Repair and Deduct
14 M.R.S. § 6026 — 14 days after written notice, up to $500 or half a month's rent
A landlord may not keep any condition that endangers or materially impairs the tenants' health or safety. When the reasonable cost of fixing it is less than $500 or half the monthly rent, whichever is greater, the tenant notifies the landlord in writing of the intent to fix it at the landlord's expense.
Who handles this in Maine: Maine Attorney General, Consumer Protection; and legal aid programs and the state offices, listed in the Maine directory.
Fourteen days. If the landlord does not act within 14 days after notice by certified mail, return receipt requested, or as promptly as an emergency requires, the tenant may have the work done with due professional care, give the landlord an itemized statement, and deduct the cost from the rent, up to that limit.
- Electrical, oil burner and plumbing work is done by a licensed professional.
- The tenant is not paid for the tenant's own or family's labor; parts and materials are reimbursed.
- The right is lost for damage the tenant or a guest caused, where the landlord was unreasonably denied access, or where extreme weather prevents the repair.
- It does not apply in a building of 5 or fewer units where the landlord lives in one.
Sources for this section (1)
- 14 M.R.S. § 6026 — Dangerous conditions requiring minor repairs
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Maine attorney.