices and periods see the overview of the 2026 nonrenewal law.

Related documents to update at the same time

• The nonrenewal notice: it must state a removal date, which is what the clause promises. Its removal date must be at least 30 days after delivery and not before the end of the term.
• The notice of intent to dispose: a new document delivered after the removal date and at least 10 days before disposal. The 30-day, 10-day and 5-day clocks guide sets out the dates.
• Email language: if you plan to email notices, collect the occupant's email address in the agreement so it is a "last known address" under 18-501(c), and say that notices under the Act may go to it.
• The default notice for lien sales under 18-504: unchanged by the Act, but check that items (1) to (4) of the bold statement still match what it says.

What to keep on file

• The agreement template in use from 1 July 2026 with the five-item bold statement, and the date you adopted it
• For each occupant who signed before 1 July 2026, the signed or e-signed addendum, or a dated note that it was sent and not returned
• A version history of your agreement, so you can show which text each occupant signed and when
• A copy of Chapter 216 of 2026 and of the amended 18-502 and 18-503 as published by the General Assembly

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Md. Code, Commercial Law 18-503 (as amended), Maryland General Assembly statute text
• Md. Code, Commercial Law 18-501 (definitions, as amended), Maryland General Assembly statute text
• Md. Code, Commercial Law 18-502 (as amended), Maryland General Assembly statute text
• Md. Code, Commercial Law 18-504 (lien sales), Maryland General Assembly statute text
• Md. Code, Commercial Law 18-506 (agreements before 1 July 1983), Maryland General Assembly statute text
• Chapter 216 of 2026 (HB 618), Commercial Law - Self-Service Storage Facilities - Alterations, Maryland General Assembly
• Fiscal and Policy Note, HB 618 (Third Reader, Revised), Maryland Department of Legislative Services
• Maryland: Self Storage Act Amended, Self-Storage Legal (Jeffrey J. Greenberger, 20 May 2026)

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