Renter's Responsibilities
Comply with Your Lease or Rental Agreement

• Your most important responsibility as a resident is to comply with the rental contract. If you do not, you may be asked to move out. This includes polices relating to the "House Rules." Be sure you read and understand what is expected of you before you sign the contract.
• Paying rent on time
• You must pay your rent on the day it is due. If you fail to pay your rent on the date it is due, your landlord will serve you a written notice demanding that you pay the rent or move out of the unit within 7 days. If you still fail to abide by the notice, eviction proceedings may begin.
• Properly maintaining the unit
• Your property owner has certain obligations to maintain the property in a habitable condition. Specifically, Maine Real Estate Law states that the dwelling must:
• Be weather and waterproof .
• Have a plumbing system in good working order and connected to both the local water supply and sewage (or septic) system.
• Have a hot water system capable of producing water of at least 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Have a heating system that maintained in good working order and is capable of heating every room to at least 60 dregrees Fahrenheit.
• Have an electrical system that is in good working order. Additionally, there must be at least 2 outlets (or one outlet and one light fixture) in every room but the bathroom. Common stairs and hallways must be lighted at all times.
• Be free from insect and rodent infestations. Have enough garbage and trash receptacles to accommodate the resident's trash without overflowing.
• Have floors, stairways and railing in good repair.
• Have a working toilet, wash basin and bathtub.
• Have a kitchen with a sink, which cannot be made of an absorbent material (like wood).
• Have natural lighting in every room through windows or skylights have an area of a least one-tenth of the room's floor area. The windows must be able to be opened at least halfway for ventilation, unless a fan provides for ventilation.
• Safe fire or emergency exits leading to a street or hallway.
• State law not only requires your landlord maintain the property in a habitable condition, but also requires you to properly maintain the property and keep it clean.

Specifically, Maine law requires the resident to:

• Keep the premises as clean and sanitary.
• Properly operate, gas, electrical and plumbing fixtures.
• Refrain from damaging or defacing the premises or allowing anyone else to do so.
• Use living and dining rooms, bedrooms and kitchens for their proper purposes. For example, the living room should not be converted into a makeshift bedroom.
• Also, the resident is prohibited from disturbing their neighbors' peaceful enjoyment of his property. This is known as refraining from creating or allowing a nuisance.
• If you do not maintain your property and cause it to become uninhabitable, you may be cited by code enforcement and be required to remedy the problem.

Notifying your landlord when things go wrong

• It is very important to notify your landlord, preferably in writing, when things are your unit are not operating properly or are broken. In most cases, your landlord will be responsive to your request and fix the problem as soon as possible.
• The Right to Repair & Deduct
• Under certain circumstances, a resident can have a defect or a problem fixed and withhold the cost of the repairs from the rent. The is commonly called the repair and deduct remedy. However, to use this remedy all of the following restrictions must be met:
• The defect must be related to habitability. In other words, the problem must be serious and directly related to health or safety. For example, a broken heater, stopped-up toilets or broken windows.
• The defect must not have been caused by the careless or intentional act of the resident or guest.
• The amount you withhold must be less than one month's rent.
• You can only use this remedy no more than twice in any 12-month period.
• Before having the work done, the resident must give the landlord reasonable notice of the problem. Reasonable notice is considered 30 days.
• Terminating Your Tenancy
• If your contract is a month-to-month tenancy you are required to provide a written 30-day notice when you wish to terminate the contract.