Landlords Mistakenly Send Eviction Notices to Low-Income Mainers

A Portland real estate management company is apologizing to some low-income renters after sending out eviction notices, by mistake.

I can only imagine the panic that must have hit these families when they received the eviction notices in the mail. The Portland Press Herald reports as many as 28 tenants of the Woodwinds complex on Harvard Street received letters last month from a lawyer, representing their landlord. The letters stated that the residents' month-to-month agreements would be terminated, and the building would be sold at the end of December.

The letters were sent only to the residents who participate in the Section 8 housing subsidy program, which caused some to question its legality, and whether the lower-income tenants were being singled out. It struck fear in the families, who were facing moving expenses and finding a new place in Portland's tight housing market just before Christmas.

Two weeks after residents received the letters, Chestnut Realty Management LLC notified residents that they were sent in error. There's been comment on why it took two weeks to respond.