Tenant Placement Services
Tenant Placement in Southern Maine
We find, screen, and sign qualified residents for your vacant rental, then hand you the keys to manage it yourself. Rent pricing, marketing, showings, screening, and a compliant Maine lease, handled by licensed real estate agents who own rentals too.
- Rent priced from current local comparables
- Consistent, fair housing compliant screening
- Leases with every required Maine and federal disclosure
- Available on its own or as part of full-service management
What Tenant Placement Is
What Is a Tenant Placement Service?
What does a tenant placement service include?Tenant placement from Guardian Properties is a leasing-only service for Southern Maine rental owners. We price the rent, prepare and market the listing, run showings, screen applicants, and sign a lease with all required disclosures. After move-in, the owner manages the property, or can switch to our full-service management at any time.
Filling a vacancy well is the single most important thing that happens to a rental. The right resident pays on time, takes care of the unit, and stays. The wrong one can cost months of rent, repairs, and legal fees. Tenant placement puts that decision in the hands of people who lease units every week, while you keep the day-to-day control you want.
Tenant Placement at a Glance
- Includes
- Pricing, marketing, showings, screening, lease signing, and move-in
- Best for
- Local owners who manage day to day but want help leasing
- Service area
- Eight Southern Maine communities, from Sanford to Portland
- After move-in
- You manage, or upgrade to full service anytime
- Pricing
- A placement fee when we sign a new resident
- Applications
- Online through our Buildium rental application
Our Process
How Does Our Tenant Placement Process Work?
From vacant unit to signed lease, here is what we do.
Rent Analysis
We price the unit from current comparable rentals nearby, adjusted for condition, features, and any local rules such as Portland's rent control.
Unit Preparation
We walk the unit and recommend any cleaning, repairs, or small updates that will help it lease faster or at a better rent.
Marketing
We write the listing, photograph the unit, and post it to our available rentals page and popular rental sites.
Showings
We answer inquiries quickly and show the unit to interested renters, so you are not juggling calls and texts.
Screening
Applicants apply online and go through the same screening process every time, consistent with fair housing laws.
Lease Signing and Move-In
We prepare a Maine lease with all required disclosures, collect the deposit and first month's rent, and document the unit's condition at move-in.
Maine Leasing Rules
What Do Maine Laws Require When You Lease a Rental?
Maine changed its leasing rules in recent years, and many owners who self-manage are still using old habits. The biggest change is fees. Under 14 M.R.S. §6030-H, a landlord may not charge applicants a fee to submit an application or to have it reviewed. The landlord may charge the actual cost of one screening service, such as a background or credit check, but only after telling the applicant they will receive a complete copy of the results, and only once in any 12-month period.
Deposits have limits too. Maine law caps a security deposit at two months' rent, and the deposit must be returned within the time in a written lease, up to 30 days, or within 21 days for a tenancy at will.
Required Disclosures We Include
- Lead paint. The federal lead disclosure and EPA pamphlet for housing built before 1978.
- Radon. Maine's radon disclosure for residential rentals.
- Energy efficiency. Maine's rental energy efficiency disclosure.
- Smoking policy. Written notice of whether smoking is allowed.
- Local forms. City-specific notices where required, such as South Portland's tenant disclosure form.
This is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so we review requirements for each property and town.
Resident Screening
How Do We Screen Applicants?
Good screening is consistent screening. Every applicant for a unit goes through the same steps and is measured against the same written criteria, set before the unit is listed. That approach protects you under federal and Maine fair housing laws, and it produces better residents, because decisions are based on the information that predicts a good tenancy rather than first impressions.
Applicants apply online through our Buildium rental application. We review the application along with the screening results, verify the details that matter, and follow up with questions where something is unclear. When we recommend an applicant, we explain why.
We also work with renters who use Section 8 and other housing voucher programs. For owners open to voucher holders, we handle the program inspection and paperwork as part of placement.
Setting the Rent
How Do We Price Your Rental?
The right rent fills the unit with a qualified resident without leaving money on the table.
Local Comparables
We look at what similar units in the same neighborhood are actually leasing for, not just asking prices, and adjust for size, condition, parking, and utilities.
