Maine Mobile Home Park Rent Control: 2026 Guide

Is mobile home lot rent controlled in Maine?

Not at the state level. Maine has no statewide rent cap and no state law that limits how much you can raise mobile-home-park lot rent. What state law does require, since a 2025 reform (10 M.R.S. §9093-B), is at least 90 days' written notice before any lot-rent or fee increase in a manufactured housing community, plus an optional resident mediation process when an increase runs above inflation.

Rent control itself is a local decision made town by town. Portland and South Portland cap apartment rents, and a growing list of communities — Old Orchard Beach, Waterville, and Brunswick — have adopted mobile-home-park-specific rent limits. Before you set a lot-rent increase, confirm the rules in the specific municipality where the park sits.

No statewide rent cap in Maine

Maine does not cap residential or lot rents from Augusta, and §9093-B does not set a maximum percentage. An owner can still impose an above-inflation increase; the statute's teeth are the 90-day notice and a non-binding mediation option, not a hard ceiling. Reporting since the law took effect confirms parks are still raising rents under it.

Because there is no state cap, any binding percentage limit on your lot rent comes from a local ordinance — never assume a statewide number exists.

The 90-day lot-rent increase notice (10 M.R.S. §9093-B)

The controlling rule for park operators is direct: an owner of a manufactured housing community 'shall provide notice of an increase in lot rent or fees no less than 90 days before the effective date of the increase.' This took effect in 2025 (September 24, 2025). The notice must disclose the increase and information about residents' mediation rights.

If the proposed increase exceeds the Northeast-region Consumer Price Index plus 1%, residents representing 51% or more of the households can request mediation within 90 days; the community owner must pay the mediator, and bad-faith conduct by the owner can delay the increase for at least six months. Don't confuse this 90-day rent-increase notice with the other Chapter 953 clocks: §9097 requires 45 days' notice to terminate a lot tenancy (30 days for nonpayment), and §9094-A gives residents a 60-day right-of-first-refusal window when you sell the park.

Note also that §9097(1-A) bars terminating a tenancy in retaliation for a resident organizing or asserting rights under the chapter.

Local rent control: Portland and home rule

Portland's voter-enacted rent stabilization (effective January 2021) caps annual increases on covered units at the Greater Boston CPI — about 2.2% for 2026. But it applies to a 'Rental unit,' defined as 'any dwelling unit that is rented... for residential use or occupancy.' A park lot rented to a resident who owns their own home is not a rented dwelling unit, and mobile homes appear in neither the covered definition nor the ordinance's exemption list — so Portland's cap does not reach mobile-home-park lot rent. (A park-owned home you rent out as a unit could be a different story.)

Under Maine's home-rule authority, any municipality can adopt rent control, and several have targeted mobile-home parks directly. Old Orchard Beach and Waterville regulate MHP rent increases, Brunswick adopted an MHP ordinance in June 2026, and Lewiston, Auburn, and Gorham have used temporary moratoriums. Always verify the local rules for each park's town.

Rent-increase rules at a glance in Maine

• No statewide cap
  Maine sets no maximum on lot-rent increases; any binding percentage limit comes only from a local ordinance.
• 90-day increase notice
  10 M.R.S. §9093-B requires at least 90 days' written notice before any lot-rent or fee increase in a manufactured housing community (effective Sept. 24, 2025).
• CPI+1% mediation trigger
  If an increase exceeds the Northeast CPI plus 1%, residents representing 51%+ of households may demand mediation, which the owner must pay for.
• 45-day termination notice
  10 M.R.S. §9097 requires 45 days' written notice to end a lot tenancy (30 days for nonpayment) and limits eviction to good cause.
• 60-day sale right of first refusal
  10 M.R.S. §9094-A bars accepting a park-sale offer until 60 days after notifying residents, who get first option to buy.
• No retaliatory eviction
  §9097(1-A) prohibits terminating a resident's tenancy for organizing or asserting rights under Chapter 953.
• Local caps vary
  Portland and South Portland cap apartment rents; Old Orchard Beach, Waterville, and Brunswick regulate MHP lot rent — check the park's town.

Operator best practices in Maine

• Calendar the 90 days
  Send every lot-rent or fee increase notice at least 90 days before the effective date and keep proof of delivery to each homeowner.
• Benchmark to CPI+1%
  Track the Northeast CPI; increases above CPI plus 1% can trigger resident mediation you must pay for, so document your cost justification.
• Write a compliant notice
  Include the required disclosures — the increase amount and residents' mediation rights — so the notice holds up under §9093-B.
• Treat residents evenly
  Base increases on community-wide, average-rent logic rather than targeting one home, to reduce retaliation and mediation exposure.
• Check the local ordinance
  Confirm whether the park's municipality (e.g., Brunswick, Waterville, Old Orchard Beach) caps lot rent before you set a number.
• Plan sales around the 60-day window
  If you sell the park, give residents the §9094-A notice and honor their 60-day first-option period.
• Build a relationship with a Maine MHP attorney
  Chapter 953 and local ordinances are changing fast; a Maine manufactured-housing lawyer keeps your notices and increases defensible.