Maine WomenVetsUSA Maine WomenVetsUSA

Benefits & Services » Housing

Other Housing Resources

Select a topic below to view information.
open all | close all

Home, Property, and Rent Tax Exemptions/Credits

Two Maine tax exemptions providing some relief with property taxes are the Homestead Exemption and the Veteran Exemption.

Homestead Exemption

The Homestead Exemption provides a reduction in the value of your home for property tax purposes. To qualify, you must be a permanent resident of Maine, the home must be your permanent residence, you must have owned a home in Maine for the twelve months prior to applying and an application must be filed on or before April 1 with the municipality where the property is located. The exemption applies to any residential property that is assessed as real property. For instance, a mobile home located on a rented lot may qualify for the exemption.

This amount will be increased from $10,000 to $15,000 beginning April 1, 2016. The amount will increase again to $20,000 on April 1, 2017.

Laws are subject to change.  Visit the Maine Revenue Services site to validate current legal property tax reductions.

Application for Homestead Exemption

Veteran Exemption

The Veteran Exemption provides a reduction in the value of your home for property tax purposes.  In general, property owned by a Qualifying Veteran is exempt from municipal property tax for up to $6,000 of just valuation, in the municipality where the veteran is a legal resident.  Under most circumstances, a veteran must be 62 years of age and/or totally disabled and receiving federal pension or compensation.   However, there are other exemption criteria for veterans with other conditions.  Detailed eligibility criteria, application, and other information is available on the Maine Revenue Services site.

In some cases, a veteran's spouse, child, or parent may qualify for this exemption if the veteran is deceased and the family member meets all other eligibility criteria.

Requests for this property exemption must be submitted in writing along with proof of entitlement to the veteran's municipal town office.

Application for Maine Veteran Property Tax Exemption

Other Property and Rent Relief

In some cases, there is other property or rent tax credits or abatements if a veteran is qualified. 

Maine Veteran Property Tax Exemption/Relief

External Website: Maine.gov

Rights of Tenants Guide (October 2015)

The Pine Tree Legal Assistance Rights of Tenants Guide offers information regarding Maine's laws current as of October 2015.  

Rights of Tenants Guide Contents

  • Tips Before You Rent
  • Types of Rental Agreements
  • Security Deposits
  • Rent
  • Unsafe or Unfit Housing
  • Evictions
  • Abandoned Property
  • Sale or Foreclosure of Building
  • Discrimination
  • Victims of Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Stalking
  • Cable TV, Dishes and Antennas
  • Heat and Utility Charges for Common Areas
  • Landlord Entering Your Home
  • Subsidized Housing
  • Mobile Home Parks

External Website: Pine Tree Legal Assistance

Mediation Services: Volunteers of America Community

Volunteers of America's (VOA's) Community Mediation Services (CMS) is working on a pilot project with Maine State Housing Authority (MSHA) to provide conflict resolution services and education to veterans who receive Department of Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Vouchers, and to the landlords who rent to veterans.

When veterans find permanent housing, CMS is available to assist should a conflict arise with neighbors, landlords, family or other individuals such as employers who might impact their housing situation.

Contact

Elaine Bourne, Program Manager for Community Mediation Services (CMS)

Phone:  207-373-1140, x229

E-mail:  elaine.bourne@voanne.org

External Website: Volunteers of America Northern New England

"Stay in the Loop" Information Updates: E-Mail Notifications, Subscriptions, & Mobile Applications

Do you want to choose what you wish to stay informed about?  Here are some options:

Maine Transition Assistance:  E-mail Updates

Receive Maine job announcements as well as upcoming Maine military and veteran program and event notices. Add your e-mail address by contacting:

Ms. Wendy J. Moody
Transition Assistance Advisor-Maine
E-mail: wendy.j.moody2.ctr@mail.mil
Office: 207.430.5778
Fax: 207.626.4218

Addresses:

DVEM
ATTN: NGME-ARP-BSC
Camp Keyes
Augusta ME 04333-0032
Skyline Ultd, Inc - Contractor
194 Winthrop Street
Augusta ME 04333

"Stall Talk" E-Flyer

Receive an e-flyer with quick announcements about Maine military and veteran activities and services.  Add your e-mail address by contacting:

Kyra Darling
Military Family Assistance Center
Work:  207-430-5772
Fax:  207-430-5783
Family Assistance Line:  1-888-365-9287 
E-mail:  kyra.e.darling.ctr@mail.mil
Website:  www.me.ngb.army.mil/family
Address:
DVEM Family Program
#33 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333

Maine.gov:  Notifications & Subscriptions

E-mail & Text Notifications

Maine.gov news, alerts, and updates, are offered via a few free notification services.  Subscribe to receive automatic Maine.gov e-mails for specific topics of interest, including veteran-specific, labor and other state department, news, weather, alerts, lottery numbers, foliage reports, and other updates.

Maine.gov RSS Feeds

Subscribe to Maine.gov RSS feeds to receive automatic updates for topics of interest, including news, weather, alerts, lottery numbers, and more.  What is RSS?  RSS is the acronym for Really Simple Syndication. It's an easy way to keep up with news and updates from a variety of websites without having to visit each site. You receive the information you choose to follow with automatic updates delivered to the electronic address you provide. RSS is becoming more popular and you'll find many sites now offering RSS feeds.

Maine.gov Mobile Phone Links

Maine.gov was designed for mobile applications to make your experience fast and easy on any device. It is a responsive design offering Maine.gov on any screen size. Other online services and state agency websites continue to be developed into responsive, mobile-ready design.

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA):  Events Portal

This VA portal offers online interactive chat events about VA benefits and services.

VA Events Portal:  Subscription & Reminders

Resources: Community Service Provider Information

Veteran Outreach Toolkit:  Department of Veterans Affairs

Eliminating veterans experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness is a priority for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).  The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) "no wrong door" approach to the elimination of veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness means veterans need to have timely access to appropriate programs and services.  To achieve this, the VA posted an outreach toolkit of posters, brochures, wallet card, public service announcements, and videos for community partners to use.

Department of Veterans Affairs Homeless Veteran Outreach Toolkit

Other Community Resources

Visit the national WomenVetsUSA pages "Resources:  Community Service Provider Information."