Landlord & Housing · free generator

Maine Notice to Vacate Letter

Fill in your details, review the maine notice to vacate letter, and edit the wording before you send. Copy the finished text or download a Word file for free.

[Your full name]

[Date]

[Your landlord's name]

Re: Notice to vacate — [Rental property address]

Dear [Your landlord's name],

Please accept this letter as my formal written notice that I will terminate my tenancy at [Rental property address] and vacate the premises on [Move-out date].

Under Maine Revised Statutes Title 14, § 6002 — Tenancy at will; buildings on land of another (14 M.R.S. § 6002), a month-to-month tenancy may be terminated by the tenant on 30 days written notice. This notice is given in accordance with that requirement and with any additional notice period my lease provides.

I will leave the unit clean and in good condition, ordinary wear and tear excepted, and will return all keys and access devices on or before my move-out date. I would like a move-out inspection during my final week; please propose a date and time.

Please send my security deposit, with any itemized statement required by law, to my forwarding address: [Your forwarding address]. Kindly confirm receipt of this notice in writing.

Sincerely,

[Your full name]

Know your rights

Notice to vacate law in Maine

Tenant notice required: 30 days
Governing statute: 14 M.R.S. § 6002
How the clock runs: Either party may end a tenancy at will with a minimum of 30 days' written notice, with termination occurring when the time fixed in the notice expires — no rent-date boundary is required, but if the tenant has paid rent through the date the notice would expire, the notice must expire on or after the paid-through date.
Delivering the notice: Notice must be in writing; delivering it in a way that proves the date the landlord received it (hand delivery or mail with tracking) is the safe practice.
Fixed-term leases: A written lease ends according to its own terms, and its renewal and notice clauses control. A tenant who remains after the term with the landlord accepting rent typically becomes a tenant at will, subject to the 30-day rule.

Worth knowing: Maine calls month-to-month arrangements 'tenancies at will,' and § 6002 governs them all regardless of rent interval. Victims of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking may terminate a tenancy at will (or a lease of under a year) on just 7 days' written notice with supporting documentation. The rent-paid-through rule is a genuine trap: prepaying rent can silently extend your own notice period.

Last reviewed August 2026 · General information, not legal advice · Read the statute · Also for Maine: security deposit demand letter

Field notes

Three tips before you send

Notice must be in writing; delivering it in a way that proves the date the landlord received it (hand delivery or mail with tracking) is the safe practice.
Either party may end a tenancy at will with a minimum of 30 days' written notice, with termination occurring when the time fixed in the notice expires — no rent-date boundary is required, but if the tenant has paid rent through the date the notice would expire, the notice must expire on or after the paid-through date.
Date math is unforgiving — the clock usually runs from the day your landlord receives the notice, not the day you write it. Build in a few days of cushion, and photograph the empty unit when you hand back the keys.

Straight answers

Questions people ask

How much notice does a tenant have to give in Maine?

Either party may end a tenancy at will with a minimum of 30 days' written notice, with termination occurring when the time fixed in the notice expires — no rent-date boundary is required, but if the tenant has paid rent through the date the notice would expire, the notice must expire on or after the paid-through date. The governing statute is Maine Revised Statutes Title 14, § 6002 — Tenancy at will; buildings on land of another.

What happens when a fixed-term lease ends in Maine?

A written lease ends according to its own terms, and its renewal and notice clauses control. A tenant who remains after the term with the landlord accepting rent typically becomes a tenant at will, subject to the 30-day rule. Check your lease for a renewal or notice clause — where the statute allows it, the lease controls.

Anything else Maine renters should know before moving out?

Maine calls month-to-month arrangements 'tenancies at will,' and § 6002 governs them all regardless of rent interval. Victims of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking may terminate a tenancy at will (or a lease of under a year) on just 7 days' written notice with supporting documentation. The rent-paid-through rule is a genuine trap: prepaying rent can silently extend your own notice period.

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When to use this letter

Moving out should be the easy part — but in Maine, when you give notice and how you deliver it decide whether you owe another month of rent. The rule that matters: for a month-to-month tenancy, Maine law generally requires 30 days written notice from the tenant, under Maine Revised Statutes Title 14, § 6002 — Tenancy at will; buildings on land of another. This generator writes a tenant's notice to vacate that cites 14 M.R.S. § 6002 by name, states your move-out date, and asks for the move-out inspection and your deposit instructions in the same letter — so nothing gets renegotiated later. No blank template to fight with: fill in your landlord, the address, and the date, then send it in a way you can prove, because notice clocks here run from delivery, not from the day you write it.