Before a tenant moves into a Cumberland or Frostburg rental, the unit needs a current City rental licence and a passed City inspection, and if it was built before 1978, a passing Maryland lead certificate. Alarms, locks, utilities, cleaning and a photographed move-in inspection come next, and the order matters because the City inspector expects the first three to be done.
This is the owner’s version of the checklist. The tenant’s version is on the moving in and out page.
Step 1: rental licence and City inspection
Where the home sits decides who inspects it.
City of Cumberland. Every rental unit needs a City rental licence, $25 per unit per year on a licence year that runs July 1 to June 30. A City code enforcement officer inspects the unit before each new tenant moves in. Book the inspection through citizenserve.com/cumberland or by calling 301-722-2000 extension 5600. The unit should be vacant, in move-in condition, with utilities on and smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in place. Owners who do not live in Allegany County must register an agent who lives or has offices in the county. We act as that agent for the properties we manage.
City of Frostburg. Rental units not occupied by the owner are licensed with the City each year, and the City’s rental housing inspector does a full interior and exterior inspection every three years. The annual licence is $48 per unit if paid in January, $58 in February and $110 from March. Owners who live more than 25 miles away must appoint a local agent. The Rental Housing Program is at 37 S Broadway, 301-689-6000 extension 112. Frostburg’s leasing calendar follows the university year, so start the licence work in late summer for a fall turnover.
LaVale, Cresaptown, Bowling Green and other unincorporated areas. There is no county rental licence. The Allegany County Livability Code (chapter 375) sets minimum standards and is enforced on a tenant’s written complaint, so the standards still apply even though nobody inspects up front.
Step 2: lead paint, if built before 1978
Most housing stock in Cumberland’s North End and South End, and much of Frostburg, predates 1978. For those homes Maryland requires:
- Registration with the Maryland Department of the Environment. The fee is $75 per rental unit, collected once every two years, and the renewal is due by December 31 of the renewal year (Environment 6-843, as amended in 2025). A newly acquired property is registered within 30 days of purchase.
- A passing lead dust inspection certificate before every change of occupancy, issued by an MDE-accredited inspector after paint defects are corrected and dust samples pass (Environment 6-815). Cumberland will not clear a move-in without it.
- Three documents to the tenant on or before move-in: the MDE Notice of Tenant’s Rights, the EPA pamphlet “Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home,” and a copy of the certificate.
Book the lead inspector after painting and cleaning are finished, because dust sampling fails on a dirty unit. For managed properties we check the build year, keep the MDE registration current, schedule the lead inspection before each turnover and put the tenant documents in the lease packet.
Step 3: smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
Maryland Public Safety 9-104 requires at least one smoke alarm in each sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement. Any battery-powered alarm must be a sealed, tamper-resistant unit with a 10-year battery and a hush button. On a change of tenant, a one or two family dwelling that still has older battery alarms must be upgraded to sealed long-life units, so a turnover is the time to replace them. The landlord installs, repairs and replaces the alarms; the tenant tests them and reports a failure in writing, and the landlord has 5 days to fix it (Public Safety 9-106).
Public Safety 12-1102 and 12-1104 require a carbon monoxide alarm in every rental dwelling unit, outside each sleeping area and on every level including the basement. Each unit must be either a sealed 10-year battery alarm or hardwired with battery backup. Combination smoke and CO units are allowed if they meet the standards in 12-1103.
Test every alarm on inspection day and write the dates of manufacture on the report.
Step 4: locks and keys
We rekey every exterior lock at every turnover, including the back door, the basement door and any storm door deadbolt. The locksmith’s bill is passed through to you at cost as its own line on your statement, and our coordination fee appears on a separate line, never inside the vendor’s bill. Note every key, garage remote and mailbox key on the inspection report.
Step 5: utilities and meter readings
Electric, gas and water stay in the owner’s name through the vacancy, and we coordinate the accounts for managed units. That keeps the lights and water on for the City inspector, the lead inspector and the cleaners, and keeps pipes from freezing in a Western Maryland winter. The vacancy bills appear on your statement under utilities during vacancy. The tenant transfers service into their own name within 7 days after keys, where the lease requires it. On key day we photograph the electric, gas and water meters so the change-over date is not a dispute later.
