March 7: Waterville council moves toward ‘compromise’ housing rental rules that drop mandatory registration 

On Tuesday night, the Waterville city council approved one of two needed votes to pass the rental registration ordinance. The City council voted to request that property owners register their buildings with the city instead of requiring them.   

Read the full article here. 

March 8: Lewiston considers vacant school property for affordable housing units 

The Lewiston city council voted on Tuesday to postpone their decision regarding the redevelopment of a former elementary school into an affordable housing development for seniors. The project developer is Lewiston Housing, and they have plans for 44 affordable housing units. The matter has been postponed till April.   

Read the full article here. 

March 8: South Portland City Council moves rent stabilization ordinance forward 

South Portland city council voted 4-3 on Tuesday to move forward with its rent stabilization ordinance. The second reading and vote for the ordinance is on March 21. If passed by May 27, the ordinance would take effect, the same day South Portland’s moratorium on evictions and rent increases expires. 

Read the full article here. 

March 8: Three rescued from Gorham apartment building fire late Tuesday night 

A rental housing provider in Gorham is working to put tenants up in a local motel and return their March rent payment after an apartment building fire. "It was very important to me for my tenants to have a place to be and go", landlord Eileen Kalikow said Wednesday. She said she's owned the Narragansett St. property for 30 years and her priority is to help the affected tenants. 

Read the full article here. 

March 9: Maine State Legislature considers a slew of new bills 

Rep. Chris Kessler of South Portland has sponsored a bill requiring an increase in advanced notice from landlords for tenants on rent increases. Kessler’s new bill was received on Thursday. 

Read the full article here.