A change in state law could open up hundreds, perhaps thousands of desperately needed new housing units in Maine.
These units are the empty bedrooms in single family homes, particularly numerous in a state like Maine with an aging population and “empty nests.”
These bedrooms could be rented out, but state law makes it unwise to do so. Once a roommate, or housemate, has moved in, they acquire, under state law, the status of a tenant. They cannot be removed without a full eviction.
But a homeowner with a housemate is not a conventional landlord. The homeowner, living under the same roof as the renter, faces a personal risk that a conventional landlord does not, should the renter turn out to be destructive, dishonest or dangerous. The homeowner needs the power to remove them promptly if necessary, and not wait for a six-month eviction process to unfold.
Maine state law needs to be amended to allow this.
There is a precedent. Under Title 30-A §3838, the Maine statutes make it clear that a hotel or inn guest is not a tenant and can be removed immediately if they fail to pay or are disorderly. If state law were amended to allow similar removal of dangerous or disorderly housemates, homeowners could feel confident in renting their empty bedrooms.
It could go a long way toward relieving Maine’s housing crisis.
Philip Blampied, Bryant Pond
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