Step 6: cleaning and photos
The unit must be fully cleaned, repaired and rent-ready before the tenant arrives. A move-in inspection should never fail. Photograph every room, floor, wall, window, appliance interior and the exterior, dated, before the tenant sees it.
Step 7: the move-in inspection report
A field partner walks the unit with the tenant, completes the move-in checklist with photographs, and both sign. Keys are released only after the lease is signed in DocuSeal, the move-in invoice is paid and that inspection is signed. The signed report is what protects your security deposit position at move-out, because Maryland Real Property 8-203 lets a tenant recover up to three times a wrongly withheld amount. The move-in inspection report is included in the Premium Investor plan. Owner Assist and Standard owners pay $140 per report, the same a la carte price as a move-out report.
What we do and what you do
We do: confirm the build year and jurisdiction, keep the MDE registration and City licence calendar, book the City and lead inspections, coordinate cleaners and trades, photograph the unit, run the move-in inspection, hand over keys, and put every required document in the lease packet.
You do: pay the licence, registration and inspection fees, keep the property insured, fund repairs and the $500 per unit owner reserve, and approve work above the limits set in your management agreement. Those limits are in the agreement you sign, not on this page.
The owner account setup fee is $150, currently $75 at the introductory rate.
Common questions
Does every Cumberland rental need a City inspection before move-in?
Yes. The City inspects before each new tenant, and the licence runs July 1 to June 30 at $25 per unit.
Do I need a lead certificate if the house was repainted?
Yes, if it was built before 1978. Repainting does not remove the requirement; a passing dust test by an accredited inspector does.
Who installs the alarms?
The landlord. Maryland law puts installing, repairing and replacing smoke and CO alarms on the landlord; the owner pays for them and we coordinate the install.
What happens if the tenant is ready before the City is?
The tenant waits. Keys are not released without the licence inspection, and the City will not clear a pre-1978 unit without the lead certificate.
Who pays for the move-in inspection report?
Premium Investor owners pay nothing extra; the report is included in the plan. Owner Assist and Standard owners pay $140 per report.
Who holds the utility accounts while the unit is empty?
You do. Vacancy utilities stay in the owner’s name and we coordinate them. The tenant moves them into their own name within 7 days of keys.
Sources
- City of Cumberland, Housing Code and Rentals: https://www.cumberlandmd.gov/167/Housing-Code-Rentals
- City of Frostburg, Long-Term Rentals: https://www.frostburgcity.org/1244/Long-Term-Rentals
- Allegany County Code, chapter 375 (Livability Code): https://ecode360.com/14700348
- Maryland Environment 6-843 (lead registration fee, $75 per unit every two years): https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gen§ion=6-843&enactments=false
- Maryland Department of the Environment, Rental Property Owners (lead registration): https://mde.maryland.gov/programs/land/leadpoisoningprevention/pages/rentalowners.aspx
- Maryland Public Safety 9-104 (smoke alarms): https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gps§ion=9-104&enactments=false
- Maryland Public Safety 9-106 (landlord and tenant duties for smoke alarms): https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gps§ion=9-106&enactments=false
- Maryland Public Safety 12-1102 and 12-1104 (carbon monoxide alarms): https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gps§ion=12-1104&enactments=false
- Maryland Public Safety 12-1103 (combined alarms): https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gps§ion=12-1103&enactments=false
- Maryland Real Property 8-203 (security deposits): https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=grp§ion=8-203&enactments=false
- EPG, Maryland rental license requirements by county and city: https://eastern.properties/maryland-rental-license-requirements-by-county/
- EPG, Maryland lead paint rules for landlords: https://eastern.properties/maryland-lead-paint-rules-for-landlords/
- EPG, Renting out a Cumberland property from out of state: https://eastern.properties/renting-out-cumberland-property-from-out-of-state/
- EPG, Pricing: https://eastern.properties/pricing/
- EPG knowledge base: Inspection Model, Leasing Model, Accounting Model (owner reserve); rekey, vacancy utilities and plan inclusions confirmed by EPG management, 7 October 2026