Renting in Minnesota: know your rights
By Myah Schultz and Olivia Matzke
How much do you know about renter’s rights in Minnesota? As college students, many of us are currently living in rented space, or will likely become renters within the next few years, since 65% of adults under the age of 35 rent their homes. Thus, it is important for us to understand what kind of protections tenants are entitled to by law.
Emily Robinson ‘22 (English and Women’s Studies), is a St. Kate’s student who is currently renting an apartment on Randolph Avenue. “I know absolutely nothing,” Robinson said, when asked how familiar she is with her rights as a tenant.
Megan Moberg ‘21 (Chemistry) is another St. Kate’s student currently renting accommodations. “I don’t feel like I really know anything about my rights as a renter,” said Moberg. “Luckily, I’ve had a really good renting situation this year, so I haven’t had to worry about being taken advantage of or anything.”
Kai Tiede ‘21 (Economics and Public Policy) is a current renter, and their mom rented an apartment while they were growing up. Tiede was more confident in their knowledge of renter’s rights than many of their peers. “I know of some rights and I am aware of what Minnesota statutes provide information about renter's rights. But I do not know many of the rights off the top of my head,” said Tiede.
Maura Whitely ‘21 (Political Science and International Relations) feels that she is not fully up to date on renter’s rights legislation in Minnesota, but did share a story about a negative experience she had as a renter recently.
“I lived as a renter in St. Paul in the spring of 2020. My experience was poor. My landlord only cared about his houses as a business. When the pandemic hit, a number of his renters moved out. He initially refused to grant us rent forgiveness and eventually was forced to take less because those of us who moved out refused to pay rent, and we backed up those who still lived in his houses so they wouldn't have rent increases,” said Whiteley.
Stories like Whiteley’s are a good example of why it is important for renters and future renters to know their rights. Here are a few tenant protection laws that every college student should be familiar with.
Habitable Residence: Your home must be safe to live in, including usable heat, utilities, and water. If any of these needs aren’t met or there are dangerous conditions, your landlord is held liable to make the necessary repairs and changes.
The Fair Housing Act: You cannot be rejected from renting a property based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or disability.
The Fair Credit Reporting act: You must give permission for the landlord to have access to your credit report; you have the right to be informed whether your credit report was the reason for denial or adverse action.
Required Disclosures: Landlords are required to let you know if there are lead-based paint hazards on the property, and inform you of all outstanding inspection orders based on citations.
If you want to know more about tenant protections, here is a link to an online handbook with complete coverage of all issues related to renters rights and a list of all the renter’s rights laws and statutes in Minnesota.
Just as it is important for renters to understand their own legal protections, it is important for renters to know how current legislation, or lack thereof, leaves them vulnerable to certain situations. For example, landlords in Minnesota can file an eviction without formally notifying their tenant beforehand. Minnesota is one of only seven states where this is legal.
“I did know this,” said Tiede, in reference to Minnesota’s eviction policy. “I feel it is not fair, especially when homeowners and rental unit renters are given a grace period and a delinquency period before starting the process of foreclosure or losing the rental unit.”
Veronica Porter ‘21 (Biology), who also had prior knowledge of this policy, said “That law needs to change. Renters should be given ample time to be notified to find a new place.”
Whiteley and Robinson both expressed surprise and disgust when they learned about the lack of notice required for landlords to file evictions. “That doesn’t make sense to me,” said Robinson, “and it seems like a really terrible thing to do to someone.”
Moberg shared Whiteley and Robinson’s disgust, but not their shock. “I didn’t know that, but I’m not surprised. The housing system seems like it’s designed to hurt poor people,” she said.
College students are not the only ones who are critical of Minnesota’s current eviction policy. It has drawn enough scrutiny to appear on the legislative agenda of both the Minnesota Senate and the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2021.
HF 20 is a House bill introduced on Jan. 7 which would require landlords to notify residential tenants of grounds for eviction before an action may be brought. SF 766 is the Senate bill equivalent to HF 20, and was introduced on Feb. 8.
Though being a college student is not necessarily a position associated with having power, it is important to remember that we do have avenues for affecting change. HF 20 and SF 766 have not been passed or discarded yet, so there is still time to get involved in the effort to end evictions without notice.
One organization that is fighting for HF 20, SF 766, and other pieces of legislation linked to renter’s rights is the Homes for All Coalition. Homes for All is a statewide coalition committed to ensuring that all Minnesotans have access to stable housing. You can read about their 2021 legislative agenda here and get involved by endorsing their agenda here. You can also access links to housing advocacy tools compiled by Homes for All here.
Another simple and effective way to support renter’s rights legislation is by contacting your representatives. Use this tool to find out who represents you in the Minnesota House and Senate, and get in contact with them. Tell your house representative that you support HF 20, and your state senator that you support SF 766.Your representatives work for you. Hold them accountable.
As a college student, it is likely that you have been a renter within the last few years, are currently a renter, or will be a renter in the near future. Make sure you know what protections you are guaranteed by law, and don’t be afraid to get involved in the fight for renter’s rights. Keep an eye out for legislation that affects you, and make your voice heard.
Cover image source: Oakozhan / Getty Images
