Maine House Bill LD1750

Maine 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 4/22/25
• Refer: 4/22/25
• Engrossed: 6/10/25
• Enrolled: 6/10/25
• Passed: 6/11/25

Caption

An Act to Require the Attorney General to Create and Update Biennially a Model Residential Lease

Summary

LD 1750 requires the Maine Attorney General to create a model residential lease and publish it on the Attorney General’s publicly accessible website by December 1, 2025. The model lease must comply with current law and include any required disclosures and attachments that would apply to a residential lease. The bill also directs the Attorney General to update the model lease every two years and republish the revised version by December 1 of each odd-numbered year. The bill is administrative in nature and does not mandate that landlords use the model lease, but it is intended to provide a current, state-produced template that reflects Maine’s residential landlord-tenant requirements. It specifies that the work must be done within existing resources, limiting any new fiscal or staffing obligations on the Attorney General’s office.

Impact

The bill adds a new section to Title 14 of the Maine Revised Statutes, creating a statutory duty for the Attorney General to maintain a model residential lease. Its practical effect is to centralize and standardize a lease template that incorporates required legal disclosures and attachments, which may be used by landlords, property managers, tenants, attorneys, and housing advocates as a reference point. Because the bill requires implementation within existing resources, it does not create a separate appropriation or new funding mechanism.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests the bill faced significant opposition in the House, where an “Ought Not to Pass” report was accepted by a vote of 89-56. That vote indicates the measure did not have broad legislative support at that stage, even though it ultimately became law without the Governor’s signature. No committee transcript is available here, so the record does not show detailed debate, but the vote pattern suggests the proposal was viewed as unnecessary or not sufficiently compelling by a majority of members.

Contention

The main point of contention appears to have been whether the state should require the Attorney General to produce and maintain a model lease at all. Opponents likely questioned the need for a state-issued template, the administrative burden on the Attorney General’s office, or whether the measure would meaningfully improve housing practices. Supporters likely viewed the bill as a consumer-protection and clarity measure that would help ensure leases reflect current law and required disclosures. The close-to-moderate margin in the recorded vote shows the issue was contested, even though the bill ultimately enacted.