Housing Safety

The Licensing and Registration Office administers the rental housing registration and schedules the property inspections for buildings that contain short term and long term rental units within the City of Portland. All property owners are required to annually register residential rental units with the City's licensing and registration Office by January 1st or within thirty (30) days of renting a property.  This includes rooms, apartments, condominiums, and houses.

You can renew Long Term Rental registrations starting November 1st. The City will be sending out Short Term Rental registration renewals after December 19th and the Council granted a one-time extension of the normal deadline (January 1st) to February 1st for 2019.  

REGISTER NOW: Rental Housing Registration by submitting the completed form to:
 housingsafety@portlandmaine.gov 

Guidance on Rental Units


A rental unit can be a rented room, apartment, house or condominium for any length of time:
  • Long term (>30 days) - Leased or month-to-month residential units; or
  • Short term (<30 days) - Any type of overnight, weekly or summer or seasonal residential rental through AirBnB, similar websites and other means
Please note: An Owner is not required to register the unit they occupy for Long Term only, but must register rental units, and have their own unit inspected for safety purposes.  We inspect the entire building.  A fire or other hazard in the owner's unit may impact the safety of the rental units. 

Registration Steps


Completing an annual registration for residential rental property includes:
  1. Providing contact information for the City to:
    • Schedule an inspection appointment with the owner or property manager.
    • Communicate with the owner or property manager to resolve an issue with a building.
    • Contact the owner or property manager in an emergency.
  2. Submitting documentation for the eligible discounts requested; and
  3. Paying for the residential rental registration.

Registration
For more information about the registration process or to download the registration form visit the Licensing and Registration Office in Room 307 of City Hall, call (207) 756-8131 or (207) 874-8557.
Download your registration form now:  Rental Housing Registration, then complete and email to:
housingsafety@portlandmaine.gov

Check the status of a registration on our Citizen Self Service (CSS) Portal, by clicking this link and selecting "Business License" in the search drop-down box, then choose the license type. 

Discount Documentation


Submit your Discount Documents by mail, email to housingsafety@portlandmaine.gov or in person at Licensing and Registration Office, Room 307, City Hall, 389 Congress Street, Portland Maine 04101.

Payment
Pay the Registration Fee Online or mail your check to Licensing and Registration Office, Room 307, City Hall, 389 Congress Street, Portland Maine 04101 or pay in person. Please reference your Registration Number or Address when you make your payment. Complete invoice number is required for online payment.

Pay the Registration Fee using a Credit Card or e-check Online 

Rental Inspections


A representative from our department will contact you to schedule an inspection of the property. This Pre-Inspection Checklist will provide some examples of what the inspection will cover.  Please use the confirmation to notify your tenants in advance.  Inspections are conducted Monday through Saturday from 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM.  For more information about rental inspections, please visit our Rental Inspections page.


The Licensing and Registration Office is open in Room 307 of City Hall 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Wednesday; 9:00 am to 4:30 pm Thursday & Friday.