With rents rising faster than incomes, rental housing costs are increasingly out of reach for many lower income Maine people. Rental assistance, either in the form of housing choice vouchers or subsidized apartments, can help. Vouchers can help pay your rent in the apartment of your choice. Subsidized apartments provide qualified tenants affordable (usually below market) rents. Waiting lists can be long, so you may want to apply for both kinds of help.
With financing from MaineHousing and other government sources, affordable apartments have been developed across the State. In most cases, the rents for these apartments are pre-set. In some cases, the tenant pays a portion of their income towards rent.
- Subsidized Apartment Listings - These listings include contact information for affordable apartments throughout Maine that were developed with government financing. To apply for these apartments, contact the property managers and request applications. Eligibility requirements and income limits vary by property.
- Other Affordable Apartments - "Mod-Rehab" apartments are private apartments that were rehabilitated with MaineHousing funds in return for the owners’ commitment to affordable rents. To apply for these affordable apartments, contact one of the Mod Rehab Program Agents.
- Local Housing Authorities - You may also want to contact your local housing authority to see if they have other public housing available.
Tenants' Rights and Obligations
For information on tenants’ rights and obligation under Maine law, see The Rights of Tenants in Maine , an easy-to read handbook published by Pine Tree Legal Assistance or The Maine Attorney General’s Consumer Law Guide, which includes chapters on consumer rights when renting an apartment (Chapter 14), consumer rights when living in a mobile home (Chapter 15), and a model landlord-tenant lease (Chapter 16).