Application Fees
Many landlords require applications to evaluate prospective tenants. In Maine, landlords cannot charge application fees.[i] A landlord can require you, an applicant, to pay for the actual cost of one screening process (such as a background check or credit check). However, the landlord can do so only if they have notified you that they are legally required to provide to you a complete copy of all information obtained from that process.
Total Price Disclosure
A landlord must also provide you with a written disclosure of all costs that you will be responsible for paying if you become a tenant.[ii] This Total Price Disclosure must include the total cost of rent, usually stated as a monthly amount, and any mandatory or optional recurring fees, utility service costs, and any other cost for which you are responsible, and it must be signed by both you and the landlord. A model total price disclosure is provided in our model residential lease guide.
Energy Efficiency Disclosure
Before a lease is signed or you pay a deposit to a landlord, the landlord must provide a disclosure to you that includes information about the energy efficiency of the rental property.[iii] Alternatively, the landlord may include in the application for prospective tenants the name of each supplier of energy for the rental property and the following statement: “You have the right to obtain a 12-month history of energy consumption and the cost of that consumption from the energy supplier.”
Other Required Landlord Disclosures
A landlord must[iv] make additional disclosures to you before entering into a tenancy, including:
The results of radon testing;[v]
Their smoking policy;[vi] and
A lead paint disclosure.[vii]
[i] 14 M.R.S.A. section 6030-H.