How Duplex Owners Can Feed Their Tenants To The Alligators

How much notice do you need to give a tenant that you’re coming over to fix a dripping faucet or a Realtor is coming to show your duplex to a prospective buyer?

Ask a Minneapolis or St Paul duplex owner that question and odds are they’ll tell you it’s a minimum of 24 hours notice. Ask their tenants, and they absolutely will.

But that’s an urban myth. Like alligators in sewers.

And even though I’ve blogged about it before, it bears repeating.

In Minnesota, landlords may enter a unit at any time provided they have made a reasonable attempt to notify the tenant. Unless, of course, your lease specifically states otherwise.

What’s a reasonable attempt?

Who knows? Minnesota state law doesn’t define it. (For questions, contact Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson.)

While the right thing to do as a citizen of the planet is to give your tenants as much notice as you can, there are times when that’s just not possible.

And if your tenant insists otherwise, politely share Minnesota law with them. After all, they might think there’s alligators in the sewers too.