What liability do landlords have if they wrongfully refuse my request for reasonable accommodations or modifications?
Landlords may be liable for disability-based discrimination against tenants under the Maine Human Rights Act. Possible remedies include civil penal damages up to $10,000, reasonable attorney fees and costs, and injunctive relief requiring the landlord to stop his discriminatory conduct. Landlords are also liable under the Federal Fair Housing Act, but remedies are limited to injunctive relief and reasonable attorney fees and costs. Administrative complaints with the Maine Human Rights Commission must be filed within six months of the date that the discrimination occurred. In the case of a reasonable accommodation or modification request denial, an administrative complaint would have to be filed within six months of the date the landlord made his denial. Although the Maine Human Rights Commission does not have the powers of a court, processing a complaint through the Commission is a necessary step before you can bring a claim in court. The Maine Human Rights Commission is a state agency
