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Tenant Abandoned Property Laws in Maine

In Maine, the landlord must store left-behind property and mail the tenant written notice; if the tenant does not respond within 7 days, the landlord may sell or dispose of it.

Last checked . General information, not legal advice.

Maine at a glance

Written notice required
Yes, mailed notice with itemized list
Holding period
7 days after notice (14 if tenant claims)
If the tenant claims the property within 7 days, the landlord must keep it at least 14 days after the notice was sent.
After the holding period
Sell at fair price or dispose if no value
Sale proceeds cover arrears, damages, storage and sale costs; any remaining balance goes to the Treasurer of State.

Sources

Last checked

The rules in Maine

Does a landlord in Maine have to notify the tenant before disposing of left-behind property?

Yes, mailed notice with itemized list. Written notice required in Maine: yes, mailed notice with itemized list.

How long must a landlord in Maine keep a tenant's abandoned property?

Holding period in Maine: 7 days after notice (14 if tenant claims). If the tenant claims the property within 7 days, the landlord must keep it at least 14 days after the notice was sent.

What can a landlord in Maine do with abandoned property after the waiting period?

After the holding period in Maine: Sell at fair price or dispose if no value. Sale proceeds cover arrears, damages, storage and sale costs; any remaining balance goes to the Treasurer of State.

Where do the Maine tenant abandoned property laws come from?

The rules above come from 14 M.R.S. 6013. Each source is linked on this page. We last checked them in October 2026.

Good to know

The rule applies both after an eviction judgment and when the tenant vacates and leaves property behind.

What this means in practice

Before treating anything as abandoned, confirm that the tenancy has actually ended. Some statutes define when a unit counts as abandoned, and removing property while a tenant still has a right to possession can expose a landlord to claims for wrongful eviction or conversion.

Keep a written record. Photos or a video of the items, a dated inventory, a copy of any notice sent and proof of how it was delivered make it much easier to show that the required steps were followed if the former tenant later asks for the property or its value.

Store items safely and in a reasonable way during any holding period. Where a statute allows the landlord to charge reasonable moving and storage costs, or to keep sale proceeds to cover those costs, the rules on what may be charged and what happens to any surplus vary, so check the exact text for your state.

General information, not legal advice. Laws change, and cities can add their own rules, so check the current statute before you rely on it.