Maine 7-Day Notice to Cure or Quit (Lease Violation / Nuisance / Damage)

MAINE SEVEN-DAY FOR-CAUSE TERMINATION NOTICE

1. LANDLORD, TENANT, AND PREMISES

Date of notice: [__/__/____]

Landlord: [LEGAL NAME]

Tenant or Tenants: [LEGAL NAMES]

Residential premises:

[STREET ADDRESS / UNIT]
[CITY], Maine [ZIP]

Lease date and relevant provision: [____________________]

2. STATUTORY GROUND

The Landlord terminates the tenancy based on the checked ground. Select only a ground supported by affirmative proof.

☐ Substantial damage — § 6002(1)(A). The tenant, tenant's family, or tenant's invitee caused substantial damage that the tenant did not repair or cause to be repaired before this notice.

☐ Nuisance, unfitness, or tenancy-law violation — § 6002(1)(B). The tenant, tenant's family, or tenant's invitee caused or permitted a nuisance; caused or permitted an invitee to make the dwelling unit unfit for human habitation; or violated or permitted a violation of law regarding the tenancy.

☐ Tenant-perpetrator circumstance — § 6002(1)(D). The tenant is a perpetrator of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking and the victim is also a tenant.

☐ Violence, threat, or sexual assault — § 6002(1)(E). The tenant or tenant's guest or invitee perpetrated violence, a threat of violence, or sexual assault against another tenant, a tenant's guest, the landlord, or the landlord's employee or agent. Counsel has analyzed the statutory exception for a tenant who is a victim and took reasonable action under the circumstances.

☐ Unauthorized occupant — § 6002(1)(F). The person occupying the premises is not an authorized occupant.

☐ Material lease breach routed through § 6001(1-B)(A). The written residential lease lacks a termination provision or lacks written-notice language for material breach, and the Landlord relies on § 6002(1) and (2).

Do not use this form for rent arrearage; use the separate notice containing § 6002(2)(A)(2)'s verbatim payment statement.

3. SPECIFIC FACTUAL GROUND

Section 6002(2) requires the notice to indicate the specific ground claimed.

Describe dates, times, locations, persons, conduct, damage, repair status, witnesses, and documents:

[____________________]

[____________________]

[____________________]

Lease provision or law allegedly violated: [____________________].

Supporting document supplied with notice: [____________________].

Avoid labels without facts. Do not state "nuisance," "damage," or "lease violation" alone.

4. TERMINATION DATE

The tenancy is terminated seven days after completed service of this notice.

Termination date: [__/__/____]

You must vacate and deliver possession by the termination date unless the Landlord withdraws this notice in a signed writing or a court determines otherwise.

5. NO GENERAL STATUTORY CURE RIGHT

Section 6002 does not give a general post-notice cure right for these non-rent grounds. For substantial damage, the statute asks whether repair occurred before notice.

Optional voluntary resolution, effective only if completed and confirmed in a signed Landlord writing:

[EXACT CURE / DEADLINE / INSPECTION / WITHDRAWAL TERMS OR "NONE"]

Nothing in this section converts a termination notice into a statutory cure notice or waives the Landlord's rights without the stated signed confirmation.

6. RIGHT TO CONTEST

You have the right to contest this termination in court.

If the Landlord files a forcible entry and detainer action, you will receive a summons and complaint identifying the hearing. You must attend to dispute the alleged facts or raise victim protection, retaliation, accommodation, discrimination, habitability, service, or other applicable defenses.

7. VICTIM-PROTECTION CAUTION

Section 6001(6) protects a qualifying victim from eviction based on specified incidents or threats of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking against the victim, or on protected reporting. It also permits action against a perpetrator.

If the alleged conduct was perpetrated against you, promptly obtain legal advice and provide permitted documentation.

8. REQUIRED JUDICIAL BRANCH FORM

Current Maine Judicial Branch Form CV-256 is attached and served with this residential termination notice.

☐ Form CV-256 attached.

Form revision shown on attachment: [____________________].

9. LANDLORD SIGNATURE

Dated: [__/__/____]

[________________________________]
[LANDLORD / AUTHORIZED SERVING AGENT NAME]
[TITLE OR CAPACITY]
[MAILING ADDRESS]
[TELEPHONE]
[EMAIL]

10. SERVICE RECORD

☐ In-hand service. I delivered this notice and Form CV-256 to [TENANT NAME] on [__/__/____] at [____] [AM/PM] at [LOCATION].

☐ Statutory fallback after three good-faith in-hand attempts. After the attempts listed below, I both mailed this notice and Form CV-256 by first-class mail to the tenant's last known address and left copies at the tenant's last and usual place of abode.

Date of both first-class mailing and abode delivery: [__/__/____].

[________________________________]
[SERVER NAME]

Dated: [__/__/____]

11. ATTORNEY REVIEW CHECKLIST

☐ The checked § 6002(1) ground fits the facts.

☐ The notice states specific facts and is supported by affirmative proof.

☐ Any lease-based route and § 6001(1-B)(A) issue are analyzed.

☐ Section 6001(6) victim protections are analyzed.

☐ Section 6001(3) and (4) retaliation issues are analyzed, including the subsection 3 exception.

☐ Any accommodation or fair-housing issue is analyzed.

☐ The termination date follows completed service.

☐ Current Form CV-256 is attached.

☐ Service complies with the in-hand rule or the complete statutory fallback.

☐ No self-help action will be taken.

12. OFFICIAL SOURCES

• 14 M.R.S. § 6001: https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/14/title14sec6001.html
• 14 M.R.S. § 6002: https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/14/title14sec6002.html
• Maine Rules of Civil Procedure, current Rule 80D: https://www.courts.maine.gov/rules/text/mr_civ_p_only_2026-06-01.pdf
• Maine Judicial Branch eviction resources and Form CV-256: https://www.courts.maine.gov/help/eviction/index.html