Standard Residential Lease

Complete the signed total-price disclosure before entering the agreement, showing rent, mandatory and optional recurring fees, utility costs and other tenant charges. Give each party a copy. Distinguish optional services and their cancellation terms from required charges rather than burying them in a single rent figure.

Review the energy-efficiency information, radon results and notice, smoking-policy acknowledgement, bedbug information and applicable lead materials before signing or collecting a deposit where required. Check coverage and any exceptions for the property. The Maine Attorney General's lease resources explain the disclosure packet and protected rights.

Check the two-month deposit limit, identify each payment and retain any required receipt. Review the holding-account requirements and requested account information. For move-out accounting, a tenancy at will has a twenty-one-day deadline; a written lease's stated period cannot exceed thirty days. Check the applicable ending and surrender triggers, keep condition records and supporting costs, and retain the itemization and refund record.

Record maintenance contacts, starting condition, photographs and repair requests. Distinguish the rent due date from the waiting period for a disclosed late fee. Review reasonable entry notice, rent changes, fixed-term renewal and ending a tenancy at will separately, including local requirements and protected circumstances. A general thirty-day ending summary does not set routine entry notice.

Keep the tenancy-at-will dates in one place. Record when the recurring arrangement begins, when rent is due and which earlier lease terms continue. The ordinary ending process uses at least 30 days’ written notice, with exceptions and specific delivery requirements. Check the agreement, applicable local rules and the date through which rent has been paid before selecting the final date. Retain the notice and delivery record, and separately arrange keys, condition review and the forwarding address; an ending notice does not replace lawful possession procedures.

Review the size and history of a proposed rent increase. Maine’s ordinary rent-increase notice is at least 45 days in writing; an increase of 10% or more requires at least 75 days, including an increase that brings cumulative increases to that threshold within 12 months. Record the current rent, earlier increases, proposed amount and first affected payment. Review local rent rules, the agreement and housing-program restrictions before setting the date. Mobile-home parks have separate requirements. Keep the proposal and any accepted amendment with the lease; the Maine Attorney General’s advisory explains the notice distinction.

Specify what the room rental includes. Name the private room, furnishings and storage, then identify the kitchen, bathroom, laundry and other shared facilities. Confirm the parties and any permission needed under an existing lease. Put the rent contribution and utility allocation in writing, showing how shared bills are calculated and when payment is due. Reconcile those amounts with the total-price disclosure and the landlord's lease so a separate roommate arrangement does not leave conflicting payment expectations.

Write down shared-household routines. Agree on cleaning, guests, quiet hours, pets, supplies and a contact for repair requests. Explain how someone will request access to the resident's private room for maintenance or inspections, while keeping emergency arrangements clear. Record the room's starting condition and included items. If a resident leaves or another person joins, review the lease, required permissions and deposit accounting before changing the household's written arrangements.