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Rent Regulations

Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, §§ 6000–6016-A § 6004-A

Mediation

In Force
Verified 10/21/2026 · Next check 10/28/2026
effective 10/21/2026MaineSummary Process

Operative Text

Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, §§ 6000–6016-A § 6004-A
The court may, in any residential tenancy under this subchapter, at any time refer the parties to mediation on any issue.




1.
Mediated agreement.
An agreement reached by the parties through mediation must be reduced to writing, signed by the parties and presented to the court for approval as a court order.






2.
No agreement; good faith effort required.
When agreement through mediation is not reached on an issue, the court shall determine that the parties made a good faith effort to mediate the issue before proceeding with a hearing. If the court finds that either party failed to make a good faith effort to mediate, the court may order the parties to submit to mediation, may dismiss the action or a part of the action, may render a decision or judgment by default, may assess attorney's fees and costs or may impose any other sanction that is appropriate in the circumstances.






3.
Mediation not ordered; consent.
The court may not order mediation in cases in which no mediator is available or mediation would delay any hearing in the matter, unless the parties consent to a delay in the proceedings to allow mediation to take place.






4.
Mediators provided.
The Court Alternative Dispute Resolution Service, established in Title 4, section 18‑B , shall provide mediators for mediations under this section.






5.
Rules; fees.
The Supreme Judicial Court may adopt rules of procedure for actions under this chapter.
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Under Maine law at 14 M.R.S. § 6004-A, a court handling a residential tenancy dispute may send the parties to mediation at any point in the proceedings. Any agreement reached through mediation must be put in writing, signed by both parties, and approved by the court as an official order. If mediation does not produce an agreement, the court will assess whether both sides participated in good faith, and a party found to have failed that standard may face consequences ranging from sanctions and attorney's fees to a default judgment or dismissal of their claims.

Written by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6 · Reviewed on October 22, 2026

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Under 14 M.R.S. § 6004-A, property owners and managers involved in Maine residential tenancy court proceedings should be aware that a judge can refer the case to mediation at any stage. Operators who participate actively and in good faith in any court-ordered mediation session are generally in a stronger procedural position, as the statute authorizes courts to impose significant sanctions—including attorney's fees and default judgments—against parties found to have not made a genuine effort. Any settlement reached through mediation becomes binding only after it is reduced to writing, signed, and approved by the court as an order.

General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.

For Tenants

Maine's 14 M.R.S. § 6004-A gives tenants involved in residential tenancy court cases the opportunity to have disputes resolved through mediation, which is provided by the Court Alternative Dispute Resolution Service. If a tenant participates in mediation and an agreement is reached, that agreement becomes a court order once it is signed and approved by the judge, giving it legal enforceability. Tenants who believe the other party is not engaging in mediation in good faith may raise that concern with the court, which has authority to impose sanctions, including attorney's fees, against a non-compliant party; tenant-rights organizations can help explain what good-faith participation generally looks like under this provision.

General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.

Generated October 22, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.

Effective Timeline

Expression #1
Oct 21, 2026
Current
Oct 21, 2026
Click on timeline segments to view historical versions.

References Out

Rules and statutes cited by this regulation

Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 4, § 18-B
Not yet ingested

References In

Rules and statutes that cite this regulation

Me. Rev. Stat. § 6015
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6004
Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, § 6001
Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, § 6016
Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, § 6002
Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, ch. 709
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6002
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6015
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6004
Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, § 6001
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6000
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6005
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6001
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6002
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6013
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6005
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6001
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6000
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6000
Me. Rev. Stat. ch. 709
Me. Rev. Stat. ch. 709
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6000
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6001
Me. Rev. Stat. ch. 709
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6001
Me. Rev. Stat. ch. 709
Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, § 6002
Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, § 6016
Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, § 6002
Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, ch. 709
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6002
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6000
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6005
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6001
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6002
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6013
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6005
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6001
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6000
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6000
Me. Rev. Stat. ch. 709
Me. Rev. Stat. ch. 709
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6000
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6001
Me. Rev. Stat. ch. 709
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6001
Me. Rev. Stat. ch. 709
Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, § 6002

Related Rules

§ 1
Persons entitled to summary process
§ 3
Judgment and execution; costs; appeal
§ 5
Appeal; bond; actions thereon; waiver; appeal of waiver or periodic payments; notice of decision

Source Information

Source:https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/14/title14sec6004-A.html
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