Free Maine Residential Lease Agreement

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A configurable Maine residential lease agreement that generates a signable multi-page PDF. Built to Title 14, chapters 709, 710 and 710-A — the two-month deposit cap, the 21-day and 30-day return split, the mandatory radon test, and the two acts that took effect 29 July 2026.

Maine 14 M.R.S. 6021 Radon Test Required Free PDF 2026 Edition

A Maine residential lease agreement is the written contract governed by Maine Revised Statutes Title 14 — the eviction and notice rules in chapter 709 at sections 6000 to 6017, the rental-property duties in chapter 710 at 6021 to 6030-K, and the security-deposit rules in their own separate chapter, 710-A, at 6031 to 6039. Maine is a strong tenant-protection state and it has legislated hard and often: the deposit is capped at two months’ rent and comes back in either 21 or up to 30 days depending on whether the tenancy was written down; rent is not late until fifteen days after it is due and the penalty is capped at four per cent; a rent increase takes 45 days notice and 75 if it reaches ten per cent; and Maine actually requires a landlord to test the building for radon, not merely to disclose what is known. Two more changes took effect on 29 July 2026 and are not yet in the state’s own codified text: mold is now part of the implied warranty of habitability, and the unlawful-entry remedy rose to two hundred fifty dollars alongside a brand-new ban on disclosing a tenant’s personal information.

Complete the fields below to generate a Maine residential lease agreement as a signable multi-page PDF. Every field you fill is written into the document, including the utility allocations, the radon result, the deposit account and each disclosure you check, and the generated lease cites the controlling Maine section at each point. Before handing over keys, run proper tenant screening — and note that Maine regulates the screening step itself and bans the application fee outright. Pair the signed lease with a Maine move-in / move-out checklist, because a documented move-in condition is the only practical defence to the 6034 double-damages claim.

Maine recognises the ordinary range, but the distinction that carries the most legal weight is between a written rental agreement and a tenancy at will. A written fixed-term lease runs for a stated period and expires on its own terms. A tenancy at will is the default where no written agreement fixes a term, and Title 14 refers to it constantly — 6002 is headed “Tenancy at will”, and 6022-A, 6024, 6030-C, 6030-E, 6030-J and 6033 all draw a line between a lease and a tenancy at will agreement.

The practical consequences are real. A tenancy at will ends on a minimum of 30 days’ written notice by either party under 6002. Its security deposit comes back in 21 days under 6033(2)(B), not in whatever period a written lease might have set. And 6002(1) gives the landlord a set of 7-day for-cause notices that sit alongside the 30-day notice and may be combined with it in a single document.

A room or roommate arrangement and a sublease both work in Maine, but note that the security deposit chapter applies to whoever is holding the money as landlord. A mobile home tenancy is expressly within the habitability section — 6021(1) names mobile homes in the definition of a dwelling unit — though mobile home park tenancies carry their own additional rules outside this form. A commercial lease is not governed by these chapters at all; 14 M.R.S. 6017 handles commercial tenancies separately, and nothing on this page applies to one.

One drafting note. Nothing in Maine law requires a residential lease to be notarized or witnessed. But writing the arrangement down changes its legal character, because an unwritten arrangement is a tenancy at will, with the shorter deposit deadline and the 30-day termination mechanics that go with it. If the parties intend a year, the year should be on paper.

Two months’ rent. 14 M.R.S. 6032 says it in one sentence: a lease or tenancy at will agreement for a dwelling intended for human habitation may not require a security deposit equivalent to more than the rent for two months. Section 6031(2) defines a security deposit as any advance or deposit of money the primary purpose of which is to secure performance of the agreement — a functional test, so relabelling deposit money as something else does not move it outside the chapter.

There is a second ceiling most coverage misses entirely. 14 M.R.S. 6022-A caps the total initial payment: on entering a lease or tenancy at will agreement, a landlord, a landlord’s agent or a real estate broker may not require the tenant to pay an initial amount of money in excess of the total of the rent for the first full month of occupancy, plus a security deposit within the 6032 cap, plus any mandatory recurring fee as defined in 6000(1-A) that is properly disclosed under 6030-J. Last month’s rent collected at signing, a move-in fee, an administration fee, a redecoration fee — none of them is on that list, and none may be demanded to start a Maine tenancy.

Maine also permits a surety bond in place of some or all of the deposit under 14 M.R.S. 6039, with one important asymmetry: the landlord may offer it, but may never require it, and is never obliged to accept one. The bond may not exceed two months’ rent, and where a tenant provides both a bond and a cash deposit the aggregate may not exceed two months’ rent. A landlord who demands more faces recovery of up to three times the excess plus reasonable attorney’s fees and court costs, on the same seven-day pre-suit notice the deposit sections use, with the burden of proof on the landlord. The surety must also disclose in writing that the premium is nonrefundable and that the bond is not insurance for the tenant.

