The Trelawney Building, Congress Street,  in Downton Portland.

Regardless of the facts in the case that caused Judge Susan Oram to rule against former Mayor Strimling in his eviction by Geoffrey Rice, his former landlord, Rice has maintained all along that he was “nickeled and dimed” by Strimling.

The outcome of this court proceeding was predictable at the outset. Just ask any renter who has lived outside the state and relocates here.  We know!  Regardless of the facts of the case, this blow against renters and their ability to form tenants’ unions does not come as a surprise here in the great state of Maine.  It’s a warning shot – don’t form tenants’ unions because Maine is backward in many ways.

A few years ago, this blogger after 18 years of good faith renting  in the same apartment unit on North Street on Munjoy HIll, was given 30 days, a/k/a one month, to vacate the unit.  A purchaser bought the building and was evicting tenants so she could upgrade the building – one unit at a time – and charge significantly more than current rents.  THIRTY DAYS (30)  to find another unit when the vacancy rate for apartments  was absurdly low.  As stated in previous posts herein, one month should be outlawed and made illegal by the State of Maine.  It’s inhumane.

In my frantic search to find an apartment in THIRTY DAYS (30) I requested an application fpr Geofrey Rice’s  Congress Street building.  Rice happened to be in the office when I did that.  We had a nice visit – talking about writers as I recall.  A common interest of both of us.  Rice said he hoped I’d move into one of his units.  To my utter astonishment, the Rice rental application called for two months or maybe more security deposit upfront.  It was a few years ago.  I told him that I was withdrawing my application because the terms were so financially adverse to any requirements for renters I had ever experienced in this state, Virginia or New York – where I’d lived previously.  His greed on display did not portend well for the future as a tenant of his.  One dire situation did not deserve another.

Maine has a long, bumpy road to travel to overcome its reputation as a “Vacationland” – a temporary place to be – for “from away” people.  Technical hubs and all.

“Who is the real “nickeler and dimer” here?  Really.

For more, please visit post herein dated April 10, 2022, “Maine Renters Screwed by Lack of Legal Protections.”