Maine: Rent Increase Notice Requirements

Maine's two notice periods

Maine generally requires at least 45 days' written notice before a landlord
increases rent or a mandatory recurring fee for a residential estate. Under
14 M.R.S. § 6015(2), a rent increase of 10% or more requires at least 75
days' written notice.

The 75-day rule also looks across multiple increases. If increases within 12
months cumulatively reach 10% or more, the landlord must give 75 days before
the increase that crosses that threshold. This is an enhanced notice trigger,
not a 10% statewide cap.

Amount, exemptions, and frequency

Maine does not impose a statewide maximum percentage or CPI formula. It does,
however, bar an increase while the dwelling violates the warranty of
habitability under § 6016, unless the violation was caused by the tenant,
the tenant's family, guests, or invitees.

The enhanced 75-day rule does not apply to the affordable and subsidized
housing categories listed in § 6015(2)(A)-(C). Those properties remain
subject to their recorded affordability requirements or government-program
restrictions. Section 6015 imposes no numerical limit on how many increases may
occur, but aggregates increases over 12 months for the 10% notice threshold.

The statute requires written notice but no special statewide form or listed
content fields. A written or oral waiver of the notice requirement is void.
Notice alone does not state that it overrides rent fixed by an existing term;
the lease and any lawful adjustment clause must be read separately.

Remedies and common questions

Is 10% the maximum Maine increase?

No. Ten percent triggers the longer 75-day notice. It is not a statewide amount
cap. Local rent-control rules may impose a separate limit.

Do recurring fees get the same notice?

The general 45-day rule expressly covers mandatory recurring fees as well as
rent. The enhanced 75-day subsection is written in terms of rent increases.

What happens if the landlord violates the statute?

Sections 6015 and 6016 make the violator liable to return unlawfully
obtained sums with interest and pay reasonable attorney fees and costs. Section
6016 applies that remedy to an increase imposed while the dwelling violates the
warranty of habitability.

Statutes and sources

• 14 M.R.S. § 6015. General 45-day notice, 75-day 10% threshold,
  exemptions, nonwaiver, and remedies.
  Official statute
  (accessed July 12, 2026).
• 14 M.R.S. § 6016. Habitability bar and repayment, interest, fees, and
  costs.
  Official statute
  (accessed July 12, 2026).