Updated June 01, 2022
A Maine 7-Day Notice to Quit (Non-Payment) is a type of form used by landlords when a tenant fails to pay rent within 7 days after the due date. Upon 7 days after the due date, a landlord can serve a 7-day notice to quit, which gives the tenant another 7 days (14 days total) to pay rent in-full or be evicted. If the tenant pays all past due rent in full before the 7th day after being served the notice to quit, the notice will become void.
The state of Maine protects the tenant more so than other states. When serving a tenant the notice to quit, the landlord must personally deliver the notice. The landlord must try delivering it personally 3 times before trying a different option. If the personal delivery of notice fails three times, the landlord can opt to send the notice by certified mail and by attaching the notice to the door of the tenant’s rental unit. If by chance the tenant fails to pay rent and vacate after seven days, the landlord can file for an eviction lawsuit with the county district court where both the tenant and landlord will go before a judge to settle the dispute.
Late Payment ( 14 M.R.S.A. § 6028 ) – A payment of rent is late if it is not made within 15 days from the time the payment is due. In addition, a landlord may not assess a penalty for the late payment of rent which exceeds 4% of the amount due for one month.
Laws – 14 M.R.S.A. § 6002
How to Write
1 – Find The Template Provided On This Page
The template on this page is available in one of three formats: Adobe PDF , Microsoft Word , or Open Document Text (.odt) . Select one of these three file types then save this file to your computer.
2 – Supply The Set Language With Specific Information
For the most part, this document will provide all the wording required to provide the required Notice to a delinquent Tenant that he or she must quit the premises, however, information that is specific to the current situation will need to be filled in.
Locate the first blank line (labeled “Date”) of this document. Use this blank space to fill in the Date this document is being executed.
Now, in the first paragraph, you must enter the Full Legal Name of the Lease Holding Tenant that must quit the premises on the blank space after the word “To” but before the phrase “And All Other Occupants…”
Next, the Physical Address of the Premises the delinquent Tenant is renting must be recorded on the second blank space of this paragraph. This should be followed by the name of the City in Maine where the rented property s located. Make sure this information is transcribed exactly as it appears in the lease the Tenant has violated with a nonpayment.
The lease that has been violated through the Tenant’s Nonpayment will also need to be clearly identified. This will be achieved by citing its Date of Execution using the first, second, and third blank lines in the second paragraph. Enter this Date as the Two-Digit Calendar Date of the Month, the full name of the Month, and the Two-Digit Year reported on the concerned Lease.
The final pieces of information will need to be provided in the third paragraph. First find the blank line following the “$” sign then, enter the Total Amount of Money the Tenant has failed to pay for rent on the first blank. Then on the second and third blank lines, document the Month and Year the Tenant has not paid the rent due.
3 – Execute This Notice By Signature
Once these items have been supplied, the Landlord or Attorney handling this issue, should take a moment to read the contents of this notice. Once the information has been double-checked, the Landlord or Attorney will need to sign the line labeled “Landlord/Attorney Signature” and print his or her Name on the “Print Name” line.
4 – Make Sure This Notice Is Delivered In A Timely Manner
The Tenant is allowed seven full days after receiving this Notice to either pay the owed rent amount or quit the rented property. As such, proof of the Service Date (Receipt Date) must be documented. This will be handled by the second page (“Certificate Of Service”). Here the individual delivering this document will need to fill it out at the time of delivery. This may be handled by the Landlord, Landlord Representative, or the Sheriff’s Department. The Deliverer of this document will provide a paragraph where the Date, Recipient, and Deliverer Signature must be supplied.
If delivery has not been achieved and a Notice had to be left for the Tenant, there will be an area to report the Name of the intended Recipient along with an area to document the Date and Time of the required three delivery attempts. This area will also need to be signed.
