Frequently Asked Questions for our Tenants

If you are interested in renting one of Pine State Property Management's vacant units, the first step is for all applicants 18 or older who will occupy the unit to fill out a detailed application (which can be found by clicking here) and follow the steps outlined in the application. Pine State Property Management does have criteria based on income, credit, and previous rental history. Once your tenancy has been approved, you will be asked to remit a deposit to hold the unit, and all occupants 18 and older will be asked to sign a lease and remit money for rent and security deposit. No unit will be held until a non-refundable cash deposit is remitted. Please read the lease and any attached documents very carefully, because they are legally binding. If you violate the lease in any way, you may wind up losing the right to live in your apartment. Rent collections are strictly enforced, as are noise rules and pet policies. If you plan to get a pet, be sure you find out whether or not a pet will be allowed before signing the lease. If there is anything in the lease, House Rules, or in the unit itself, with which you may have issues, be sure to discuss this with your Property Supervisor before you move in.

Will Pine State Property Management refuse to rent to me if my ethnic background is different from others in the building?
Pine State Property Management strictly follows Fair Housing and does not discriminate based on racial or ethnic background, religious beliefs, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, age or other categories specified in Fair Housing regulations. We welcome your interest in any of our vacancies.

The easiest and fastest way to pay rent is through your tenant portal. You can pay for free via ACH transactions or use a credit or debit card (for a fee). You can make one time monthly payments or set it up to automatically pay each month. This will ensure your rent payment is always on time. You can always bring cash, check or money order made payable to the office during normal business hours. Tenants can also mail a check or money order to our office, however, we do not recommend this method, because sometimes the mail system is slow, and if rent isn’t received by the 1st of the month, you will have to pay your full, non-discounted rent. Paying on your portal or in person ensures your payment gets to us on or before the 1st of the month (assuming you make the payment at that time), so you can take advantages of your monthly discount for on time payments!

The best method to report a non-emergency repair is to submit a maintenance request on your tenant portal. This ensures that the request is documented in writing and it will get to the right person. You can call your maintenance request into the office, but it is not the preferred method and may take time to get the message to the correct person.

If it is an emergency issue, call 207-991-980. If it is after hours, select option 4 for our after hours emergency line. Before you make any repair yourself, contact us as, except for specific circumstances provided for by law, you will not be allowed to deduct costs of repair from your rent. If there is a problem which was caused by you or your guests, such as in inappropriate item flushed down the toilet, you will be charged for the repair.

An emergency is defined as a maintenance problem that will cause a safety hazard to residents, or an imminent damage to property, so that fixing it cannot wait until the next business day. A few examples would be an overflowing toilet, a broken pipe, or sudden electrical short. If there is a gas leak, call the gas company in your area first, and if there is a power outage, call the electric company in your area first to see if there is a general power outage in the area. The operator on the hot line will determine if you have a true emergency, and if so, Pine State Property Management will contact an emergency vendor.

Will Pine State Property Management notify me when a repair person is coming to my home?
Pine State Property Management will give you a 24 hour notice to enter, unless you agree to allow Pine State Property Management's vendor to enter your home on an as-available basis. There is no requirement for you to be present, but you must provide access to your home, with proper notice, for purposes of repairs. There is no requirement for Pine State Property Management to give you notice if there is a suspected emergency, such as a burst pipe.

If your rent is not received when it is due, generally by the first of each month, you will be served a legal notice to pay your rent or leave the apartment. If rent is not received by the time the notice expires, and you do not leave, you will be subject to eviction proceedings. If you plan to be out of town when rent is due, you still need to make sure before you leave that your rent is paid. Being out of town does not excuse you from paying the rent. Rent must be paid regardless of any personal circumstances or problems you may have. This is part of your lease agreement, which is a legal document voluntarily signed by you. If your rent is late you may be subject to a late fee, and if your check bounces, you may be subject to a bounced check fee. If there are any problems you wish to discuss in regard to your rent, you may contact your Property Supervisor.

In a roommate situation, both roommates are entirely responsible for the rent. Pine State Property Management prefers one payment for the entire rent per unit. You must work it out between yourselves as to how you get the rent payment to Pine State Property Management; for example, there are times when one roommate may pay more rent than another, if that roommate occupies a room that is significantly larger, but that must be worked out between roommates and is not handled by Pine State Property Management. It is not Pine State Property Management’s responsibility to intercede if one of you pays and the other doesn’t. This will simply be considered non-payment of rent, and both your names may appear on an 7 day notice to quit and any possible eviction. The security deposit only is refunded when the entire unit is vacant, and no partial refund is given when one roommate moves out. If one roommate wants to leave and someone else wants to live in the unit, that person needs to apply as a tenant and be approved. If you and your roommate do not get along, Pine State Property Management is not obliged to get your roommate to leave. Needless to say, it is important to know a person’s history of being responsible financially before agreeing to be that person’s roommate

Security deposits are not to be used instead of payment of rent, since the purpose of a security deposit is to pay for any damage caused by the tenant or their guests. If you do not pay any rent, including the last month you are in the unit, you may be subject to eviction proceedings. You are entitled to an accounting of your security deposit as well as the appropriate refund, in accordance with MRSA Title 14 Section 6033.

Inform Pine State Property Management in writing as soon as you know about your transfer, and give an exact date you will be vacating the unit. You will still owe rent until the end of your lease term, as well as being responsible for all utilities you are required to pay, or until a new tenant is found. It would be to your benefit to keep your unit as presentable as possible, and cooperate fully with Pine State Property Management’s showing the unit, so a new tenant can be found as soon as possible. Once a tenant who is qualified takes over the remainder of your lease term, you will owe a $250 administrative fee to cover the cost of assigning the lease agreement.
As a way to help tenants out who are vacating early, you can now pay an amount equal to 2 months rent and be released from your lease immediately. This is sometimes a better option, especially if you are leaving in the winter, as, we may not be able to fill your unit and you could be responsible for rent, plus any utilities, for 3 months or longer.

Any persons not on the lease may occupy the unit only with the written permission of Pine State Property Management, and that person needs to be approved as a tenant by Pine State Property Management. You may be charged more rent if that person is in addition to, rather than instead of, a present resident. If an additional person is found to live in your unit, without permission of Pine State Property Management, you may be subject to eviction and/or increase of rent.

As a first step, if your neighbor is violating House Rules, we always suggest first talking to your neighbor in a friendly tone of voice. For instance, you may want to let him/her know that they may be unaware of the fact that it is late at night, their music can be heard in your unit, and is preventing you from sleeping. If you have already tried this, and the behavior continues, please inform Management, and we will contact the tenant. If the behavior continues even after we has made a direct request to your neighbor, please inform us, and further steps may need to be taken. If there is a loud party late at night and you feel you have no choice, by all means contact the Police Department.

As part of the lease agreement, renovations made by a tenant are only permissible with written approval by Pine State Property Management. You may, of course, hang paintings of your choice on the wall, provided you repair the holes upon vacating the unit. This rule against renovation without permission applies to all renovations, including changing your carpeting or other flooring, installation of built in appliances, etc. Please do not affix a satellite dish or other antenna to the roof, without acquiring permission first, as you will be charged for any damages to the roofing.

Any guests you invite should remain in your unit, and not congregate in common areas, including the pool or parking area. They should not be loitering anywhere around the building, and House Rules should be observed in regard to noise. If your guests damage your unit in any way, you will be held responsible. If your building has a security gate, you may not prop it open to allow guests to enter, as this compromises the security of other residents. Garage or yard sales, which typically cause obstruction of walkways, debris, and generally cause a nuisance, are not permitted.