It depends on the kind of tenancy, and this is the single most commonly mis-stated figure in Maine coverage. 14 M.R.S. 6033(2) sets two deadlines and lets the tenancy type choose between them:

• Written rental agreement — 6033(2)(A): within the time stated in that agreement, not to exceed 30 days. A written lease that states no return period has nothing shorter to fall back on, so the statutory ceiling governs.
• Tenancy at will — 6033(2)(B): within 21 days after termination of the tenancy or the surrender and acceptance of the premises, whichever occurs later.

Whichever applies, the landlord must return the full deposit or provide a written statement itemizing the reasons for retention — and that statement must be accompanied by full payment of the difference between the deposit and the amount retained. Sending an itemization now and the balance later is not compliance. The statute names some permitted reasons expressly: the costs of storing and disposing of unclaimed property, nonpayment of rent, and nonpayment of utility charges the tenant was required to pay directly to the landlord. Mailing the statement and any payment to the tenant’s last known address is treated as compliance, which is why a forwarding address is worth putting in writing.

What may not be deducted is normal wear and tear (6033(1)). Section 6031(1) defines it as deterioration occurring from intended use without negligence, carelessness, accident or abuse — and then does something unusually helpful for landlords: it expressly excludes from normal wear and tear the landlord’s costs of removing property the tenant abandoned and of restoring the unit to a habitable condition, unless those costs were caused by the landlord’s own actions, by unforeseeable events, or by third parties.

Two separate sanctions run, and most summaries mention only one of them.

The first is forfeiture, in 14 M.R.S. 6033(3): if the landlord fails to provide the written statement or to return the deposit within the 6033(2) period, the landlord shall forfeit the right to withhold any portion of the security deposit. This is not a rule that makes the deductions disputable — it removes the entitlement to make them at all. A landlord who was owed genuine damages and simply filed the paperwork late loses the claim against the deposit entirely.

The second is double damages, in 14 M.R.S. 6034, and it comes with a procedure the tenant must follow. Where the landlord has missed the deadline, the tenant must give the landlord notice of intention to bring a legal action no less than seven days before commencing it. If the landlord then fails to return the entire deposit within that seven-day window, it is presumed that the landlord is wrongfully retaining it. Wrongful retention renders the landlord liable for double the amount of the portion wrongfully withheld, together with reasonable attorney’s fees and court costs. And 6034(3) reverses the usual burden: in any action brought by a tenant under the section, the landlord has the burden of proving that the withholding was not wrongful.

There is a third exposure that has nothing to do with the deadline. Under 14 M.R.S. 6038, a security deposit may not be treated as an asset commingled with the assets of the landlord or of any other entity or person, and on the tenant’s request the landlord must disclose the financial institution and the account number where it is held. One account may hold deposits for several tenants, including tenants of separately owned buildings, provided the same landlord controls them. A landlord who violates 6038 owes the tenant actual damages, five hundred dollars, or the equivalent of one month’s rent, whichever is greatest, plus the aggregate costs and expenses, and the court may add attorney’s fees. Those remedies applied to deposits collected after 1 June 2010 and, since 1 October 2010, to every deposit a landlord holds.

See our Maine security deposit laws guide and the Maine security deposit itemization form, which produces the written statement 6033(2) requires.

No — and the exemption is wide enough to change the answer for a large share of Maine’s housing stock. 14 M.R.S. 6037(2) provides that chapter 710-A shall not apply to any tenancy for a dwelling unit which is part of a structure containing no more than five dwelling units, one of which is occupied by the landlord.

Read that against the chapter it disapplies. In an owner-occupied duplex, triple-decker or five-unit building there is no statutory two-month cap, no statutory return deadline, no forfeiture rule in 6033(3), no double damages in 6034, and no commingling ban in 6038. Section 6037(1) adds a second exemption for a lessor who appears as mortgagor under a mortgage guaranteed by the United States, to the extent the chapter conflicts with that mortgage. The same owner-occupied exemption then reappears at 6022(3), taking those landlords out of the written rent-receipt duty as well.

What the exemption does not touch is everything outside chapter 710-A. Habitability under 6021, the radon test under 6030-D, bed bug duties under 6021-A, entry under 6025, notice periods under 6002 and 6015, late fees under 6028, the disclosures in chapter 710 and the prohibited-provision rules in 6030 all continue to apply in full. This is why the builder above asks whether the landlord occupies a unit: a lease that recites a statutory deposit cap in a building where none applies is misleading, while a lease that says nothing leaves the tenant with no protection at all. The generated document states the position and makes the deposit terms a contractual promise the landlord agrees to be bound by.

Reasonable notice — and 14 M.R.S. 6025(2) says that “twenty-four hours is presumed to be a reasonable notice in the absence of evidence to the contrary”. The wording matters. Maine does not grant a landlord an absolute right to enter on 24 hours’ notice; it creates a presumption that 24 hours is reasonable, and a presumption can be displaced by evidence in either direction. Entry must also be at reasonable times, and the notice requirement gives way in an emergency or where notice is impracticable. Under 6025-A an emergency in which the welfare of an animal is at risk is separate grounds for entry without the 24 hours.

