Rent Increase Notice Requirements in Maine

At a glance

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).