Maine Right to Cure: Can You Stop an Eviction by Paying the Rent You Owe?

Yes — Maine gives tenants one of the stronger statutory “pay and stay” rights in the country for nonpayment evictions. For a tenancy at will, Maine's eviction statute lets a tenant void the landlord's nonpayment notice by paying the full rent due before that notice expires. And Maine goes further than many states: even after the notice expires and a court case has begun, a tenant can generally reinstate the tenancy — and block the eviction — by paying all rent arrears, all rent due as of the date of payment, and any filing fees and service-of-process fees the landlord actually spent, at any time before the court issues the writ of possession. This right to cure is written into the statute; it does not depend on the landlord's goodwill.

How Maine's eviction process works for nonpayment

Maine evictions run through a court process called a forcible entry and detainer (FED) action. Before a landlord can file an FED case for unpaid rent against a tenancy at will, Maine law requires a written notice to quit for nonpayment. Under the current statute this is a short notice — commonly a 7-day notice, available once the tenant is at least 7 days behind — but because notice periods can be amended over time, you should read the actual notice you were served and confirm the current deadline with the court clerk or a Maine legal aid attorney rather than relying on any fixed day count from a general overview like this one.

An important scope point: Maine's statutory 7-day nonpayment notice and its cure and reinstatement rules are set out for tenancies at will, which is the default arrangement for most Maine renters who do not have a written fixed-term lease (including typical month-to-month situations). If you have a written lease, the notice you get and any chance to cure can be affected by the terms of that lease and other law, so read your lease closely and confirm how the rules apply to your specific tenancy.

At what stage can you cure by paying?

Before the landlord serves a notice

If you know you're behind and haven't yet received a written notice, this is the cheapest and simplest point to fix things. Contact your landlord, pay what you can as soon as possible, and keep a written record. Resolving the debt before a notice is served avoids court records, filing fees, and the stress of a case entirely.

During the notice period — the notice becomes void

This is the first and cleanest statutory cure. If your landlord has served a written nonpayment notice and you pay the full amount of rent due before that notice expires, Maine law treats the notice as void. The landlord cannot then proceed with the eviction on that notice. This is a statutory right, not a favor.

After the notice expires and the case is filed — reinstatement

Here is where Maine is unusually protective. Even after the notice period passes and the landlord files the FED case, Maine law generally provides that if the tenant pays all rent arrears, all rent due as of the date of payment, and any filing fees and service-of-process fees the landlord actually spent, before the court issues the writ of possession, the tenancy must be reinstated and no writ of possession may issue. In other words, paying everything owed (including the landlord's actual court costs) in time is not merely something the landlord may agree to — it is generally a right. You must still respond to the court case and appear on your scheduled date; do not skip the court process on the assumption that paying alone handles everything.

After judgment, up until the writ of possession issues

Because the statutory reinstatement window is tied to the writ of possession — the final order that actually allows removal — the ability to pay and stay generally continues even after a judgment for possession has been entered, right up until that writ issues. This is a critical and time-sensitive stage: the amount you must pay includes the landlord's actual filing and service fees on top of all rent owed, and the window can close quickly once judgment is entered. If you are at or near judgment, get legal help immediately and act fast, because once the writ of possession issues your options narrow sharply.

Is there a limit on how often you can use this right?

Some states cap the pay-and-stay right — for example, allowing it only once every six or twelve months. Maine's nonpayment cure and reinstatement statute is not written around such a frequency cap: the right generally turns on whether you pay what is owed within the applicable window, not on how many times you have fallen behind before. That said, repeatedly paying late can create other problems (and lease-based consequences), and statutes can be amended, so do not assume anything about your specific case — confirm your current rights with the court clerk or a Maine legal aid attorney.

What exactly must you pay to cure?

