The purpose of this chapter is to address housing insecurity
in the City of Bangor; to minimize the potential adverse impacts of
un-noticed or short-noticed rent increases; to educate at-will tenants
of their rights; and to help bring about, through fair, orderly procedures,
the opportunity of each person within the City of Bangor without regard
to, among other things, receipt of public benefits, to rent, enjoy
and retain secure housing.
This chapter shall apply to any and all rental housing units
in the City limits of Bangor.
APPLICANT
Means a prospective tenant for a rental housing unit, who
signs or intends to sign a lease or other contractual agreement in
relation to the unit.
DISCRIMINATION
Means the unjust, prejudicial treatment of different categories
of people, when those categories are protected from discrimination
by municipal, state and federal law, including, but not limited to,
categories based on race, color, religious creed, sex, sexual preference,
national origin, age, physical or mental handicap, and receipt of
public assistance, as provided in 5 M.R.S.A. § 4581-A, as
amended from time to time.
HOUSING UNIT
Means one or more rooms forming a single unit, including
food preparation, living, sanitary, and sleeping facilities, used
or intended to be used by two or more persons living in common or
by a person living alone.
LANDLORD
Means an owner, manager, lessee, sublessee, managing agent
or other person having the right to rent, sell, or manage any housing
unit or rental property, or any agent of these individuals or entities.
RENTAL APPLICATION
Means the written document used by a landlord to determine
if an applicant is qualified to become a tenant of the rental housing
unit.
RENTAL APPLICATION FEE
Means any cost, payment, charge, or any other kind of expenditure
or renumeration that an applicant is asked to pay in order to be considered
by the landlord for a rental housing unit.
SCREENING FEE
Means any cost, payment, charge, or any other kind of expenditure
or remuneration, excluding administrative costs, that an applicant
is required to pay in order to offset a landlord's hard costs of screening
that particular applicant who has been accepted as a tenant. Costs
that may be included in a screening fee include but are not limited
to national, state, and local criminal background checks, credit reports,
rental history records, eviction records, and employment verification.
TENANT
Means an individual, individuals, an entity, entities, a
lessee or sub-lessee, or other persons having the right to rent any
housing unit or rental property, or any agent of these individuals
or entities. This definition includes a tenant at will as described
in 14 M.R.S.A. § 6002, as amended from time to time.
Notwithstanding 14 M.R.S.A. § 6015, a landlord shall
give 60 days' written notice of any rent increase to a tenant.
No provision of, or right conferred by, this chapter may be
waived by an applicant or tenant, by agreement or otherwise, and any
such waiver shall be void. Any attempt to require, encourage or induce
an applicant or tenant to waive any provision hereof or right hereby
shall be a violation of this chapter. Nothing herein shall be construed
to void any term of a lease that offers greater rights to tenants
than those conferred hereby.
The provisions of this chapter are severable. If any of its
provisions are held invalid by act of competent jurisdiction, all
other provisions of this chapter shall continue in full force and
effect.