Tenants Rights / Rental Housing
| It's time to file for your Tax or Rent Refund from the State of Maine.
It's money in your pocket! Maximum refund is $1,600. Deadline: May 31, 2010. Get more details here. |
Rights of Tenants in Maine
(April 2009; partially updated September 2009)
Los derechos del inquilino en el Estado
de Maine (revisado en septiembre 2007; parcialmente actualizado septiembre 2009)
New Law Protects Tenants in Foreclosure
(May 2009)
Read about the federal law that gives you more time to relocate if your landlord loses the building to foreclosure.
MSHA Apartment Finder Website (November 2009)
Use this site to find affordable housing for rent. Sponsored by the Maine State Housing Authority and the Department
of Health and Human Services.
What Can I Do if My Landlord is Trying to Evict Me? (April 2009; partially updated September 2009)
Steps you can take if you're being evicted from
your home.
How to Get Your Security Deposit Back (April 2009)
If your landlord won't return your security deposit, read about the steps
you can take to get it back.
Cómo asegurar que se
reembolse su depósito de seguridad (.pdf)
Comment récupérer votre
dépôt de garantie (.pdf)
Sida aad ku heli kartid
lacagtii horumarinta guriga ee lagaa qaaday (Security Deposit) (.pdf)
Quý vi
làm sao de lây lai Tiên dat coc (.pdf)
Kit me Dwoko Wel Cente me ot
ma gi Keto Piny Cen (Security Deposit) (.pdf)
What You and Your Family Should Know About Lead
(October 2009)
Steps you can take to protect your children from lead paint, and where to get help.
Motels, Hotels and
Rooming Houses (July 2009)
Learn about your rights if you are living in a hotel, motel or rooming house
Maine Tax Refunds for
People Living in Motels and Tourist Camps (September 2009)
If you are a long-term resident (28 days or more), you should not be paying a lodging tax. Learn more...
How to Get Your Property Back from Your Landlord (September 2009)
Find out about the steps you can take to get your
things back, if your former landlord is holding on to them. Includes
sample court forms.
Public
Housing: Some Frequently Asked Questions (July
2002)
Learn about your rights if you are trying to get into
public housing, if you are living in public housing, or you are being evicted
from housing.
How Much Heat Does My Landlord Have to Provide? (September 2009)
Sharciga Guri Kireeyaha lyo Ka Kireeystaha (Landlord/Tenant Rights, in Somali) (October 2008)
Basic information about renting a home (downloadable slideshow, ~3mins).
This project sponsored by the Lewiston Education Fund.
Foreclosure Prevention / Predatory Lending
|
Subprime subterfuge
(MaineToday.com 2/18/07) Read about a Lewiston homeowner who lost out by signing onto bad
refinancing deals. Watch out! Don't be a victim. |
Foreclosure Prevention Toolkit
(Updated May 2009)
Home foreclosures are on the rise in Maine. This area of the law is complicated, but we have posted
a toolkit to help you better understand what you are up against if you can't make your mortgage payments.
Don't Borrow Trouble! (December 2005)
Watch out for unfair home loan deals. Predatory lending is on the rise in Maine.
Learn some basic rules to protect yourself and your home.
N’empruntez pas les soucis! (Décembre 2005)
Si vous ne voulez pas rester bloqué par un mauvais emprunt, faites attention
à ce qui suit.
¡No Tome Problemas Prestados! (diciembre de 2005)
¿Está buscando un préstamo con garantía inmobiliaria?
¿O está tratando de tomar dinero prestado para comprar una vivienda?
Hay buenos y malos negocios. Si no quiere quedar atado a uno malo, tenga cuidado.
Fair Housing
It is illegal for a landlord to refuse to rent to you because of your color, race,
religion, national origin, sex, disability, having children, or getting public aid.
Find out more, and what you can do about it.
General information
Fair Housing for People with Disabilities
(April 2009)
Frequently asked questions about fair housing,
who is covered, and the basic rules.
