Maine Security Deposit Law

Maximum deposit

Landlords may not require a security deposit of more than two months' rent (14 M.R.S. § 6032). (14 M.R.S. § 6032, 14 M.R.S. § 6037(2) (owner-occupied ≤5-unit exemption))

Two months' rent

Return deadline

Landlords must return the deposit or an itemized statement within 21 days after a tenancy at will ends or the unit is surrendered (whichever is later), or within the time stated in a written lease, which may not exceed 30 days (14 M.R.S. § 6033(2)). (14 M.R.S. § 6033(2))

Itemized statement of deductions

A landlord who keeps any part of the deposit must give the tenant a written statement itemizing the reasons, together with the balance (14 M.R.S. § 6033(2)). (14 M.R.S. § 6033(2))

Interest on the deposit

Maine law does not require landlords to pay interest on apartment security deposits, though deposits must be held in a separate protected bank account (14 M.R.S. § 6038). (14 M.R.S. ch. 710-A (silent on interest); § 6038 (escrow requirement))

Penalty for wrongful withholding

A landlord who misses the deadline forfeits the right to withhold any part of the deposit, and wrongful retention makes the landlord liable for double the amount withheld plus attorney's fees and costs (14 M.R.S. §§ 6033(3), 6034). (14 M.R.S. § 6033(3), 14 M.R.S. § 6034, 14 M.R.S. § 6038(2))

Where the deposit is held

Maine landlords may not commingle security deposits with their own assets and must keep them in a bank or other financial institution account placed beyond the reach of the landlord's creditors (14 M.R.S. § 6038(1)). (14 M.R.S. § 6038)

One escrow account may hold every tenant's deposit. If a court finds a violation, the tenant recovers actual damages, $500 or one month's rent (whichever is greatest) plus costs, and may be awarded attorney's fees (§ 6038(2)).

Receipt or written notice of the deposit

A Maine landlord must hand the tenant a signed written receipt at the moment any deposit payment is made partly or fully in cash, and must reveal the bank and account number holding the deposit whenever a tenant asks (14 M.R.S. §§ 6022, 6038(1)). (14 M.R.S. § 6022, 14 M.R.S. § 6038(1))

Each cash receipt must list the date, amount, payer, period covered, that it is a security deposit, and the receiver's signature and printed name, with a separate receipt for each installment. The receipt rule does not apply in owner-occupied buildings of 5 or fewer units (§ 6022(3)).

Move-in condition checklist

Maine's deposit chapter imposes no move-in inspection or condition-checklist requirement, although the Attorney General's model lease has a section where tenants can list existing damage (14 M.R.S. ch. 710-A). (14 M.R.S. ch. 710-A (§§ 6031-6038; no condition-report rule))

Pet deposits

Maine has no pet-specific deposit or fee rule, so a pet deposit taken to secure the lease is treated like any other security deposit and counts toward the two-month cap (14 M.R.S. §§ 6031(2), 6032). (14 M.R.S. § 6031(2), 14 M.R.S. § 6032)

Nonrefundable fees

Since January 1, 2025, Maine landlords may require nothing at move-in beyond the first full month's rent, a security deposit within the two-month cap and any properly disclosed mandatory recurring fee, which leaves no room for up-front move-in or administrative charges (14 M.R.S. § 6022-A). (14 M.R.S. § 6022-A, 14 M.R.S. § 6030-H, 14 M.R.S. § 6031(2))

Application fees are banned except the actual cost of one background check, credit check or other screening, charged at most once in 12 months and only after telling the applicant they will receive a full copy of the report (§ 6030-H). Any advance whose main purpose is to secure the lease is a security deposit 'regardless of its denomination' (§ 6031(2)).

Small-landlord exemptions

Maine's whole security-deposit chapter, including the two-month cap and the return deadlines, does not cover a unit in a building with no more than 5 units when the landlord lives in one of them (14 M.R.S. § 6037(2)). (14 M.R.S. § 6037, 14 M.R.S. § 6022(3))

The same owner-occupied exemption applies to the cash-receipt rule (§ 6022(3)). Deposit rules that conflict with a federally guaranteed mortgage do not apply to a landlord who is the mortgagor (§ 6037(1)).

Deposit alternatives and installments

Maine lets a landlord offer, but not require, a tenant-purchased surety bond in place of some or all of the security deposit, with the bond and any deposit together capped at two months' rent (14 M.R.S. § 6039). (14 M.R.S. § 6039)

A landlord may offer a tenant the option of buying a surety bond instead of paying some or all of the deposit, but may not require one and need not consent to one. The bond, alone or combined with any deposit, may not exceed 2 months' rent; a tenant charged more can recover up to 3 times the excess plus attorney's fees after 7 days' notice. The surety must refund the premium if the landlord refuses the bond or no rental agreement results, and the tenant must get written notice of rights and copies of signed documents before buying (§ 6039). No statute addresses deposit-waiver fees or paying a deposit in installments.