City of Portland official website
Use the city's official site to find current contacts for a rental, housing-safety, or code question about a Portland address.
Portland, Maine · Cumberland County · Tenant-occupied house
You're done — no turnover, no repairs, no more bad tenants.
Yes, you can sell your Portland house with tenants still living there. USA Home Buyers buys houses as-is in Portland and Cumberland County, Maine. A sale does not by itself cancel a lease, so we talk through the occupancy and deposit handoff too.
The landlord-exit benefit comes after you sell to us; it does not mean a tenant has to move out first. Call 888-274-5006 or use the form below to talk about the property and tenancy.
Talk through your Portland tenant-occupied house
Tell us about the lease, who lives there, access, repairs, and any deposit questions. You can start with what you know; the house does not have to be vacant before you call.
We'll give you a written cash offer within 24 hours.
We give written cash offers in 24 hours.
Share the address and tell us what is happening with the tenants and the house.
What we do
USA Home Buyers buys houses as-is in Portland and Cumberland County. We buy houses as-is, in any condition — no repairs, no cleaning, no cleanout required to sell to us.
You don't always need to evict to sell to us. We buy houses with tenants in place — we've done it many times, including cash-for-keys when that works better for everyone.
We can talk about the tenancy as it is now, including whether a tenant staying or a move-out conversation may work better for everyone involved.
Bring us the problem
Is the lease unclear, is access difficult, or does the house need repairs? Tell us what is going on with the property and the people living there. You do not have to resolve every tenancy question before starting a sale conversation.
Call 888-274-5006 and tell us what is happening.
What happens next
1. We talk about the house and tenancy
Share the Portland address, the lease or rental arrangement, who is living there, access limits, repair needs, and your plans for the property.
2. We put the offer and terms in writing
We give written cash offers in 24 hours.
Written offer and written terms before you commit; title-company closing.
3. The title company handles closing
If you choose to proceed, the title-company closing includes the ownership and transaction paperwork. Bring the lease, occupancy information, and deposit records into the closing discussion so the handoff is documented.
When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs, including the real estate transfer tax.
Your mortgage, liens, back taxes, and share of current property taxes are separate.
Local help for a Portland rental or house
For a Portland rental, housing-safety, or code question, start with the City of Portland's official website and confirm which city department handles the specific address and issue. The county Registry of Deeds is for land-record context, not tenant or possession questions.
Cumberland County Registry of Deeds
The county land-records office is a source for recorded property documents. Those records do not decide a tenant's lease or possession rights.
For a Portland property with a code notice or repair issue, see our Portland code-violations page.
Maine tenant rights, notice, possession, and deposits
Yes, you can sell with tenants in the house. The sale does not by itself cancel their rights; the lease, notice, possession, and security-deposit handoff remain separate parts of the transaction.
The lease continues after a sale
If there is a written lease, it stays in force for its term. The buyer steps in as the new landlord. Selling the property alone does not make the tenant move out or end the lease.
Notice and possession are separate
A month-to-month tenancy at will generally takes at least 30 days' written notice to end. A sale is not one of Maine's reasons for shorter notice. If you want the house vacant, plan possession separately from the sale; the sale itself does not end the tenancy.
Maine law: 14 M.R.S. §6002, tenancy at will and notice.
What happens to the security deposit
When the house is sold, you must either transfer each deposit to the buyer with an accounting or return it to the tenant, less lawful deductions. If you transfer it, mail each tenant a notice with the buyer's name and address and a copy of the accounting. Complete the transfer and accounting no later than closing, and give the buyer written proof at closing. Once those steps are done, you are released from further liability for those funds. The buyer then takes responsibility for the money, must keep it separate from the buyer's own funds, and must return it as Maine law requires.
Maine law: 14 M.R.S. §6035, transferring a security deposit and §6038, the new owner's responsibility.
More Portland seller help
Portland home-sale net proceeds calculator →Compare what you may keep after costs using your own numbers.Portland and Cumberland County resources →Find more local seller and property-record resources.How a Portland cash sale works →Review the path from property details to written terms and title-company closing.Portland housing market report →See local housing measures with their sources and reporting periods.
What sellers say about USA Home Buyers
Here's what sellers have said about working with us.
“Sixty-six years old, widowed, and the house had more property taxes than I wanted to keep paying — $5,800 a year in NH on a fixed income. My son in Boston had been after me to move south. USA Home Buyers gave me a fair number, no open houses, no strangers in my house. Closed in eight days. I was in Massachusetts before spring.”
“My parents owned a house near the Millyard for 40 years. After my mother passed, my brother and I needed to settle the estate quickly — we both have jobs and families, neither of us lives in Manchester. USA Home Buyers had a written offer the next day and we closed in 11 days. The whole process was straightforward.”
“I relocated to Boston for work and had my Manchester house on the market for three months with an agent — two failed offers, one buyer who couldn't get financing. USA Home Buyers gave me a written number the next morning and we closed before my lease on the new apartment ran out.”
Portland tenant-occupied seller questions
Can I sell my Portland house while tenants are still living there?
Yes. You can sell while tenants are still there. The sale does not by itself cancel a lease: a written lease stays in force for its term, and the buyer steps in as the new landlord.
Does selling the house make a month-to-month tenant move out?
No. A sale by itself does not end the tenancy. A tenancy at will generally takes at least 30 days' written notice to end, and Maine's shorter-notice reasons do not include the sale itself.
What happens to the security deposit when I sell?
You must either transfer the deposit to the buyer with an accounting or return it to the tenant, less lawful deductions. If you transfer it, mail each tenant notice with the buyer’s name and address and a copy of the accounting. Complete the transfer and accounting by closing, and give the buyer written proof at closing.
Do I need to evict before I call?
No. You can talk with us while the tenants are still in the house. Tell us about the lease, occupancy, access, and what you want to happen next.
What should I have ready before we talk?
Start with the Portland address and what is happening. If available, have the lease, occupancy details, access limits, repair concerns, and deposit records nearby; you can call even if you do not have every document.
Talk through the tenant situation
Call 888-274-5006 or use the form above. Start with the Portland address and what you know about the house and tenancy.