How much can a landlord charge for a rental application fee in Maine?
In Maine, a landlord may not charge a fee to submit, review or approve a rental application — only the actual cost of one background check, credit check or other screening, and no more than one such fee in any twelve months. The landlord must give the applicant a complete copy of what the screening found, and may charge nothing unless it first told the applicant that the law requires that copy. This is 14 M.R.S. § 6030-H.
| What | Maine |
|---|---|
| Application fee | No application fee; the actual cost of one screening |
Notes
The landlord must give the applicant a complete copy of what the screening found, and may charge nothing unless it first told the applicant that the law requires that copy.
Source
14 M.R.S. § 6030-H
Read the statute in the Maine Revised Statutes (Maine Legislature): legislature.maine.gov.
Checked against the statute on November 11, 2026.
This is a summary of a published statute, not legal advice. Rules change, local ordinances can add to them, and the terms of a specific lease may differ. Check the citation and speak to a lawyer before acting.
How Seayora uses this rule
This page states what the state allows a landlord to charge somebody applying to rent, so a fee can be checked against it before it is advertised or collected.
Guides on this rule
- FCRA Adverse Action Notices: What Landlords Must Tell Applicants — When a screening report leads you to deny an applicant or ask for more, the Fair Credit Reporting Act requires a notice. What it must say, with the statute.
- Reusable Tenant Screening Reports: When Landlords Must Accept Them — Colorado requires landlords to accept a portable screening report; California, Maryland and Washington set disclosure and fee rules; New York waives the fee.
- Tenant Screening: What Landlords Need to Know — How to screen rental applicants fairly and legally: credit and background checks, consistent criteria, the FCRA’s adverse action notice and fair housing.
Compare this rule in every state
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- Every Maine rule on one page
The same question in other states
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- New Jersey
- New York
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island