Maine tenants win $3.6m deal after rent-control dispute

The tenants’ union in Portland, Maine, has reached a $3.6 million settlement with local landlord Geoffrey Rice, who was accused of illegally raising rents, according to a report by Realtor.com. Trelawny Tenants Union (TTU) and Rice reached the multimillion-dollar settlement on Sunday after years of disputes and 20 hours of mediation. Under the terms, more than 1,000 current and former tenants will be reimbursed for excess rent paid since 2020. The settlement covers nearly $3 million in overcharged rent, as well as additional fines.A union born in the pandemicThe Trelawny Tenants Union started during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 as a ‘mutual aid’ group among neighbours, according to TTU treasurer Ethan Strimling, a tenant in one of Rice’s buildings and a former Portland mayor. “We never could have done this if it had been one person at a time trying to get Geoffrey to adjust their rent. Because tenants became represented by the union and so many people came to our meetings and participated in audits and actions and lobbied the city council, it has really shown what tenants can do when they come together,” Strimling told Maine Public.TTU’s members wanted to keep rent increases and e...