SSA Blog

Maryland Legislative Update – Second Default Notice Requirement Coming July 1, 2025

Maryland storage owners should be prepared to start sending a separate notice of sale to all consumers who default, starting July 1, 2025.

House Bill 979 and Senate Bill 844 are still working their way through the legislative process; however, we anticipate that both will be signed into law by Governor Wes Moore in the coming weeks.

These bills will require all Maryland storage operators to send an additional, second notice to any occupant who defaults in advance of any lien sale.

This legislation is part of a compromise with the Maryland Office of the Attorney General – Consumer Protection Division (CPD). The CPD opposed our newspaper bill in 2024.

The compromise that was reached was that in exchange for storage owners being fully empowered to choose the method of advertising that is appropriate for their business and removing the consumer consent requirement for online advertising, owners would be required to send consumers in default a second default notice – a notice of sale – before the sale.

This notice provision was supposed to be included in Senate Bill 633 that passed in 2024. However, it was inadvertently not included in the final bill text at the end of the session.

Staring July 1, 2025, all Maryland operators should be prepared to notify the occupant at least ten (10) days before the sale of the time, place, and terms of the sale. That notice must be delivered by hand delivery, verified mail, or email.

If the owner sends notice by email and does not receive a response or confirmation of delivery at least five (5) days before the sale, the owner must send a second notice of sale by verified mail.

Again, this would be in addition to the existing default notice that owners must already send.

The SSA will publish an update to the Maryland Self Storage Lien Law Annotated booklet in advance of the effective date.