RR
Rent Regulations

Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, ch. 710-A § 6037

Exemptions

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 § 6037
1.
Federally guaranteed mortgages.
Any of the provisions of this chapter relative to security deposits which may be in conflict with the terms of a mortgage guaranteed by the United States or any authority created under the laws thereof, shall not apply to security deposits held by a lessor who appears as the mortgagor in such a mortgage.






2.
Owner-occupied buildings of 5 or fewer units.
This chapter shall not apply to any tenancy for a dwelling unit which is part of a structure containing no more than 5 dwelling units, one of which is occupied by the landlord.
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

Maine's security deposit law (14 M.R.S. §§ 6031–6037) carves out two categories of rental situations from its standard protections. First, when a landlord holds a federally guaranteed mortgage and the security deposit rules would conflict with that mortgage's terms, those conflicting rules do not apply to that landlord. Second, the entire chapter of security deposit rules is set aside for any tenancy in a building of five or fewer units where the landlord personally lives in one of those units.

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

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

Property owners subject to a federally guaranteed mortgage, or who live in a building of five or fewer total units, should be aware that 14 M.R.S. §§ 6031–6037 may not govern their security deposit practices under these exemptions. Operators in owner-occupied small buildings commonly review whether their specific situation falls within the exemption before relying on the chapter's procedures. Even when the statutory chapter does not apply, landlords generally document deposit terms clearly in the lease to avoid disputes.

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

For Tenants

Tenants renting in a small, owner-occupied building of five or fewer units, or whose landlord holds a federally guaranteed mortgage, may find that the protections of 14 M.R.S. §§ 6031–6037 do not automatically apply to their tenancy. Understanding whether an exemption applies is an important first step, and tenant-rights organizations in Maine can help clarify whether other state or local protections may still be relevant. Tenants who believe an exemption is being claimed incorrectly may consider consulting a tenant-rights organization or reviewing the statute directly.

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

Current
Oct 21, 2026
Expression #2
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

Source:https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/14/title14sec6037.html
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