MD home builder performance bonds.
$1,500. Five minutes.

When a Maryland builder takes a buyer's deposit before a home is finished, the law requires the deposit to be protected — by escrow, a letter of credit, or a surety bond filed with the Home Builder Registration Unit. At the $50,000 amount on this application, our premium is $1,500 flat, which is 3% of the bond amount.

Filed with the Home Builder Registration Unit (Office of the Attorney General) to protect new-home deposits
Fixed amount, fixed price — $50,000 bond, $1,500, no quote process
Backs refund of a buyer deposit if the home isn't completed
A-ratedA.M. Best carriersFastoften same purchase1–3 yrterms available
Trusted by industry leaders
NYCEDC
BDG
Capital
McKinney
Terra
JLL
Triple Five
Georgetown
NYCEDC
BDG
Capital
McKinney
Terra
JLL
Triple Five
Georgetown
How it works

Three steps. One sitting.

Your deposit-protection filing is waiting on this bond. Here's the whole process:

NOW · 5 MINUTES

Apply online

Business details and an effective date. That is the application — no financials, no credit check section.

MINUTES, USUALLY

Pay & e-sign

Fixed-amount bonds like this are among the thousands that issue right after purchase. At most, 1–2 business days.

SAME DAY

File with the Registration Unit

Your executed bond arrives by email, ready to file with the Home Builder Registration Unit. Wet-ink original mailed on request.

The whole pricing page.

$50,000 bond × 3% = $1,500, one-time per term. Fixed amount, fixed price, multi-year if you want it.

1-year term
$1,500
2-year term
$3,000
3-year term
$4,500
About this bond

What it is and who needs it.

What the bond actually guarantees

Maryland law protects buyers who pay a deposit on a new home before it is finished. Under the Real Property Article, Title 10, Subtitle 3 (Deposits on New Homes), a builder who receives such a deposit must maintain an escrow account, a surety bond, or an irrevocable letter of credit — the bond version is filed with the Home Builder Registration Unit of the Office of the Attorney General.

The bond is a buyer-protection guarantee: it backs the refund of the deposit if the builder fails to complete the home and the buyer is entitled to their money back. It's a three-party arrangement — you (the principal), the surety, and the State together with protected buyers.

One note on the amount. The statute sizes the required security to the deposits at risk, and registered builders also participate in the Home Builder Guaranty Fund (which caps consumer recovery at $50,000 per claim). This application is set at a $50,000 bond — confirm that $50,000 is the figure the Registration Unit expects for your situation before you file, and if your deposits call for a different amount, send it and we'll issue at the same flat 3%.

Real Property Article §10-301 et seq.Maryland's Real Property Article, Title 10, Subtitle 3 requires a builder who takes a deposit on a not-yet-completed new home to protect that deposit with an escrow account, a corporate surety bond (§10-302), or an irrevocable letter of credit (§10-303), filed with the Home Builder Registration Unit at 200 St. Paul Place, Baltimore. The required amount is tied to deposits at risk — confirm that the $50,000 on this application matches your filing requirement.

You need this bond if you're

A registered Maryland home builder taking deposits before homes are completed
Choosing a bond over escrow to satisfy the deposit-protection requirement
Renewing your deposit-protection filing with the Home Builder Registration Unit
A new-home developer selling units that are not finished at contract signing

Five minutes. The whole thing.

These are the actual issuing fields — no credit check section, because this bond doesn't have one.

Start the application →
FAQs

Common questions.

If yours isn't here, the bond team can usually answer within the hour.

How much is the Maryland home builder performance bond? +
At the $50,000 amount on this application, the premium is $1,500 — a flat 3% of the bond amount. If your deposit-protection filing calls for a different amount, send us the figure and we issue it at the same 3%.
Do I pay the $50,000? +
No. You pay $1,500. The $50,000 is the surety's maximum liability if a buyer makes a valid deposit-refund claim — not a deposit you put up, and nobody holds your money.
Can I use escrow or a letter of credit instead? +
Yes. The statute accepts an escrow account, a surety bond, or an irrevocable letter of credit. A surety bond is usually cheapest — you pay the 3% premium rather than tying up cash or bank collateral.
What does the bond protect? +
A buyer's deposit on a new home that is not completed. If the builder fails to finish and the buyer is owed a refund, the buyer can recover against the bond — and if the surety pays, you repay the surety.
Is there a credit check? +
Not on this bond — the application has no credit section at all. The fixed $50,000 amount issues without one.
Related bonds

Other New York bonds.

Protect your buyers and your registration today.

$1,500 flat, five-minute application, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.

Your premium @ 3%$1,500
Apply now →