Tenant placement services in Potomac

21 accessory dwelling units in Potomac hold a county rental license. Screening a tenant for a unit on your own lot follows the same rules as any rental.

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The Service

Tenant placement services

Tenant placement services handle the highest-stakes moment in landlording: choosing who lives in your property.

Tenant screening in Potomac often involves a unit right next to the owner. As of October 2026, 21 accessory dwelling units in Potomac hold a county rental license, and every ADU has to be licensed by the county Department of Housing and Community Affairs (DHCA). Living a few steps from your tenant makes careful screening matter more, not less. The rules don’t relax because the unit is small or because it sits on your lot.

Maryland limits what you can charge and keep. Any application fee above $25 comes back to the applicant within 15 days, minus what the credit check and similar screening actually cost. Deposits top out at one month’s rent. County law also protects applicants based on how they pay, so vouchers count like any other income.

The county lease has its own requirements. Tenants on a one-year lease get 30 days after signing to switch to a two-year term, and the county’s signed addendum has to be attached. Our lease meets both, and the signed addendum stays on file for you, ready if questions come up. Missing either one can cost you in a dispute later.

Criteria come first, in writing, and then every applicant gets screened the same way, in the order applications arrive. Income, rental history and credit are checked against those criteria, not against a gut feeling. That consistency protects you if a decision is ever questioned. Tenant placement services explains the service. Getting applicants in the door is covered in rental listing marketing in Potomac, and the decision to rent at all in renting out your house in Potomac. Owners leaning toward a sale can consult a Potomac real estate agent. Tenant placement services in Bethesda works in a market with more vacancies.

Where We Work

Potomac

Screening looks the same everywhere, but the setting changes the stakes. ADUs on owner-occupied lots put landlord and tenant close together, so clear house rules belong in the lease. Townhouse rentals add HOA rules the tenant has to follow. Larger houses often come with more vehicles and yard work, which makes parking and yard care terms worth spelling out. In ZIP 20854, about 1,770 households rent. Good applicants are worth keeping, so we respond within a day and keep the process moving. A slow landlord loses the strongest file to the next listing.

Neighborhood Coverage

Potomac, block by block.

Serving every neighborhood across the city. Ask us about yours.

Neighborhood-level guidance comes standard: pricing, timing, and positioning tuned to the block, not just the ZIP code.

Where else to go

Keep exploring.

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Answered

Potomac, answered.

Q: How much can a Potomac landlord charge for an application? A: Maryland sets a refund rule rather than a cap. If the fee tops $25, it must be returned within 15 days, less the actual cost of a credit check and similar screening. We keep receipts for each applicant’s screening costs so every Potomac refund is documented. Q: Can I screen out a Potomac applicant who uses a housing voucher? A: No. Montgomery County protects source of income, and a voucher counts as a source of income under that county rule. We apply the same written criteria to every Potomac applicant, including voucher holders, and document how each decision was made. Q: Does an ADU rental in Potomac need a license? A: Yes. Montgomery County requires an accessory dwelling unit to be licensed by its Department of Housing and Community Affairs. As of October 2026, 21 Potomac ADUs hold a rental license. The same screening, deposit and lease rules apply to them as to any other county rental, including the lease addendum.

Sources

Last reviewed October 2, 2026 by Levi Loveless, licensed in Maryland and Virginia. Every rule, rate and figure on this page links to the source we checked.

Selling or buying

Where to go next.

Whichever side of the move you are on, start here.

For sellers Selling a home Three routes to a sale, and the numbers behind each one. Explore selling For buyers Buying a home Position, competition, and how to win the house. Explore buying

Write the criteria down before the first showing.

Tell us about the unit and your timing. We’ll confirm the license, draft written criteria, run screening for each applicant the same way and prepare a county-compliant lease with the addendum. You approve the tenant before anything is signed.