Fair
Housing: Your Right to Rent or Own a Home (September 2009)
El derecho a la vivienda: el alquiler o la posesión de una casa
(septiembre 2009)
Cadaaladda Guryaha: Xaqa Aad u Leedahay Guri Kireysasho ama
Guri Iibsasho (Janaayo 2003)
(
حقوق الإسكان:
حقّك
لاستئجار أو
لامتلاك بيتك
(يناير 2003
Logement Equitable: Votre Droit à la Location ou à l'Achat d'une Maison (mai 2004)
Закон о
справедливом
жилищном праве:
Ваши права при
съёме или
покупке жилья
(May 2004)
Fair
Lending (March 2009)
This explains common problems of discrimination in mortgage lending, how to
file a complaint if you are being discriminated against, and general information
about predatory and subprime lending.
Abused Women: Your Fair Housing Rights
(March 2005)
Sometimes women who have been abused have trouble getting and keeping
housing. Sellers and landlords must be fair to you.
Los derechos de las mujeres maltratadas a la vivienda razonable (marzo 2005)
One page fliers:(.pdf files)
Fair Housing in Maine (12/05)
Vivienda Justa en Maine (01/06)
公平住屋法 (11/04)
Logement Equitable dans le
Maine (03/05)
الإسكان العادل
في "مين" 04/12
Bɛ̈ï kε
Maine cïnic tiεεl (02/06)
سكونت منصفانه
(Fair Housing)
در مين 02/06
Homeowners
Foreclosure Prevention Toolkit
(updated February 2009)
Home foreclosures are on the rise in Maine. This area of the law is complicated, but we have posted
a toolkit to help you better understand what you are up against if you can't make your mortgage payments.
Homestead Exemption
form (revised October 2005)
Most Maine homeowners qualify for a partial tax exemption
on their main residence. (If you have applied and qualified before,
you don't have to reapply each year.)
| It's time to file for your Tax or Rent Refund from the State of Maine.
It's money in your pocket! Maximum refund is $1,600.Get more details here. |
I can't pay the taxes on my house. What can I do? (April 2009)
Explains what you can do to ask your town
for a "poverty tax abatement" if you can't afford to pay your
property tax.
View, download
or print a poverty tax abatement form. If
you are applying for a tax abatement because you can't afford to pay your
property taxes, ask your town for an application form. If they don't
have one, you can use our standard form. To view this document, you
need Adobe Acrobat Reader. (If you need help with Adobe Acrobat reader,
click here.)
The Maine State Housing Authority
lists subsidized rental
housing by county. This listing includes housing for the elderly and disabled, as
well as housing for families. They also list the
emergency shelters available
throughout the state.
MSHA also offers several programs to Maine residents,
to make housing safer and more affordable, including:
Lead Hazard Control
Program, offering up to $15,000 to eligible homeowners and
apartment owners to take control of lead hazards on their property.
The First Home Program offers low-interest loans
and down-payment assistance to eligible first time buyers.
Low Income Energy Assistance
Program (LIHEAP) helps low-income Mainers pay for their winter fuel
costs. Apply through your your county Community Action Program.
Section 8 Made Simple:
A Guide To The Housing Choice Voucher Program explains the basics of this major HUD-sponsored
housing subsidy program--from how to apply to how it works once you get in. Also includes informaion
about the newer Section 8 homeownership program. Posted by the Technical Assistance Collaborative.
The Rural Development
branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture offers several low-interest loan
programs to help people buy or repair their own homes.
Shelter Plus Care and
Bridging Rental Assistance Program (BRAP)
provide rental subsidies to mental health consumers and others with chronic illnesses and disabilities in need of
affordable
housing.
The
Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) assists people who are in danger of becoming homeless.
H.U.D. posts
Common Questions from First-time Homebuyers, which includes information about
FHA loans with low down-payments. HUD also offers this increasingly popular
Homeownership Voucher Program for people who want to convert their rental vouchers toward a home purchase.
HelpMELaw posts several links to help resources if you are
having problems with
utilities, such as electric shut-off or high bills you can't pay.
You can order from your nearest
Pine
Tree Legal Assistance office information on these additional topics:
Property Tax and Rent Refund Program Application Form If
you own your own home or pay rent, and have a low income, you may be eligible
for a money refund from the State. Apply each year between August
1st and May 31st. Or get online
form from Maine Revenue Services.
Notice of Tenant's Intent to Repair Defect and Deduct the Cost of Repairs
The Maine Warranty of Habitability Law
Common Area Metering
