Landlord Obligations & Information
State law contains specific rights and obligations for tenants and landlords. The following resources provide general information on Maine landlord/tenant laws. For specific advice, you should contact an attorney.
Consumer Law Guide
The Maine Attorney General's Office publishes the Consumer Law Guide, a technical summary of the law with references to the specific statutes. The Guide includes chapters on consumer rights when renting an apartment (Chapter 14), consumer rights when living in a mobile home (chapter 15), and a model lease (Chapter 16). For more information, see www.maine.gov/ag and click on the Consumer Law Guide, or call 1-800-436-2131.
Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are becoming much more common in Maine. For more information regarding landlord and tenant responsibilities related to bed bugs, see also Pine Tree Legal Assistance's The Rights of Tenants in Maine 
. Additional information, including a link to the relevant statutory language, is available on the Maine CDC website.
Energy Efficiency
A tenant who will be paying energy costs has the right to get information on the last 12 months of energy use from the energy supplier(s). Before a tenant enters into a contract or pays a deposit to rent or lease a property, the landlord shall provide the energy efficiency disclosure statement, obtain a signature, and keep a copy on file for three years.
Radon Testing
Under Maine law, Landlords are required to have the air in each building with rental units tested for the presence of radonany radon. Testing in residential rental buildings must be conducted according to proper protocols and in accordance with rules adopted by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. Additionally, Maine law gives the Tenant the right to conduct radon tests in their dwelling unit. They may hire a registered radon tester or conduct the test themselves.
A copy of the original results report will be made available for viewing by the Tenant. Radon mitigation is recommended, but not required, for radon levels of 4 pCi/l or higher. However, if radon levels of 4.0 pCi/l or higher are not mitigated, the landlord or Tenant have the option to end the lease after providing at least 30 days’ notice.
A Tenant may request a re-test after 10 years from the date above, unless the landlord has installed and maintains a functioning radon mitigation system.
Smoke Detectors and Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Landlords are required to provide working smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors at the time a property or unit is rented. Tenants are required to keep the batteries in the detectors charged and to test the detectors. Tenants are prohibited from disabling the smoke detectors. Landlords are required to repair or replace a smoke detector or carbon monoxide detector if a tenant provides written notice to the landlord that the detector is not working properly.
Smoking Policies
Landlords are required to provide written notice to tenants and potential tenants about whether or not smoking is allowed. The notice must state whether smoking is prohibited on the premises, allowed on the premises, or allowed in limited areas. If the landlord allows smoking in limited areas, the notice must identify where smoking is allowed. A landlord may notify a tenant of the smoking policy in a written lease agreement, or provide a separate written notice. The landlord must provide this written notice before a tenant enters into a contract or pays a deposit to rent or lease the property.
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