To stop the eviction, you generally need to pay everything legitimately owed, which — depending on the stage — can include:

• All unpaid rent (rent arrears)
• All rent that has come due as of the date you pay
• Once a case has been filed, the filing fees and service-of-process fees the landlord actually spent
• Late fees or attorney's fees only if your lease provides for them and they are enforceable under Maine law

Paying only part of what's owed is risky. A landlord is generally not required to treat a partial payment as a full cure, and accepting a partial payment does not automatically waive the landlord's right to keep pursuing the balance or the eviction unless the landlord agrees otherwise in writing. If you can't pay everything at once, communicate in writing about a payment plan and get any agreement documented before assuming the case is resolved.

Can the landlord refuse a proper cure payment?

Within the statutory windows described above, a Maine landlord generally cannot refuse a timely, full payment of what is owed and still proceed with the eviction — paying in full before the notice expires makes the notice void, and paying all arrears, current rent, and the landlord's actual filing and service fees before the writ of possession issues generally requires the tenancy to be reinstated. A landlord is not required to accept a payment that is short of the full amount owed. If a landlord is refusing money you believe should cure the case, that is exactly the situation to raise with the court and with legal aid right away.

Nonpayment vs. other lease violations

Everything above concerns evictions based specifically on unpaid rent. Evictions based on other grounds — such as property damage, illegal activity, or serious repeated disturbances — work differently under Maine law. Some serious grounds allow a landlord to serve a notice that does not offer any opportunity to “fix” the problem, because there is no rent debt to pay off. Whether a lesser lease violation comes with a chance to remedy depends on your lease and the applicable law. Read your notice and lease closely: a notice about conduct is a different legal animal than a nonpayment notice, and the pay-and-stay rules in this article do not automatically apply to it.

Practical steps if you're behind on rent in Maine

• Act as soon as you know you're behind. The earlier you pay or communicate, the more options you have and the more likely you avoid a court filing entirely.
• Pay in a traceable way. Use a money order, cashier's check, or documented electronic transfer rather than cash, and keep copies of the notice, your payment record, and all correspondence.
• Get a written receipt stating the amount, the date, and that it resolves the specific rent owed. If the landlord agrees to drop the case, get that in writing too.
• Watch the writ of possession, not just the notice date. Your statutory chance to reinstate generally runs until the writ issues, but you must pay everything owed — including the landlord's actual filing and service fees — to use it, so calculate the full amount and confirm the deadline.
• Never ignore a court summons, even while trying to pay or negotiate. Respond and appear by the deadline stated in your paperwork; missing it can produce a default judgment regardless of your ability to pay.
• Contact legal aid immediately if you've been served, if the landlord is refusing a payment you believe should cure the case, if you're unsure whether your notice is a nonpayment notice, or if judgment has already been entered. A Maine legal aid organization or attorney can confirm the current deadlines, review your specific notice and lease, and tell you precisely where you stand.

Because exact notice periods and the details of the reinstatement right are set by statute and can be amended over time, the most reliable step is to read your actual notice to quit, note whether it is a nonpayment notice offering a chance to pay, and confirm the current deadlines and the full amount you must pay with the court clerk or a Maine legal aid provider before relying on any figure from an outside source.

Official Legal Sources for Maine

This page is based on Maine state landlord–tenant law. Laws change — verify the current text directly against the official sources below. This is general legal information, not legal advice.

• Maine Revised Statutes Title 14, Chapter 710 (Rental Property), §§ 6021–6030-K — official Maine statute.
• Maine Revised Statutes Title 14, Chapter 709 (Entry and Detainer / Forcible Entry and Detainer), §§ 6000–6017
• Maine Revised Statutes Title 14, Chapter 710-A (Security Deposits on Residential Rental Units), §§ 6031–6039
• Maine Revised Statutes Title 14 § 6021 (Implied warranty and covenant of habitability)
• Office of the Maine Attorney General — Consumer Protection: Tenant Rights — official state resource.

Local ordinances may apply. This page covers Maine state law. Your city or county may add protections — such as rent control, just-cause eviction, rental registration, or stricter housing codes — that change these rules. Check your local city or county ordinances.