The tenant’s side of 6025(1) is that the tenant may not unreasonably withhold consent to entry to inspect, make necessary or agreed repairs, decorations, alterations or improvements, supply necessary or agreed services, or exhibit the unit to prospective or actual purchasers, mortgagees, tenants, workers or contractors. A tenant may not change the lock without notifying the landlord and supplying a duplicate key within 48 hours — except that a victim, as defined in 6000(4), may change the locks at the victim’s own expense and has 72 hours to supply the duplicate. A tenant who changes the lock and refuses the duplicate can be given a 7-day notice to terminate.

The remedy figure changed on 29 July 2026 and no competing page carries it. Public Law 2025, chapter 767 amended 6025(3) to strike one hundred dollars and insert two hundred fifty dollars. The remedy is not confined to a naked unlawful entry: it runs where the landlord makes an entry in violation of the section, makes a lawful entry in an unreasonable manner, or makes repeated demands for entry that are otherwise lawful but have the effect of harassing the tenant. The tenant may recover actual damages or two hundred fifty dollars, whichever is greater, obtain injunctive relief to prevent recurrence, and recover reasonable attorney’s fees on a judgment after a contested hearing. Section 6025(4) makes any tenant waiver of the section against public policy and void.

The same 2026 act created something entirely new. 14 M.R.S. 6025-B bars a landlord, the landlord’s agent, or anyone acting under the landlord’s direction from disclosing a tenant’s, prospective tenant’s or occupant’s personal information where the disclosure is made with the intent to harass, intimidate or otherwise cause a person to vacate outside the judicial process of chapter 709, and without a legitimate business purpose, and without express consent. The definition is broad: identifying details, information about racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, health conditions, sexual orientation or gender identity, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, social security or licence numbers, financial and payment information, and a person’s status as a victim of a crime. Five exceptions cover discovery and subpoenas, Maine law enforcement in exigent circumstances, a sale or refinancing, affordable-housing programme administration, and a request from a municipal code enforcement officer or fire inspector. The remedy is actual damages or one thousand dollars, whichever is greater, plus injunctive relief and attorney’s fees — and the same act made a 6025-B violation grounds for a protection-from-harassment complaint. See our Maine landlord entry laws guide and the Maine notice to enter form.

No more than four per cent of one month’s rent, no earlier than fifteen days after the due date, and only if the tenant was told in writing at signing. 14 M.R.S. 6028 has three subsections and every one of them bites.

Subsection (1) fixes when rent is late: “A payment of rent is late if it is not made within 15 days from the time the payment is due.” A Maine lease cannot make rent late on day two by saying so. Subsection (2) fixes the ceiling: a landlord may not assess a penalty for late payment which exceeds 4 per cent of the amount due for one month. And subsection (3) is the one landlords lose on: a landlord may not assess a penalty for late payment at all unless the landlord gave the tenant written notice at the time they entered into the rental agreement that a penalty of up to 4 per cent of one month’s rent may be charged.

That third requirement is a precondition, not a formality, and it cannot be cured later. A tenancy papered without the notice cannot acquire a late fee halfway through — which is why the generated lease treats the late-payment notice as a numbered disclosure in section 12 as well as a clause in section 5. Our Maine late fee laws guide covers the mechanics, and the Maine late rent notice handles the demand itself.

Forty-five days — and seventy-five if the increase reaches ten per cent. 14 M.R.S. 6015(1) requires at least 45 days’ written notice before rent is increased, and note the scope: the section covers rent and any mandatory recurring fee, so raising a monthly common-area or services charge needs the same notice as raising the rent itself.

Subsection (2) adds the second tier. Where rent is increased by 10 per cent or more, the landlord must provide at least 75 days’ written notice. And the anti-salami rule: where the landlord increases rent more than once in a 12-month period and the increases add up to 10 per cent or more, the 75-day notice must precede whichever increase carries the running total across that line. Subsection (2) does not reach rental housing subject to affordability requirements, a housing subsidy, or a subsidy conditioned on the tenant.

A written or oral waiver of 6015 is against public policy and void, and a landlord in violation is liable for the return of any sums unlawfully obtained, with interest, and reasonable attorney’s fees and costs.

There is a separate, absolute bar that almost nothing in circulation mentions. 14 M.R.S. 6016 provides that rent charged for residential estates may not be increased if the dwelling unit is in violation of the warranty of habitability. A violation caused by the tenant, the tenant’s family, guests or invitees does not bar the increase. Waiver is void, and the landlord is again liable for the return of any sums unlawfully obtained with interest, attorneys’ fees and costs. Read together with the new mold standard below, an unremediated damp condition now freezes the rent as well as breaching the warranty. See our Maine rent increase laws guide and the