[§521-2] Purposes; rules of construction.
(a) This chapter shall be liberally construed and applied to promote its
underlying purposes and policies.
(b) The underlying purposes and policies of
this chapter are:
(1) To simplify, clarify, modernize, and revise the
law governing the rental of dwelling units and the rights and obligations of
landlords and tenants of dwelling units;
(2) To encourage landlords and tenants to maintain
and improve the quality of housing in this State; and
(3) To revise the law of residential landlord and
tenant by changing the relationship from one based on the law of conveyance to
a relationship that is primarily contractual in nature. [L 1972, c 132, pt of
§1]