To determine the extent of the eviction crisis in Maine and inform policymakers of its implications,
the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition (MAHC) launched an eviction tracking database (ETD) in
the summer of 2020. MAHC published initial findings from the ETD in September of 2020,
reflecting data on eviction actions filed between January 1 and June 30 of that year in 13 district
courts covering six of Maine’s 16 counties: Androscoggin, Cumberland, Kennebec, Penobscot,
Sagadahoc and York.
Resource limitations and geographic challenges prevented MAHC from being able to continue
gathering eviction filing details from each of those 13 courts, so the update provided herein reflects
a focus on the seven busiest eviction courts in Maine: Lewiston, Portland, Bangor, Biddeford,
Augusta, Waterville and Springvale. 69% of Maine’s overall eviction caseload between fiscal
years 2015-2020 were filed in those seven district courts.
This report provides further analysis of filing prevalence, outcomes and other key data points for
eviction cases filed between January 1 and November 30, 2020, as well as cases filed in Lewiston
& Portland between August and December of 2019. We hope this information allows policy
makers and the public to better understand how evictions are playing out in Maine and aids in
formulating data-driven responses.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
1. Eviction filings have decreased significantly since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020.
2. The stated causes of eviction filings have shifted during the pandemic period.
3. Arrearages and months past due claimed in non-payment cases have increased significantly during the
pandemic period.
4. Eviction case outcomes have shifted as more cases are being dismissed.
5. Tenants continue to lag far behind landlords in legal representation, and case outcomes continue to strongly
correlate with this imbalance.
February 2021 Update to 2020 report: Evictions-in-Maine-February-2021
Initial Report With data pre-pandemic: FINAL-September-2020
