Rental Property Rules in Portland, ME (2026)
5 verified rental property rules for Portland, Maine, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Rent Control
Portland caps how much landlords can raise rent on most rental units under the voter-approved Rent Stabilization Ordinance, Code of Ordinances Chapter 6, Article VI. The Housing Safety Office sets an Allowable Increase Percentage every September equal to 70 percent of the change in the Boston-area Consumer Price Index, and Sec. 6-231 exempts owner-occupied two-to-four-unit buildings, subsidized housing, dorms, religious facilities and accessory dwelling units from the cap.
Portland, ME Rent Stabilization Ordinance
Significant RestrictionsPortland Code of Ordinances § 6-231 (Rent Stabilization Ordinance, Ch. 6)
This Article shall apply to Rental Units in the City limits of Portland, exempting the following: (a) Rental Units owned, operated, or otherwise managed by municipal housing authorities, as defined in 30-A M.R.S. §4721(1), as amended; (b) Accommodations provided in a hospital, convent, church, religious facility, or extended care facility; (c) Dormitories owned and operated by an institution of...
Just Cause Eviction
Portland landlords can't end a tenancy on short notice. Code of Ordinances § 6-236(a) requires a minimum 90-day written notice to terminate, dropping only for a 7-day for-cause termination under 14 M.R.S. § 6002(1), a short-term rental under 30 days, or if the landlord pays one or two months' rent to shorten the notice to 60-89 or 30-59 days.
Portland 90-Day Tenancy Termination Notice
Significant RestrictionsPortland Code of Ordinances § 6-236(a) (Rent Stabilization Ordinance, Ch. 6)
In order to be terminated by a Landlord, all tenancies must be terminated by providing a minimum of 90 days' written notice to Tenant except as provided below: 1. "For Cause" tenancies terminable on 7 days' notice pursuant to 14 M.R.S. § 6002(1) may be terminated in accordance with Section 6002(1); 2. Short-term rentals with a term of fewer than 30 days' are exempt from the 90-day notice period...
Rental Registration
Every rental unit in Portland, long-term or short-term, must be registered with the Permitting and Inspections Department under City Code §§ 6-150-6-151, renewed every January 1, with a new unit required to register within 14 days of entering the rental market.
Portland Residential Rental Unit Registration
Some RestrictionsPortland Code of Ordinances §§ 6-150, 6-151
This article is intended to require the disclosure of the ownership of such property, and to regulate the renting of property within the City, and to make owners and persons responsible for the maintenance of property more accessible and accountable with respect to the premises... Sec. 6-151. Registration required. (a) Registration of Ownership. 1. Rental units must be registered in accordance ...
Rent Increase Notice
Before raising rent on a covered unit, a Portland landlord must deliver a signed written notice at least 90 days before the increase takes effect. Code of Ordinances § 6-234(d) requires the notice to state the tenancy start date, the increase date and amount, any remaining banked rent, and the increase's justification: a notice missing that information is void.
Portland Rent Increase 90-Day Notice Rule
Some RestrictionsPortland Code of Ordinances § 6-234(d) (Rent Stabilization Ordinance, Ch. 6)
Before increasing the rent of a Covered Unit, a Landlord must send a signed document to the Tenant(s) no fewer than ninety (90) days before the effective date of the rent increase. This document must include the date on which the Tenancy began, the date on which the rent will be increased, the amount of the increase, any remaining Banked Rent that has not been included in the Rent increase, and...
Repairs & Habitability
Portland's Housing Code sets minimum structural habitability standards for every dwelling in the city. Sec. 6-108 bars occupying or renting a unit whose foundations, walls, roof, floors, windows, or stairways fail to meet weathertight, vermin-proof, and structurally sound standards, and unfit properties can be condemned.
Portland Minimum Habitability Standards For Rentals
Significant RestrictionsPortland Code of Ordinances § 6-108
No person shall occupy as owner-occupant or shall allow another to occupy any dwelling, dwelling unit, rooming house, rooming unit, or a combination of the same, which does not comply with the following minimum standards: (a) Foundations, basements, cellars, exterior walls, roofs. Every foundation, basement, cellar, exterior wall, and roof shall be substantially weathertight, watertight, and ve...