[i] 14 M.R.S.A. section 6002(3).
Abandoned Property
Maine has a specific law that a landlord must follow if you leave personal belongings at the rental property.[i] A landlord must store your belongings in a safe, dry, secured location and must provide written notice by mail to you of their intent to dispose of your personal belongings. You have 7 days to respond to the notice, and if you do the landlord must continue to store the belongings for an additional 7 days. A landlord must release the belongings to you during that time and cannot first require payment as a condition, even if you owe the landlord money.
If you fail to respond to the notice or, after responding to the notice fail to claim the belongings within the 14 days, then the landlord can dispose of the belongings. If the landlord sells them, all proceeds must be applied to your debts to the landlord.
You can waive these requirements, but only after or upon vacating the home and not before.
[i] 14 M.R.S.A. section 6013.
Landlord’s Duty to Mitigate (to Find a New Tenant)
If you terminate a tenancy during its term (before a lease expires or while in a tenancy at will) and stop paying rent, the landlord must attempt to find a new tenant. This is known as a duty to mitigate, and it is required by law.[i] If a landlord sues you for unpaid rent in this situation, then the amount of recovery must be reduced by what the landlord would have been able to obtain through reasonable efforts to re-rent.
[i] 14 M.R.S.A. section 6010-A.
Illegal Agreements