Portland, ME Rental Property Rules: Just Cause Eviction (2026)
Just cause eviction rules in Portland, ME, sometimes called tenant protection or "for cause" eviction ordinances, list the specific legal reasons a landlord can end a tenancy.
Key Facts
- Default notice
- 90 days, written
- For-cause exception
- 7 days, under 14 M.R.S. § 6002(1)
- Short-term rentals
- Under 30-day terms exempt
- 1-month buyout
- Shortens notice to 60-89 days
- 2-month buyout
- Shortens notice to 30-59 days
- Applies to
- Covered Units only (§ 6-231 exemptions apply)
Summary
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.
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 outlined herein; 3. Where a Landlord provides the amount of one month's rent as reimbursement to Tenant for the inconvenience of termination, tenancies may be terminated by notice to the Tenant of sixty (60) to eighty-nine (89) days; 4. Where a Landlord provides the amount of two months' rent as reimbursement to Tenant for the inconvenience of termination, tenancies may be terminated by notice to the Tenant of thirty (30) to fifty-nine (59) days.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
Section 6-236, part of the Rent Stabilization Ordinance (Ch. 6, Art. § 6002(1), which landlords may still use. Two other carve-outs shorten the timeline: short-term rentals let for fewer than 30 days are exempt from the 90-day floor entirely, and a landlord who pays a lump-sum buyout, one month's rent, may terminate on 60 to 89 days' notice, or two months' rent for 30 to 59 days' notice. Subsection (b) makes clear that buyout payments are a single lump sum for the whole unit, and it is up to the tenants occupying that unit to divide the money among themselves.
Because § 6-236 sits inside the Rent Stabilization Ordinance, it only reaches Covered Units, the same units, and the same § 6-231 exemptions (owner-occupied two-to-four unit buildings, subsidized housing, dorms, ADUs, and so on), that apply to the rent cap itself. Section 6-237(e) backs the notice rule with an anti-retaliation provision: any adverse action against a tenant, including a notice to quit, within six months of the tenant filing a Rent Board complaint is presumed retaliatory.
Violations & Fines
A termination notice given with fewer than 90 days' notice, without qualifying for the 7-day for-cause exception, the short-term-rental exemption, or a compliant buyout under § 6-236(a), violates the Rent Stabilization Ordinance. Landlords who evict or otherwise retaliate against a tenant within six months of a Rent Board complaint face the rebuttable presumption of retaliation in § 6-237(e).
Frequently Asked Questions
How much notice does a Portland, Maine landlord need to end a tenancy?
Can a Portland landlord shorten the 90-day notice by paying the tenant?
Does Portland's 90-day notice rule apply to every rental?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Portland
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