Maine Roofing Inc

Seth Smyth

2023-08

If you’re considering renting from them, stay away if possible. I really wish I knew what I was getting into. Liz (business co-owner and apartment manager) was very kind at first, we thought we won the landlord lottery despite the high rent. They even made an exception for our pets. After a few months however, cracks began to show. We began having electrical issues and strange noises coming from the fuse box by the front door. Sure enough the panel wasn’t up to standards & uninsurable. It was known to start fires as they (FPE panels) were taken off the market decades prior for this reason, made more concerning by it being next to the front door AND the stairs. The back door was jammed shut and never fixed, so this was the only point of egress & only exit if you were upstairs. We brought this to their attention and they shrugged it off. We started to notice other issues as well, like how in the front room there was a hole in the wall large enough for our pets to stick their faces through and see outside. It became clear this apartment needed work, and they weren’t willing to fix much other than the 1970s water heater which failed. Then tragedy struck, my mother suffered brain damage and we had to break our lease to take care of her in a different state. Liz was absolutely awful to us about breaking our lease, and threatened to “drag her feet on it” to keep us liable for the exorbitant rent fees. Liz then had the front room repaired for the next tenants so the rats trying to get through the holes couldn’t. However, with the high-power tools and the faulty circuit breaker, the fire department (allegedly) had to be called according to our neighbor. We were never notified the fire department was called, but we did notice an odd burning smell once we returned that day. It turns out Liz didn’t want to “drag her feet” on renting this unit out, and instead scheduled another tenants move-in date during a month we already paid rent for. We were willing to make it work but asked to be reimbursed for when it was being double-rented in accordance to Maine state law, and Liz laughed in our face about it. When it came time to do the final walk-through Liz rescheduled a few times and made it really challenging. I think she didn’t want us present for it. When she did the walk through Liz was a vitriolic mess, she was so angry she began throwing around a ladder she brought to check the “tops of the cabinets” (which went to the ceiling, she didn’t remember her own apartment’s layout) and she almost shattered the light fixture with the ladder. She wanted to withhold our security deposit (even though we made repairs and deep-cleaned, meanwhile the last tenant left their belongings behind) and when we insisted she’d need to make an itemized bill in accordance to state laws she gave up and just took $100 off the deposit, which we were thankful for albeit still technically wrong. This was the worst rental experience I’ve ever had and this review only touched upon the most important parts. This situation was even worse given the personal issues I was going through, which made this experience so much more upsetting. I worry for anyone renting that (allegedly) hazardous apartment today, and hope they can at least treat their tenants with the dignity they deserve in the future, though I doubt it as I’ve heard they’ve raised rents even higher. The Portland rent board was notified in 2022, though our apartment wasn’t within their jurisdiction being in south portland, so they have it on file in case they do business in Portland proper. Nobody should be forced to live with a constant fire hazard. I was really hesitant to write this review and waited a year just in case of retaliation. For legal reasons this was all allegedly my personal anonymous experience with their rentals.

Brendon Bean

2017-05

Contact Maine Roofing Inc for the best in commercial roofing services!

thomas dutil

2017-05

Great owners very honest

Adam Fahey

2017-05

Great people