Can a rent-to-own store in Maine have me arrested for missing payments?

Falling behind on payments is a civil matter, not a crime. Maine's Consumer Credit Code provides civil remedies and is enforced by the Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection, not by criminal charges against customers who fall behind.

Can a rent-to-own store enter my home in Maine to take the item back?

A rental-purchase agreement can't authorize the merchant to enter your premises or commit a breach of the peace in repossession, and it can't include a confession of judgment, a security interest in your other goods, a wage assignment, or a waiver of your claims or defenses (Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 9-A §11-109).

In Maine, can I owe money after the item is repossessed?

Because a rental-purchase agreement renews one period at a time, you can return the item and stop owing future payments rather than being held to a full purchase price.

Rent-to-Own Laws in Maine: Your Rights

Maine's rental-purchase law bars a store from entering your home or breaching the peace to repossess, caps late and other fees, and gives you ownership once half your payments equal the cash price, with the total of payments capped at twice the cash price. Missing payments is a civil matter, not a crime.

What Maine's rental-purchase law generally provides

Can you be charged with a crime?: Not for the debt, but keeping the item and refusing to return it can be charged as theft.
Can they enter your home?: No home entry without your permission
Getting it back (reinstatement): Yes
Paid enough to own it?: After ~50%: Maine caps the total of payments to own at twice the cash price, and you own the item outright once 50% of your payments equals the cash price. You can also buy it early for the cash price minus 50% of what you've already paid (Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 9-A §11-114).
Fee caps: Late fee capped at the greater of 5% of the payment or $3, once per payment (§11-110); initial administrative fee no more than $15; delivery no more than $30 for three or fewer items (or $60 for four or more); payment pickup fee no more than $7.50 (§11-111).
Owe a balance after repossession?: Not allowed

These describe what the statute says. Your own contract and the facts of your situation can affect how they apply.

Verified against Maine Rental-Purchase Practices law (Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 9-A, §§ 11-101 to 11-118) on 2026-07-05.

Maine folds rent-to-own into its Consumer Credit Code, and its rules put real limits on fees and a clear cap on what a deal can cost.

Can the store come into my home?

No. A rental-purchase agreement in Maine can’t authorize the merchant to enter your premises or commit a breach of the peace in repossession (Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 9-A §11-109). The same section bars confessions of judgment, security interests in your other goods, wage assignments, and waivers of your claims or defenses. A store that can’t repossess peacefully has to use the courts.

Can I be arrested for not paying?

No. Falling behind is a civil matter. Maine’s Consumer Credit Code provides civil remedies and is enforced by the state Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection, not by criminal charges against customers.

Can I be charged with theft for keeping the item?

Keeping the item is a separate question. Maine’s unauthorized-use-of-property law covers a person who holds property under a rental or lease agreement and does not return it (Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 17-A §360). Failing to return the item within 5 days of a written demand (sent by certified or registered mail, or hand-delivered, after the rental period) supports a permissible inference of a gross deviation from the agreement, a Class D crime.

This is about holding onto the item and ignoring a proper demand, not being behind and trying to catch up. If you decide to walk away, returning the item, or responding to a demand, is what keeps you clear of it.

Reinstatement

If you return or surrender the item within 7 days after missing a payment (or within 2 business days of the merchant’s request, whichever is later), you can reinstate without losing rights you’d earned by paying the past-due charges and other allowed charges, but not the initial administrative fee (§11-113).

A cap on what it can cost

Maine stands out here. The total of payments to own can’t exceed twice the cash price, and you own the item outright once 50% of your payments equals the cash price (§11-114). You can also buy it early for the cash price minus 50% of what you’ve already paid. The ownership calculator can help you see how close you are.

Fees are capped

Maine limits the common charges: a late fee of no more than the greater of 5% of the payment or $3 (once per payment); an initial administrative fee of no more than $15; delivery of no more than $30 (three or fewer items) or $60 (four or more); and a payment pickup fee of no more than $7.50 (§§11-110, 11-111).

Maine rent-to-own questions

Can a rent-to-own store in Maine have me arrested for missing payments?: Falling behind on payments is a civil matter, not a crime. Maine's Consumer Credit Code provides civil remedies and is enforced by the Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection, not by criminal charges against customers who fall behind.
Can I be charged with theft for keeping rent-to-own property in Maine?: Keeping the item is a separate question. Maine's unauthorized-use-of-property law covers a person who holds property under a rental or lease agreement and does not return it (Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 17-A §360). Failing to return the item within 5 days of a written demand (sent by certified or registered mail, or hand-delivered, after the rental period) supports a permissible inference of a gross deviation from the agreement, a Class D crime. It targets holding onto the item and ignoring a proper demand, not being behind; returning the item, or responding to the demand, takes you out of it.
Can a rent-to-own store enter my home in Maine to take the item back?: A rental-purchase agreement can't authorize the merchant to enter your premises or commit a breach of the peace in repossession, and it can't include a confession of judgment, a security interest in your other goods, a wage assignment, or a waiver of your claims or defenses (Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 9-A §11-109).
Can I get rented rented merchandise back after it is repossessed in Maine?: If you return or surrender the item within 7 days after missing a payment (or within 2 business days of the merchant's request, whichever is later), you can reinstate without losing rights you'd earned by paying the past-due charges and other allowed charges, but not the initial administrative fee (Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 9-A §11-113).
In Maine, can I owe money after the item is repossessed?: Because a rental-purchase agreement renews one period at a time, you can return the item and stop owing future payments rather than being held to a full purchase price.

Sources

Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 9-A §11-109: Prohibited provisions (retrieved 2026-06-19)
Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 9-A §11-113: Reinstatement (retrieved 2026-06-19)
Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 9-A §11-114: Acquiring ownership (retrieved 2026-06-19)
Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 9-A §11-110: Delinquency charges (retrieved 2026-06-19)
Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 9-A §11-111: Other charges; fee limits (retrieved 2026-06-19)
Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 17-A §360: Unauthorized use of property (failure to return) (retrieved 2026-06-21)

Every statement about the law on this page links to the official statute itself, so you can read the law, not just our summary of it. Notice something out of date? Let us know.

Consumer information, not legal advice. For your situation, consider speaking with a licensed Maine attorney or a local legal-aid office.