Portland, ME Rental Property Rules: Rent Control (2026)
Rent control rules in Portland, ME, also known as rent stabilization or rent cap ordinances, limit annual rent increases and protect tenants from displacement.
Key Facts
- Governing law
- Rent Stabilization Ordinance, Ch. 6 Art. VI
- Annual cap formula
- 70% of Boston-area CPI-U change
- Hard ceiling per increase
- 10 percent maximum
- Base rent snapshot date
- Rent charged as of June 1, 2020
- Turnover increase allowed
- 5% extra on voluntary vacancy
- Enforcement body
- Housing Safety Office & Rent Board
- Enacted
- By referendum, 11-3-2020; amended 11-8-2022
Summary
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.
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 higher education, or by Portland Public Schools; (d) Rental Units within a building containing only two (2), three (3) or four (4) dwelling units, one of which the property owner currently occupies as his or her principal residence; (e) Accommodations where the amount of rent charged is either controlled or subsidized by a federal, state, or local governmental agency; and (f) Accessory dwelling units, as defined and understood in Chapter 14 of this Portland City Code.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
The ordinance, enacted by referendum on November 3, 2020 and amended November 8, 2022, applies to Rental Units within the City limits of Portland unless exempted under Sec. 6-231, municipal-housing-authority units, hospital or religious accommodations, college or Portland Public Schools dormitories, buildings with two to four units where the owner occupies one as a principal residence, government-subsidized rents, and accessory dwelling units defined in the Land Use Code. Every covered rental must be registered with the City under Sec. 6-151, and Sec. 6-233 fixes each unit's Base Rent from the amount charged as of June 1, 2020 (or, for units entering the market later, the rent charged 120 days before registration became required).
Sec. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and announced by the Housing Safety Office every September 1. Landlords may add a one-time 5 percent increase on voluntary tenant turnover, apply banked prior-year increases, or petition the Rent Board for a larger increase to secure a fair return on investment using net-operating-income methodology, but Sec. 6-234(c) caps any single increase at 10 percent, with the excess banked for future years. The Rent Board, created under Sec. , administers appeals and can penalize landlords who overcharge.
Violations & Fines
Charging rent above the registered Base Rent plus permitted increases violates Sec. 235.1, and any single increase exceeding the 10 percent ceiling in Sec. 6-234(c) is void as to the excess. The Housing Safety Office investigates overcharge reports; unresolved disputes go to the Rent Board for a de novo hearing under Sec. 6-263(c), which can order refunds and set penalties consistent with the Code.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Portland, Maine have rent control?
Which Portland rentals are exempt from the rent cap?
How is Portland's annual rent increase cap calculated?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Portland
Compare Portland to another location·View the Maine rental property rules overview
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