This bill requires landlords to provide 75 days written notice if they are increasing the rent charged for residential estate by 10% or more. Smaller rent increases continue to require 45 days written notice.
Rent increases are common in the current housing market. When tenants have short notice of needing to find new housing or find a way to cover a rent increase, that limits their options. In Maine, over a third of renters already pay more than 30% of their income on housing, and two thirds of extremely low income households pay more than 60% of their income on housing. These unsustainable conditions put Maine renters at high risk of homelessness. It is critical we increase the time they have to navigate any rent increases.
After being amended in committee, the bill passed both houses and became law without the governor’s signature.
Senate Roll Call #432, no House roll call