Maine landlord and tenant rules

Seayora publishes 12 Maine rules, covering security deposits, notice periods, late fees, fair housing, tenant protections, repairs, contractor sales tax. Every one is composed from the statute it cites and links to that statute on the state’s own code site.

Maine at a glance

RuleMaine
How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in Maine?30 days
How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Maine?2 months of rent
How many days does a tenant get to pay late rent in Maine?7 days to pay
How much notice does a landlord have to give before entering in Maine?24 hours
How much notice does a landlord have to give before raising the rent in Maine?45 days (75 for 10% or more)
How much notice must a landlord give to end a tenancy in Maine?30 days
How much can a landlord charge for a late rent fee in Maine?4% of one month’s rent
Is there a grace period for paying rent in Maine?15 days
Can a landlord refuse a Section 8 voucher in Maine?Limited by a 2014 court decision
Can a landlord retaliate against a tenant for complaining in Maine?Presumed within 6 months
Can a tenant repair and deduct from rent in Maine?Up to $500 or half a month’s rent, whichever is greater
Do contractors charge sales tax in Maine?Consumer of materials

Security deposits in Maine

How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in Maine?

In Maine, a landlord has 30 days after the tenancy ends to return the security deposit, together with an itemised statement of any deductions. 30 days for a written lease; 21 days for a tenancy at will. This is 14 M.R.S. § 6032–6033.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Maine?

In Maine, a security deposit is capped at 2 months of rent. Two months' rent. This is 14 M.R.S. § 6032–6033.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

Notice periods in Maine

How many days does a tenant get to pay late rent in Maine?

In Maine, before starting a nonpayment case a landlord must serve a written notice giving the tenant 7 days to pay the rent due. This is 14 M.R.S. §§ 6002, 6015, 6025.

A tenancy at will ends with at least 30 days' written notice. Rent or mandatory recurring fees may be raised only after 45 days' written notice, or 75 days' where the increase — alone or with others in the previous twelve months — reaches 10% or more, and neither may be waived. Entry: 24 hours is presumed reasonable notice, except in an emergency. Nonpayment: once rent is seven days or more in arrears, a seven-day notice, which is void if the full rent is paid before it expires.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

How much notice does a landlord have to give before entering in Maine?

In Maine, a landlord must give 24 hours notice before entering an occupied rental, other than in an emergency. This is 14 M.R.S. §§ 6002, 6015, 6025.

A tenancy at will ends with at least 30 days' written notice. Rent or mandatory recurring fees may be raised only after 45 days' written notice, or 75 days' where the increase — alone or with others in the previous twelve months — reaches 10% or more, and neither may be waived. Entry: 24 hours is presumed reasonable notice, except in an emergency. Nonpayment: once rent is seven days or more in arrears, a seven-day notice, which is void if the full rent is paid before it expires.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

How much notice does a landlord have to give before raising the rent in Maine?

In Maine, a landlord must give 45 days written notice before a rent increase of less than 10%, and 75 days before an increase of 10% or more. Increases within any twelve months are added together. This is 14 M.R.S. §§ 6002, 6015, 6025.

A tenancy at will ends with at least 30 days' written notice. Rent or mandatory recurring fees may be raised only after 45 days' written notice, or 75 days' where the increase — alone or with others in the previous twelve months — reaches 10% or more, and neither may be waived. Entry: 24 hours is presumed reasonable notice, except in an emergency. Nonpayment: once rent is seven days or more in arrears, a seven-day notice, which is void if the full rent is paid before it expires.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

How much notice must a landlord give to end a tenancy in Maine?

In Maine, a landlord must give 30 days written notice to end a tenancy or decline to renew it. This is 14 M.R.S. §§ 6002, 6015, 6025.

A tenancy at will ends with at least 30 days' written notice. Rent or mandatory recurring fees may be raised only after 45 days' written notice, or 75 days' where the increase — alone or with others in the previous twelve months — reaches 10% or more, and neither may be waived. Entry: 24 hours is presumed reasonable notice, except in an emergency. Nonpayment: once rent is seven days or more in arrears, a seven-day notice, which is void if the full rent is paid before it expires.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

Late fees in Maine

How much can a landlord charge for a late rent fee in Maine?

In Maine, a late fee may not exceed 4% of one month’s rent. Rent is not late until 15 days after it is due, and no late fee may be charged before then. A late fee may be charged only if the tenant was told in writing, when the rental agreement was made, that one of up to 4% could be charged. This is 14 M.R.S. § 6028.

A late fee may be charged only if the tenant was told in writing, when the rental agreement was made, that one of up to 4% could be charged.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

Is there a grace period for paying rent in Maine?

