Rental Registration

RENTAL REGISTRATION FOR THE 2023-2024 REGISTRATION YEAR WILL BEGIN ON JULY 1st. 

Rental Registration Renewal Form

The Town has implemented an online application and fee paying system for the annual rental registration with an eye to making the process to make it as quick and efficient as possible for our property owners. The online rental registration renewal form is an abbreviated form of our rental registration application, while still allowing the Town to gather the information on rental properties that must be updated annually, as well as any changes to the property or to the property owner's contact information. 

Local Agent Requirements

The Orono Town Council adopted an ordinance pertaining to all rental properties that affects owners whose place of residence or primary place of business is more than one hour’s driving time from Orono. Any rental property owner meeting the description of an “absentee owner” must hire a local agent, whose residence or business is located within the Town of Orono or an adjacent municipality, to oversee their property or properties.

The ordinance requires that the local agent hired meet the following criteria: 

  • They must be available to respond to emergencies within the owner’s rental property on a 24-hour per day basis;
  • Be authorized in a notarized statement signed by the owner and the local agent and on file at the Code Enforcement Office to enforce leases or other rental agreements with tenants; 
  • Serve as a first point of contact, if necessary, for municipal public safety or code enforcement officials; and 
  • Have one or more qualifications as a property manager, such as having a Realtor’s license, having a business in property management, having a business or history in a skilled trade related to construction, or other experience or qualifications deemed by the Code Enforcement Officer as meeting the intent of this section.

(Chapter 8, Article IV, Section 8.114)

Notarized statements can be provided to the Code Enforcement Office by mailing them to Orono Code Enforcement, 59 Main St, Orono, ME 04473 or submitting them via email so long as the notary’s seal is clearly visible on the scanned image. If you are required to submit a notarized statement, your rental registration will not be considered complete without submitting your statement to the Code Office by the rental registration deadline on August 15 of the given year. 

If you would like to review the amended ordinance, it is available online. If you do not have access to a computer please contact our office at 207-889-6909 and we would be happy to provide you with a paper copy. 

If you have any questions about the new ordinance, or whether you are considered an absentee owner, please contact our office at 207-889-6909 or jchadbourne@orono.org for assistance.

To assist with the notarized statement requirement, Town Staff have created a Local Agent Designation Form that homeowners can fill out and provide to their notary of choice. Once notarized this document can be emailed to town staff or mailed to the Orono Town Office at 59 Main St, Orono, ME 04473. 

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Current rental owners will still receive an explanatory packet in the mail at the address on file, as we do every year, containing instructions on how to locate the renewal form and complete the registration process.

If you are a new rental property owner, or an owner who is planning to rent your property for the first time, you can contact Jessica Chadbourne in the Office of Community Development at 207-889-6909 or jchadbourne@orono.org for more information on the Rental Registration program. 

Important Information to Know Before Completing Your Rental Registration: 

  • Please be sure to fill your Rental Registration Application out in its entirety. Applications submitted missing important information will be delayed until Town Staff are able to reach the owner and confirm the missing details. 
  • If you own rent more than one property you must submit separate applications for each property. Just as in previous years when submitting paper forms, each of your properties must have a unique application.
  • The fee is $25.00 per dwelling unit if paid by September 1. A fee will be assigned to your application once it has been deemed complete by town staff and you will receive an email instructing you how to pay your fee. You will not be able to pay your fee until you receive that email. It will be sent to the email address you provided in your application, so be sure that your email address is correct. Your rental registration will not be considered complete or valid until both your application and your payment have been received by the Town.
  • The fee for registrations received after the September 1st date doubles to $50 per dwelling unit. 
  • The Town will begin formal enforcement action for rental units not registered by October 15, which subjects property owners to a penalty of $100- $2,500 per day per violation.
  • If you no longer own rental property, please contact Jessica Chadbourne (see above) to update the Town records. Doing nothing may seem easier for you but it will result in the town assuming you are simply ignoring the requirement and a court summons being issued which can only be addressed by appearing in court. So please let us know when you no longer own a rental property or if you decide to no longer rent a unit.  
  • Uploading Sketches: If you are registering your rental property for the first time, you will need to provide the town with a sketch of the property in order to complete your registration. Please use the upload file feature at the bottom of the online registration application to upload a sketch of the lot on which the rental property is located. You can either upload a PDF or a photo of your drawn sketch. Please note that sketches submitted that are illegible or do not contain the above information will not be accepted, and your application cannot be deemed complete without an acceptable sketch. Your property sketch should include:
    • General location of the building on the lot
    • Parking area(s) on the lot and the number of parking spaces in each area
    • Any outdoor trash storage area
    • Any fence, hedge or similar vegetation that separates your lot from neighboring lots
    • Name(s) of abutting street(s)
  • Unrelated Persons: If your rental is currently vacant, and you do not have any tenants, you may note the number of unrelated persons you are allowed to have at your property, according to the rental registration ordinance, in the unrelated persons box. The allowed number of unrelated persons in a rental is determined by zoning district, as follows:
    • In a zoning district in which multifamily dwellings are NOT a permitted use, only three unrelated persons can occupy a single dwelling unit.
    • In a zoning district in which multifamily dwellings are a permitted use, only five unrelated persons can occupy a single dwelling unit.

FOR CURRENT RENTAL OWNERS REREGISTERING A PROPERTY 

Click here to Complete Your Online Rental Registration Renewal

FOR NEW PROPERTY OWNERS REGISTERING A PROPERTY FOR THE FIRST TIME 

Click Here to Complete the Rental Registration Initial Application

Once your registration has been received and deemed complete, you will be emailed information on your rental registration fee(s) and options for how to pay. PLEASE NOTE: You will not be able to pay your registration fee(s) until you have received the above email, which will include a link to a portal page where you can pay your fees online. If you have misplaced your email confirming that your fees are ready to be paid, you can also access the payment portal at the link below:

Click Here to Pay Your Rental Registration Fee