Maine mobile home rights cheat sheet

A quick reference to how Maine law generally treats mobile home lot tenancies. Maine has a dedicated mobile home park law — 10 M.R.S. Chapter 953 — strengthened by several 2025 amendments. This is general information, not legal advice, and the authors are not lawyers — for a specific situation, consider consulting a licensed attorney in Maine. Each line cites the controlling statute; read it at the official source linked in Sources below.

At a glance

Topic	What the law generally provides	Cite
Governing law	Dedicated Mobile Home Parks act: 10 M.R.S. Chapter 953.	10 M.R.S. ch. 953
Lot rent — notice	At least 90 days' written notice before a lot-rent or fee increase.	§9093-B(1)
Lot rent — mediation	If the increase exceeds the market-based "allowed" amount (area avg + 1% above NE CPI), 51% of households may demand mediation.	§9093-B(3)
Eviction — grounds	Only for listed reasons (nonpayment, rule/law violation after cure, damage, repeated disturbance, change of use, 3+ violations).	§9097(1)
Eviction — notice	At least 45 days in writing; 30 days for nonpayment, defeated by paying in full before it expires.	§9097(2)
Retaliation	Court may not order eviction that is primarily retaliatory.	§9097(1-A)
Eviction — process	Court forcible-entry-and-detainer with mediation (Title 14 ch. 709).	§9097-B
Fees — disclosure	All fees must be disclosed in writing before move-in; undisclosed fees may not be collected.	§9093(1),(3)
Entrance fee	For a home already in the park, no more than 2× monthly rent.	§9097(3)
Late fee	Only if rent is 15+ days late; capped at 4% of a month's rent; must be disclosed.	§9097-C
Application fee	Only the actual cost of a background/credit/screening check; one per 12 months.	§9093-A
Security deposit	Max 3 months' rent; return or itemize within 21 days; no withholding for normal wear.	§9098
Selling in place	No commission without a written agency contract; no restriction on reasonable advertising; no unreasonable interference; buyer may rescind in 30 days.	§9094
Park sold	Residents get notice + a 60-day first option to buy as a group/association.	§9094-A
Fuel	Park can't require a particular fuel dealer; a park's centralized fuel can't exceed county average retail.	§9095
Habitability	Park warrants the space and its facilities are fit for human habitation; towns may set stricter standards.	§9099
Title	Secretary of State titles model-year-2007+ homes; owner cancels title when affixed to owned land; mobile homes taxed as real estate.	29-A §§651, 669; 36 §551
Installation / storm	Manufactured Housing Board sets foundation, anchoring, skirting standards; federal HUD Code applies.	§9006; HUD

How to use this

This sheet summarizes; it does not replace the statute or legal advice. Maine's Chapter 953 cannot be waived — "no lease or rental agreement ... may contain any provision by which the tenant waives any rights under this chapter" (§9097(7)) — so the statute, not a one-sided lease clause, sets the floor. Start with the written lease and park rules, then check the controlling section for your issue.

Where to read more

• Maine topic guides on FightMyPark: lot rent, eviction, fees, utilities, buying, selling, title, and storm.
• The official statute text and agency pages, linked in the Sources section below.