Season and Timing
Demand shifts through the year. We factor in timing so a unit listed in a slow month is priced to lease rather than sit.
Local Rules
In Portland, covered units can only rise 5% after a voluntary move-out. We check rules like this before setting a new rent.
Have a Unit Coming Open?
Tell us about it and we will walk you through pricing, timing, and our placement process.
Avoid Costly Errors
What Leasing Mistakes Do Maine Landlords Make Most Often?
These are the problems we see most when owners lease units on their own.
Charging an Application Fee
Fees to submit or review an application are no longer allowed in Maine. Only the actual cost of one screening service can be charged, with a copy of the results given to the applicant.
Collecting Too Large a Deposit
Asking for first month, last month, and a deposit on top can push past Maine's two-month cap on security deposits.
Skipping Disclosures
Missing lead, radon, energy efficiency, or smoking disclosures can create problems later, especially if a dispute ends up in court.
Inconsistent Screening
Asking different applicants different questions, or bending criteria for some, invites fair housing complaints and weakens decisions.
No Move-In Documentation
Without dated photos and a signed condition report at move-in, it is hard to justify deductions from a deposit later.
Pricing From Asking Rents
Listings show what owners hope to get, not what units lease for. Overpricing usually costs more in vacancy than it gains in rent.
Who It Is For
Who Should Use Tenant Placement Only?
Hands-On Local Owners
You live nearby, enjoy handling repairs and rent yourself, and just want help with the hardest part: finding the right resident.
Owners With Rare Vacancies
Long-term residents mean you only lease every few years, and the rules may have changed since the last time.
Owners Testing the Waters
Start with placement, see how we work, and move to full service later if it makes sense.
Compare Your Options
Is Tenant Placement or Full-Service Management Better for You?
We Lease It, You Run It
- Pricing, marketing, showings, screening, and lease signing.
- You collect rent, handle repairs, and manage renewals.
- You track notices, deposits, and local rules after move-in.
Lower ongoing cost, more of your time.
We Lease It and Run It
- Everything in placement, plus rent collection and repairs.
- Renewals, move-outs, and lease enforcement handled.
- Local compliance and monthly reporting in Buildium.
See everything included in full-service property management.
Pricing
How Much Does Tenant Placement Cost?
Tenant placement is priced as a placement fee, charged when we sign a new resident for your unit. We review the fee and exactly what it covers with you before we start. If you later move to full-service management, our monthly fee is based on a percentage of rent collected, with renewal fees when residents sign new terms.
For more on how we work, visit our frequently asked questions, or see the communities we cover on our areas we serve page.
Tenant Placement Questions
What Do Owners Ask About Tenant Placement?
What is included in tenant placement?
Tenant placement includes a rent analysis, listing and marketing, showings, applicant screening, lease preparation with required disclosures, collecting the deposit and first month's rent, and a documented move-in. After that, you manage the property.
Can landlords in Maine charge a rental application fee?
No. Maine law prohibits fees to submit or review a rental application. A landlord may charge the actual cost of one screening service, such as a background or credit check, once in a 12-month period, and must give the applicant a complete copy of the results.
How much security deposit can I collect in Maine?
Maine law limits a security deposit to two months' rent. The deposit must be returned within the time stated in a written lease, up to 30 days, or within 21 days for a tenancy at will.
How do you screen applicants?
Every applicant for a unit applies online and is reviewed against the same written criteria, set before the unit is listed. That consistency keeps the process fair under federal and Maine fair housing laws and leads to better resident decisions.
Do you place residents who use housing vouchers?
Yes. We work with Section 8 and other housing voucher programs, and we handle the program inspection and paperwork for owners who rent to voucher holders.
Can I switch from tenant placement to full service later?
Yes. Many owners start with placement and move to full-service management when they want more time back. We can take over a property with a resident we placed or one already in place.
Which areas do you offer tenant placement in?
We offer tenant placement in Biddeford, Saco, Old Orchard Beach, Sanford, Scarborough, Portland, South Portland, and Westbrook, Maine.
Ready to Fill Your Vacancy?
Tell us about your unit, and we will show you how we would price it, market it, and find the right resident.