Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, ch. 710-A § 6035

Transfer of security deposit

In Force
Verified 10/21/2026 · Next check 10/28/2026
effective 10/21/2026MaineSecurity Deposits

Operative Text

Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, ch. 710-A § 6035
1.
Landlord's termination of interests in dwelling unit.
Upon termination of a landlord's interest in the dwelling unit, whether by sale, assignment, death, appointment of a receiver or otherwise, the person in possession of a security deposit, including, but not limited to, the landlord, the landlord's agent or the landlord's executor, shall, upon the transfer of the interest in the dwelling unit:



A.
Provide to the landlord's successor in interest an accounting of the amount of each security deposit paid by each tenant and held by the person in possession of the security deposits, transfer the funds or any remainder after lawful deduction under this chapter to the landlord's successor in interest and provide to the tenant by mail:


(1)
Notice of that transfer;


(2)
Notice of the transferee's name and address; and


(3)
A copy of the accounting of the amount of the security deposit transferred; or



B.
Return the funds or any remainder after lawful deductions under this section to the tenant.


If the landlord's interest is terminated by sale, then the accounting and transfer of funds must occur no later than at the real estate closing. A person in possession of a security deposit, including, but not limited to, the landlord, the landlord's agent or the landlord's executor, shall provide written proof of the accounting and transfer of funds to the landlord's successor in interest at the real estate closing.






2.
Release from liability following compliance.
Upon compliance with this section, the person in possession of the security deposit shall be relieved of further liability, and the transferee, in relation to those funds, shall be deemed to have all of the rights and obligations of a landlord holding the funds as a security deposit.
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Under Maine law at 14 M.R.S. §§ 6031–6035, when a landlord's ownership interest in a rental property ends—whether through sale, death, assignment, or other means—the person holding tenants' security deposits must either transfer those funds (along with a detailed accounting) to the new owner, or return the funds directly to the tenants. If the transfer of interest occurs through a property sale, the accounting and handoff of funds must be completed no later than at the real estate closing. Once these steps are properly completed, the original holder is released from further liability, and the new owner assumes full responsibility for the deposits.

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

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Property owners and managers subject to 14 M.R.S. §§ 6031–6035 generally ensure that any change in ownership triggers a prompt and documented handling of all security deposits on hand. At or before a real estate closing, a compliant operator provides the successor owner with a written accounting of each tenant's deposit, transfers the funds (or any lawful remainder), and mails each affected tenant a notice identifying the transfer, the new owner's name and address, and a copy of the accounting. Operators who complete these steps in full are relieved of further liability for those deposited funds under this provision.

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

For Tenants

Under 14 M.R.S. §§ 6031–6035, tenants have a right to be notified in writing when their security deposit is transferred to a new property owner, including receiving the new owner's name and address and a copy of the accounting showing how much was transferred. If a property is sold and these notices are not provided, or if the deposit is not properly transferred or returned, tenants may have grounds to raise a violation of this provision. Tenants who believe their deposit was mishandled during a property transfer can explore options such as contacting a tenant-rights organization in Maine or consulting with an attorney familiar with Maine landlord-tenant law.

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

No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.

References In

Rules and statutes that cite this regulation

Me. Rev. Stat. § 6032
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6033
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6033
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6033
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6033
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6035
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6032
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6033
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6033
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6033
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6033
Me. Rev. Stat. § 6035

Related Rules

§ R 125.2001
Definitions.
§ 5-12-081
Interest rate on security deposits
§ 5-3-5-1
SECURITY DEPOSITS AND PREPAID RENT

Source Information

Snapshot SHA:
Fetched:Oct 21, 2026, 06:52 AM UTC