A Maine eviction notice form is a legal demand for a tenant to comply with the terms of the rental agreement or else move out of the premises. Maine landlords may deliver an eviction notice because of unpaid rent, lease violations, or illegal activity on the rental property.
Types of Maine Eviction Notice Forms
| Notice Form | Grounds | Curable? |
| 7 Day Notice To Quit | Unpaid Rent | Yes |
| 7 Day Notice To Comply or Vacate | Lease Violation | Yes |
| 7 Day Notice To Vacate | Illegal Activity | No |
| 30 Day Notice To Vacate | End of / No Lease | No |
Maine 7 Day Notice To Quit
A Maine 7 Day Notice To Quit evicts a tenant for nonpayment of rent. Rent is late if it’s not paid within the 15 calendar day grace period after the normal due date. The tenant must pay all past due rent or else move out within within seven (7) calendar days of receiving notice.
Maine 7 Day Notice To Comply or Vacate
A Maine 7 Day Notice To Comply or Vacate demands correction of a lease violation that is “curable,” i.e., the tenant may get a chance to fix the situation rather than be evicted. A curable lease violation might include failure to maintain health and safety on the rental property, interfering with the quiet enjoyment of neighbors, or refusal to allow lawful entry by the landlord.
The tenant must take appropriate corrective action, or else move out within seven (7) calendar days of receiving notice.
Maine 7 Day Notice To Vacate
A Maine 7 Day Notice To Vacate evicts a tenant for an “incurable” lease violation, i.e., one which the tenant is not allowed to restore through corrective action, such as major property damage or criminal actions. The tenant must move out within seven (7) calendar days of receiving notice.
Maine 30 Day Notice To Vacate
A Maine 30 Day Notice To Vacate terminates a periodic (e.g. week-to-week or month-to-month) fixed-term rental agreement, as well as an expired lease or a situation with no written lease. The non-terminating party must receive notice at least thirty (30) calendar days before the date of termination.
How To Write an Eviction Notice in Maine
To help ensure the legal compliance of an eviction notice:
- Use the tenant’s full name and address
- Specify the lease violation as well as any balance due
- Specify the date of termination
- Print name and sign the notice, including the landlord’s address of record
- Note the date and method of notice delivery, along with printed name and signature
It is easy to lose an otherwise justified legal action because of improper notice. Check carefully to ensure enough time after notice is delivered, not when it’s sent.
How To Calculate Expiration Date in Maine
The “clock” for an eviction notice period starts “ticking” the day after the notice gets delivered (served). For example, to give at least 30 days of notice and begin court action as of June 30th, delivery of the eviction notice must be no later than May 31st.
In most jurisdictions, if the last day of a notice period is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the notice period continues to run until the end of the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday. This is called the “next judicial day;” in other words, the next day a courthouse is open.
How To Serve an Eviction Notice in Maine
Maine landlords delivering a written eviction notice must make three (3) good faith efforts to hand deliver the notice to the tenant in person. Afterward, notice may be posted at the premises, plus delivered by first class mail with a certificate of mailing.
Mailed notice extends a notice period by three (3) calendar days, to account for variable delivery times.
Sources
- 1 Me. R. Civ. P. 6
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Computation. In computing any period of time prescribed or allowed by these rules, by order of court, or by any applicable statute, the day of the act, event, or default after which the designated period of time begins to run is not to b e included. The last day of the period so computed is to be included, unless it is a Saturday, a Sunday, or a legal holiday, in which event the period runs until the end of the next day which is not a Saturday, a Sunday, or a holiday. When the period of time prescribed or allowed is less than 7 days, intermediate Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays shall be excluded in the computation.
Source Link - 2 14 Me. Rev. Stat. § 6002
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In the event that the landlord or the landlord’s agent has made at least 3 good faith efforts to personally serve the tenant in-hand, that service may be accomplished by both mailing the notice by first class mail to the tenant’s last known address and by leaving the notice at the tenant’s last and usual place of abode.
Source Link - 3 Me. R. Civ. P. 6
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Additional Time After Service by Mail. Whenever a party has the right or is required to do some act or take some proceedings within a prescribed period after the service of a notice or other paper upon the party and the notice or paper is served upon the party by mail, 3 days shall be added to the prescribed period.
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