Yes. In Maine, rent is not late until 15 days after it is due, and no late fee may be charged before then. The late fee itself is limited too: a late fee may not exceed 4% of one month’s rent. A late fee may be charged only if the tenant was told in writing, when the rental agreement was made, that one of up to 4% could be charged. This is 14 M.R.S. § 6028.

A late fee may be charged only if the tenant was told in writing, when the rental agreement was made, that one of up to 4% could be charged.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

Fair housing in Maine

Can a landlord refuse a Section 8 voucher in Maine?

Often, yes. In Maine, a landlord may not refuse to rent to, or set different terms for, a recipient of public assistance, including housing subsidies, primarily because of the person’s status as a recipient. But in Dussault v. RRE Coach Lantern Holdings (2014 ME 8), Maine’s highest court held that a landlord’s policy of not signing the lease addendum the Section 8 program requires is not discrimination because of that status. Federal law leaves the voucher program voluntary for most landlords, but a property financed with Low-Income Housing Tax Credits may not refuse a tenant because they hold a voucher. This is 5 M.R.S. § 4581-A.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

Tenant protections in Maine

Can a landlord retaliate against a tenant for complaining in Maine?

No. In Maine, an eviction is presumed to be retaliatory if, within six months before it was filed, the tenant asserted certain statutory rights, made a good-faith code complaint, made a written repair request, or filed a fair housing complaint. The presumption does not apply to an eviction for nonpayment or another lease violation, and no writ of possession may issue until it is rebutted. Separately, the federal Fair Housing Act makes it unlawful to threaten or interfere with anyone for exercising fair housing rights. This is 14 M.R.S. § 6001.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

Repairs in Maine

Can a tenant repair and deduct from rent in Maine?

Yes, within limits. In Maine, if a condition endangers health or safety and the landlord does not fix it within 14 days after written notice by certified mail (sooner in an emergency), and the repair costs less than $500 or half a month’s rent, whichever is greater, the tenant may have the work done with due professional care and deduct the cost after giving the landlord an itemized statement. Electrical, oil burner and plumbing work must be done by a licensed professional, and a tenant may not charge for their own or their family’s labor. Each step has to be followed as the statute sets it out, including the written notice and the waiting period, or the deduction can be treated as unpaid rent. This is 14 M.R.S. § 6026.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

Contractor sales tax in Maine

Do contractors charge sales tax in Maine?

In Maine a contractor is treated as the CONSUMER of the materials they build into real property. That means the contractor pays sales tax when they buy the materials, and does not add sales tax to the customer's invoice for that work — the tax is already inside the price. Source: 36 M.R.S. §1752 (contractors are the consumers of materials incorporated into real property).

Full answer and the checkable figures.

Sources

  • 14 M.R.S. § 6001
  • 14 M.R.S. § 6026
  • 14 M.R.S. § 6028
  • 14 M.R.S. § 6032–6033
  • 14 M.R.S. §§ 6002, 6015, 6025
  • 36 M.R.S. §1752 (contractors are the consumers of materials incorporated into real property).
  • 5 M.R.S. § 4581-A

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.

This is a summary of a state’s published guidance, not tax or legal advice. Rates and rules change, local jurisdictions add their own, and the treatment of a specific job depends on the contract and the work. Check the citation and speak to a CPA or a state tax adviser before relying on it.

How Seayora uses these rules

Security deposits. Seayora computes the deadline this rule sets from the tenancy’s own dates, shows it on the deposit statement, and reminds the landlord before it falls due — so the answer above is not reference material sitting beside the product, it is the rule the product enforces.

Notice periods. Seayora computes the notice this rule requires from the tenancy’s own dates — for a renewal offer, a rent increase or a served notice — and will not serve one that is short unless the owner records a reason. The answer above is the rule the product enforces.

Late fees. Seayora charges only the late fee written into the lease, after the grace period the lease sets, and adds no late fee of its own. This page states the statutory ceiling and waiting period so the terms of a lease can be checked against them before it is signed.

Fair housing. This page states whether the state protects renters who pay with a housing voucher, so a listing and its screening rules can be checked against it before they are published. Seayora’s rental search assistant never filters homes by how a renter will pay the rent.

Tenant protections. When an owner prepares an eviction in Seayora, it lists any repair request opened on the unit in the last 180 days that is still open, not to stop the case but because the tenant will raise retaliation and the owner should have an answer. Every repair request keeps the date it was filed.

Repairs. Every deadline on this page runs from the tenant’s notice. A repair request filed in Seayora keeps the date it was made and every update after it, on the website and both phone apps, so owner and tenant are working from the same date.

Contractor sales tax. Seayora resolves this rule on every invoice a contractor raises — per line, from the job site’s own address — and prints the rate, the jurisdiction and this citation on the document itself, so the estimate a customer accepts is the invoice they are billed. Where the rule is more nuanced than a single answer, Seayora refuses to guess a total rather than quoting a confident wrong one.

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