Maine Repair Request Letter to Landlord
A free Maine repair request letter to landlord that follows Maine law. Fill in the boxes, check the rules below, then print or copy it. Keep a copy and proof of how you sent it.
What Maine law says
| Repair and deduct | Allowed for conditions that endanger or materially impair health or safety when the reasonable cost is less than the greater of $500 or 1/2 of the monthly rent. Tenant must give written notice of intent by certified mail (return receipt); landlord has 14 days to fix (or as promptly as conditions require in an emergency). Tenant then deducts the actual reasonable cost with an itemized statement. Source: 14 M.R.S. § 6026 |
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| Withholding rent | No statutory self-help rent withholding. Remedies for habitability breaches run through court: a tenant who was current on rent when giving written notice may sue under the warranty of habitability for injunction and rent abatement; a tenant sued for nonpayment may raise the landlord's habitability breach as a defense. |
| Landlord retaliation | Rebuttable presumption of retaliation if the landlord files an eviction within 6 months after the tenant: asserted rights under §§ 6015, 6016, 6021, 6030-D, 6030-I or 6030-J; made a good-faith code complaint (or a code agency filed one); made a good-faith written complaint or repair request; filed a fair-housing complaint with the Maine Human Rights Commission or HUD; notified the landlord of domestic violence/sexual assault/stalking victim status; or reported sexual harassment by the landlord. Source: 14 M.R.S. § 6001(3) |
| Heat | When the lease obligates the landlord to provide heat, the heating system must be able to keep at least 68°F (measured 3 feet from exterior walls and 5 feet above the floor, at an outside temperature of -20°F). The landlord must not keep it so cold that it is injurious to health and must keep pipes and systems from freezing. Falling short breaches the warranty of habitability. A landlord and tenant can agree in a separate signed writing to a lower setting, but not below 62°F, with a fair rent reduction. The agreement is revocable and not allowed if anyone over 65 or under 5 lives there. No statewide heating season is set. Source: 14 M.R.S. § 6021(6), (6-A) |
| Mold | Yes, by statute. It is a breach of the implied warranty of habitability for a landlord to offer for rent a unit with a leaking event (a water leak from flooding or a roof, window, door, plumbing, foundation or appliance failure), or chronic moisture or humidity outside the tenant's control, that results in the growth of mold, bacteria or other biological organisms. A tenant who gave written notice, is current on rent and did not cause the condition can sue; the court can order repairs, reduce rent to the unit's fair value, or let the tenant temporarily vacate without paying. Municipalities may adopt stricter standards. |
Fill in your letter
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To: [landlord or manager name], [landlord address]
From: [your name], tenant at [rental address]
I am asking you to repair the following problems at my rental: [describe each problem, where it is, and when it started].
I first reported this on [date first reported] by [phone, text, email, portal or letter].
Please make these repairs by [date]. You may enter to make repairs after giving the notice required by law; times that work for me: [access times].
Maine law protects tenants from retaliation for asking for repairs (14 M.R.S. § 6001(3)).
Date: [today's date]
Tenant: [your name]
Signature: ____________________
How to send it: use a method you can prove — certified mail with return receipt, or email/text if your lease allows notices that way. Write down the date.
Repair Request Letter to Landlord templates for other states · All Maine landlord-tenant rules · Free legal help in Maine
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.