An Act to Reduce Rental Housing Costs by Eliminating Additional Fees at or Prior to the Commencement of Tenancy
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 1490
Committee Amendment CA_A_H831 (House)
Amends: 14 MRSA §6000, 14 MRSA §6001, 14 MRSA §6015, 14 MRSA §6022-A, 14 MRSA §6030, 14 MRSA §6030-J

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" A" to H.P. 945, L.D. 1490, "An Act to Reduce 
Rental Housing Costs by Eliminating Additional Fees at or Prior to the Commencement of 
Tenancy" 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and inserting the 
following: 
'Sec, 1. 14 MRSA §6000, sub-§1-A is enacted to read: 
1-A. Mandatory recurring fee, "Mandatory recurring fee" means an amount of 
money paid, other than rent, on a predetermined recun-ing basis to fulfill requirements 
within a lease or tenancy at will agreement related to services or common areas. 
"Mandatory recurring fee" does not include fees for late, missed or insufficient payment of 
rent, repair costs, utility service costs, penalties or charges that are issued to reimburse the 
landlord for reasonable costs or that deter the tenant from violating the lease or tenancy at 
will agreement. 
Sec, 2. 14 MRSA §6000, sub-§1-B is enacted to read: 
1-B, Rent, "Rent" means an amount of money paid on a predetermined recurring basis 
to fulfill the requirements of a lease or tenancy at will agreement. "Rent" does not include 
security deposits, utility service costs, fees, penalties or charges that are issued to reimburse 
the landlord for reasonable costs or that deter the tenant from violating the lease or tenancy 
at will agreement. 
Sec. 3, 14 MRSA §6000, sub-§3-A is enacted to read: 
3-A, Utility service costs, "Utility se1vice costs" means costs associated with a 
dwelling unit's use of: 
A. Energy delivered for that dwelling unit; 
B. 
Services provided by a public ntility as defined in Title 35-A, section 102, 
subsection 13; 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A "to H.P. 945, L.D. 1490 
C. Services provided by a communications service as defined in Title 35-A. section 
9202, subsection 3: and 
D. Services provided by a municipality. 
Sec. 4. 14 MRSA §6001, sub-§3, 'l[A, as amended by PL 2023, c. 272, §1, is further 
amended to read: 
A. Asserted the tenant's rights pursuant to section 6015, 6016, 6021, 0r 6030-D, 6030-I 
or 6030-J; 
Sec. S. 14 MRSA §6015, as repealed and replaced by PL 2023, c. 388, §1, is 
amended to read: 
§6015. Notice of rent or mandatory recurring fee increase 
1. Increase of rent or mandatory recurring fees generally. Except as provided in 
subsection 2, rent or mandatory recurring fees charged for residential estates may be 
increased by the landlord only after providing at least 45 days' written notice to the tenant. 
A written or oral waiver of this requirement is against public policy and is void. Any person 
in violation of this section is liable for the return of any sums unlawfully obtained from the 
tenant, with interest, and reasonable attorney's fees and costs. 
2. Increase of 10% or more. If rent charged for a residential estate is increased by 
the landlord by 10% or more, the landlord must provide at least 75 days' written notice to 
the tenant. If the landlord increases rent more than once in a 12-month period, and the 
increases add up to a total increase of 10% or more, the landlord must provide at least 75 
days' written notice prior to any increase that brings the total increase in rent to 10% or 
more. A written or oral waiver of this requirement is against public policy and is void. 
Any person in violation of this subsection is liable for the return, with interest, of any sums 
unlawfully obtained from the tenant and reasonable attorney's fees and costs. 
This subsection does not apply to rental housing that is subject to: 
A. Requirements established by a document or deed recorded by a register of deeds 
that are designed to keep the housing affordable for tenants with specific income levels; 
B. Restrictions as a condition of the landlord's receipt of subsidies from or participation 
in a municipal, state or federal housing program; or 
C. Restrictions as a condition of the tenant's receipt of subsidies from or participation 
in a municipal, state or federal housing program. 
Sec. 6. 14 MRSA §6022-A is enacted to read: 
§6022-A. Limit on initial amount paid by tenant 
1. Limit on amount required to initiate tenancy. Upon entering a lease or tenancy 
at will agreement. a landlord. landlord's agent or real estate broker may not require a tenant 
to pay an initial amount of money in excess of the total of the rent for the first full month 
of occupancy, a security deposit as limited by section 6032 and any mandatoiy recurring 
fee as defined in section 6000, subsection 1-A that is properly disclosed under section 
6030-J. 
