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Rental Application Fee Laws in Maine

In Maine a landlord may not charge a fee to submit or review a rental application, but may charge the actual cost of one background check, credit check, or other screening, and no more than one such fee in any 12-month period.

Last checked . General information, not legal advice.

Maine at a glance

Fee limit
Actual cost of one screening only
Fees just to submit, review, or approve an application are banned. The landlord must give the applicant a full copy of the screening results.
Refund required
No refund rule
The statute does not contain a refund requirement.
Portable screening report rule
Not addressed
The statute does not address portable reports, but limits screening fees to one per applicant in any 12-month period.

Sources

Last checked

The rules in Maine

How much can a landlord charge for a rental application in Maine?

Fee limit in Maine: Actual cost of one screening only. Fees just to submit, review, or approve an application are banned. The landlord must give the applicant a full copy of the screening results.

Does a landlord in Maine have to refund an unused application fee?

No refund rule. Refund required in Maine: no refund rule. The statute does not contain a refund requirement.

Does Maine law address reusable (portable) tenant screening reports?

Not addressed. Portable screening report rule in Maine: not addressed. The statute does not address portable reports, but limits screening fees to one per applicant in any 12-month period.

Where do the Maine rental application fee laws come from?

The rules above come from Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, 6030-H. Each source is linked on this page. We last checked them in October 2026.

Good to know

The rule was added by P.L. 2023, c. 346.

A landlord may not charge the screening fee unless it first tells the applicant that the law requires the landlord to give the applicant a complete copy of the information obtained.

What this means in practice

Before collecting a fee, landlords can tell applicants in writing how much it is, what it pays for, and the screening criteria that will be used. Several statutes require some of this disclosure, and it also reduces disputes when an application is denied.

Keep a copy of the invoice or receipt from the screening company. Where the law ties the fee to actual cost or requires an itemized receipt, that record shows the fee was lawful.

Check local law as well as state law. In many states a city or county ordinance can set a lower limit or add refund and notice rules, and the stricter rule usually applies. A few states bar local rules on application fees.

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