Late Rent Fee Limits in Maine

At a glance

The 4% cap and 15-day wait

Maine's rule is in 14 M.R.S. § 6028. A residential rent payment is not late under that section unless it remains unpaid "within 15 days from the time the payment is due." Only after that period may the landlord assess the statutory penalty.

The maximum is 4% of the amount due for one month. For $1,500 in monthly rent, the maximum penalty is $60. The statute uses the amount due for one month; it does not replace that phrase with a calculation based on the remaining unpaid balance after a partial payment.

Written notice when the agreement begins

A fee within the cap is still unavailable unless the landlord gave the tenant written notice when the parties entered the rental agreement. The notice must state that a penalty up to 4% of one month's rent may be charged for late payment.

Section 6028 does not say that the notice has to be a clause inside the rental agreement; it requires written notice at the time the agreement is entered. It also does not require a new assessment notice each time rent is late.

What trips people up

The eviction clock is different. Section 6002 allows a tenancy-at-will nonpayment notice when the tenant is seven days or more in arrears. Section 6028, however, says the late-payment penalty cannot attach until the payment has remained unpaid for 15 days. The seven-day eviction step does not shorten the separate fee-free period.

The cap is not a daily allowance. Section 6028 sets a maximum penalty of 4% of the amount due for one month. It does not authorize another 4% each day, interest on the penalty, or compounding.

The base is the statutory phrase, not a guessed formula. For a fully unpaid month, the calculation is straightforward. For a partial payment, the section does not expressly state that only the remaining balance is the base.

Common questions

Can a landlord charge the fee on the tenth day? No. A payment is late for § 6028 purposes only if it is not made within 15 days from the due time.

What if the lease never mentioned a late fee? The landlord cannot assess the penalty unless written notice was given when the rental agreement was entered.

Can the penalty exceed $60 when monthly rent is $1,500? No. Four percent of $1,500 is $60.

What remedy does § 6028 provide? It prohibits an early, excessive, or undisclosed penalty but does not state a special refund, damages multiplier, attorney-fee award, or complaint process.

Statutes and sources

• 14 M.R.S. § 6028 — residential coverage, 15-day threshold, 4% cap, and written notice.

  A payment of rent is late if it is not made within 15 days from the time the payment is due. ... A landlord may not assess a penalty ... which exceeds 4% of the amount due for one month. ... [T]he landlord gave the tenant written notice at the time they entered into the rental agreement ...

Official source: https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/14/title14sec6028.html (accessed 2026-07-20) - 14 M.R.S. § 6002(1)(C) — separate tenancy-at-will nonpayment and cure timing.

The tenant is 7 days or more in arrears in the payment of rent; ... If a tenant who is 7 days or more in arrears ... pays the full amount of rent due before the expiration of the 7-day notice in writing, that notice is void.

Official source: https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/14/title14sec6002.html (accessed 2026-07-20)