Sec, 7. 14 MRSA §6030, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2009, c. 566, §16, is fu1ther 
amended to read: 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" A" to H.P. 945, L.D. 1490 
2. Unenforceable provisions. The following lease or tenancy at will agreement or 
rule provisions for a dwelling unit, as defined in section 6021, are specifically declared to 
be unenforceable and in violation of Title 5, section 207: 
A. Any provision that absolves the landlord from liability for the negligence of the 
landlord or the landlord's agent; 
B. Any provision that requires the tenant to pay the landlord's legal fees in enforcing 
the lease or tenancy at will agreement; 
C. Any provision that requires the tenant to give a lien upon the tenant's property for 
the amount of any rent or other sums due the landlord; !Hld 
D. Any provision that requires the tenant to acknowledge that the provisions of the 
lease or tenancy at will agreement, including tenant rules, are fair and reasonable,~ 
E. Any provision that requires the tenant to pay a fee. penalty or other charge for the 
act of discontinuing tenancy. unless the fee. penalty or other charge is: 
(1) 
To recover reasonable expenses related to securing another tenant in 
circumstances in which the initial tenant has breached provisions of the lease or 
tenancy at will agreement related to notice regnired before discontinuing tenancy; 
(2) To collect unpaid rent due the landlord by the tenant; or 
(3) To recover reasonable expenses incurred in the repair of damage to a dwelling 
unit caused by the tenant. 
Retention of a security deposit or any portion of a security deposit for reasons permitted 
under section 6033 does not constitute a fee. penalty or other charge for the act of 
discontinuing tenancy; and 
F. Any provision that requires the tenant to pay an optional recurring fee in violation 
of section 6030-I or 6030-J or a mandatory recurring fee in violation of section 6030-J. 
Sec. 8. 14 MRSA §6030, sub-§4 is enacted to read: 
4, Total price disclosure. A lease or tenancy at will agreement is unenforceable if 
the landlord does not receive a signed copy of the total price disclosure as required by 
section 6030-J. 
Sec, 9. 14 MRSA §6030-1 is enacted to read: 
§6030-1. Optional recurring fee 
1, Definition. As used in this section, "optional recurring fee" means an amount of 
money paid for an added service or feature of a property that is not essential to meet the 
basic health or safety requirements necessary for a dwelling unit to be fit for human 
habitation as governed by section 6021. "Optional recurring fee" does not include a fee for 
the use of a coin-operated laundry machine or other inte1mittent fee not paid on a 
predetermined recurring basis. "Optional recmTing fee" does not include fees for late. 
missed 01· insufficient payment of rent. repair costs. utility service costs. penalties or 
charges that are issued to reimburse the landlord for reasonable costs or that deter the tenant 
from violating the lease or tenancy at will agreement. 
2. Permitted optional recurring fee. A landlord may impose an optional recurring 
fee only if the landlord provides the tenant with written notice. prior to the implementation 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to H.P. 945, L.D. 1490 
of the fee, that the tenant may opt in to using the services or property feature and cease 
paying the optional recurring fee at any time without penalty. A landlord may not deny or 
terminate a lease or tenancy at will agreement based on the tenant choosing to opt out of 
those services or property features or cease paying the optional recurring fee, 
Sec. 10, 14 MRSA §6030-J is enacted to read: 
§6030-J. Total price disclosure statement 
1. Definitions, As used in this section, unless the context otherwise iudicates, the 
following terms have the following meanings. 
A. "Mandatozy recurring fee" has the same meaning as in section 6000, subsection 
1-A. 
B. "Optional recurring fee" has the same meaning as in section 6030-I, subsection 1. 
C. "Rent" has the same meaning as in section 6000. subsection 1-B. 
D. "Utility service costs" has the same meaning as in section 6000. subsection 3-A. 
2. Written disclosure prior to tenancy, Notwithstanding any other provision of this 
chapter. prior to entering a lease or tenancy at will agreement. a landlord shall provide a 
potential tenant or lessee written disclosure of the costs the tenant or lessee will be 
responsible for paying pursuant to the lease or tenancy at will agreement that contains at a 
minimum the following: 
A. The total cost ofrent; 
B. Any mandat01y recutTing fee; 
C. Any optional recurring fee; 
D. Any utility service costs; and 
E. Any other cost that the tenant will be responsible for paying pursuant to the lease 
or tenancy at will agreement. 
The disclosure must be plain and readily understandable by the general public. If a landlord 
is unable to obtain utility service costs for a dwelling unit. the landlord may provide a 
completed residential rental energy efficiency disclosure statement in accordance with Title 
35-A, section 10117. subsection I. The disclosure must be signed by both parties. with a 
copy provided to each. 
3. Exception. A written disclosure under subsection 2 is not required if the tenant is 
not responsible for paying any mandatmy recurring fee or any optional recurring fee. 
Sec, 11. Effective date. This Act takes effect Janua1y 1. 2025.' 
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or section 
number to read consecutively, 
SUMMARY 
This amendment replaces the bill and does the following in the laws regarding rental 
property. 
1. It adds definitions for "mandato1y recurring fee," "rent," "utility service costs" and 
"optional recurring fee." 
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COMMIITEEAMENDMENT"A "toH,P.945,L.D.1490 
2. It adds mandatmy recurring fees to the notice of rent increase requirement for 
landlords, requiring them to provide notice to tenants 45 days in advance of a fee increase. 
3. It creates a limit on the amount of money required to initiate tenancy. 
4. It adds provisions requiring tenants to pay certain charges to the list of unenforceable 
provisions currently in law. 
5. It requires landlords to provide a total price disclosure statement to potential tenants 
or lessees. 
The amendment also adds an effective date of January 1, 2025, 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT