Maine Residential Lease Agreement

The Maine residential lease agreement (“rental agreement”) can be used by property owners (“lessors”) to come to terms with a tenant (“lessee”) for the use of their property in exchange for rent payments. Landlords often check a tenant’s credit to ensure they are able to pay the rent amount.

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Related Documents: Month-to-Month Agreement | Rental Application | Roommate Agreement | Sublease Agreement

Maine Lease Agreement Disclosures

The following disclosures are required for all residential lease agreements in Maine.

• Late or Returned Check Fees – for any rental unit being charged late fees.
• Bed Bug Disclosure (PDF) – for any rental unit with a suspected or confirmed adjacent infestation.
• Radon Disclosure (PDF) – for any rental unit in Maine.
• Energy Efficiency Disclosure Statement (PDF) – for any rental unit in Maine where the tenant pays for utilities directly or through the landlord.
• Common Area Utility Disclosure (PDF) – for any rental unit in Maine where the tenant pays for utilities belonging to a common area.
• Security Deposit Holdings Disclosure (PDF) – for any rental unit where a security deposit is collected.
• Smoking Policy Disclosure (PDF) – for any rental unit in Maine.
• Lead Based Paint Disclosure (PDF) – for rental units built prior to 1978.

There are also a number of optional disclosures and addendums that help reduce future conflicts and/or legal liability in Maine.

Late or Returned Check Fees

Applicable to any unit charging late fees.

While some states have no rules in place that dictate how a late or returned check fee may be assessed, Maine does for late fees. This means that you can dictate whether you will charge these fees, however the amount must be stated in the lease and the fees don’t exceed legal limits. In this case, late fees must not exceed 4% of a month’s rent, and are not able to be charged until the rent is at least 15 days late .

Bed Bug Disclosure

Applicable to any unit with a suspected infestation in adjacent units.

Landlords may not offer a unit for rent that is suspected of or currently infested with bedbugs. If there is an adjacent or contiguous property that is infested, the landlord must provide notice of the infestation. If asked, the landlord must also disclose the last date of inspection for bed bugs in the prospective or adjacent rental units .

An example of a bed bug addendum or section would be:

BED BUGS. At the time of presenting this agreement, Landlord certifies:

[ ] There is no known current infestation or history of bed bugs in this property.
[ ] There is no known current infestation, but there is a history of infestation in this property.
[ ] There is no known current infestation, but there is a nearby infestation or history of infestations which may place the property at risk.

See attached addendum for more information.
Addendum Bed Bug

Download: Maine Bed Bug Disclosure Form (PDF)

Radon Disclosure

Applicable to all units in Maine.

Due to the dangers presented by high radon levels, Maine requires landlords to regularly test radon levels for safety. The date and results of these regular tests must be provided to new tenants as an addendum to the lease agreement, along with additional information about the risks posed by radon gas. The addendum, which is provided by the Department of Health, also requires the signature of both parties to acknowledge the results and risks provided .

Here is the required disclosure for Maine landlords to include.

Download: Maine Radon Level Disclosure Form (PDF)

Energy Efficiency Disclosure Statement

Applicable to any rental agreements where the tenant is responsible for paying utilities directly or through the landlord.

In Maine, for any lease where the tenant will pay utility costs (either directly or through the landlord), the landlord must provide an energy efficiency statement and disclosure of either the utility supplier’s information or the 12-month energy consumption history .

The statement for supplying utility suppliers’ information is:

You have the right to obtain a 12-month history of energy consumption and the cost of that consumption from the energy supplier.

Download: Maine Energy Efficiency Disclosure Form (PDF)

Common Area Utility Disclosure

Applicable to any rental agreements where the tenant is responsible for paying utilities for common areas.

In Maine, dwelling units that share a utility line with a common area or other area outside of the dwelling should have this fact disclosed as part of the lease agreement. Compensation in the form of monthly rent reductions or other considerations may be included, or a notice that no compensation is to be provided may be a part of the disclosure.

Download: Maine Common Area Utility Disclosure Form (PDF)

Security Deposit Holdings Disclosure

Applicable to any rental agreements where the landlord collects a security deposit.

If a Maine landlord asks for a security deposit, they must provide a written disclosure of how those security deposit funds will be kept while the tenant is renting the property.

This disclosure must include the name of the holding institution, the location of the holding, and the account number where the funds are held.

All held funds may not be commingled with personal assets, but multiple deposits can be held in a single escrow account.

Download: Maine Security Deposit Holdings Disclosure Form (PDF)

Smoking Policy Disclosure

Applicable to all units in Maine.

Landlords in Maine must specify the rules for smoking on the premises, including where smoking is and is not allowed . These rules can be outlined in a smoking policy disclosure that is included as part of the lease.

Download: Maine Smoking Policy Disclosure Form (PDF)

Lead Based Paint Disclosure

Applicable to any rental units built prior to 1978.

It is a federal law in the United States that any home built prior to 1978 must disclose the risks posed by lead-based paints. This law requires landlords in Maine to:

• Fill out and attach this lead based paint disclosure form to the lease agreement.
• Provide the tenant with an EPA-approved pamphlet about the dangers of lead-based paint.
• Provide additional records or reports about the presence or hazards of any known lead based paint in the unit. For multi-unit buildings with common areas, this includes information from building-wide evaluations.

Download: Maine Lead Based Paint Disclosure Form (PDF)

Optional Disclosures & Addendums (Recommended)

The following lease agreement disclosures and addendums are not required by Maine law in residential lease agreements, but either help reduce future conflicts with tenants or reduce legal liability for landlords.

• Landlord Name & Address – to create a line of communication for important notices & demands between tenant and landlord, it is recommended that Maine landlords provide contact information within or alongside the lease for themselves or anyone authorized to act on behalf of the property.
• Marijuana Use – it is recommended to state where marijuana use is and isn’t allowed on the property so that expectations are clear. Maine law allows landlords to restrict marijuana usage to non-smoking methods only or control where users can smoke so as to not interfere with other tenants.
• Move-in Checklist – it is recommended to provide an itemized list of damages to the property before move-in to make sure tenants are responsible for any serious damages that occur during the lease term. This can be attached to the lease agreement or signed as a separate document.
• Shared Utilities Arrangements – for rental units with shared utilities, it is recommended to disclose the specifics of how they are shared, and how each party’s bill is calculated, so that tenants have a reasonable expectation of what they owe each month.
• Asbestos Disclosure – for rental units in buildings built prior to 1981 (which are considered at-risk for asbestos), it is recommended to establish an understanding of any prior knowledge on the existence of asbestos on the property.
• Mold Disclosure – it is recommended to disclose the current mold status of a property in the lease to protect against future liability of mold damages due to tenant negligence during the lease term.