Minneapolis Changes Eviction Notice Requirements

Starting on March 1, Minneapolis duplex, triplex and fourplex owners must be aware of changes to the city’s rental notification requirements.

The most impactful may be the longer timeline for pre-eviction filing notices. Before filing for an eviction for non-payment of rent, housing providers much send the tenant notice they intend to file 14 days before doing so. The notice must include the amount and fees due, and where and to who payment should be made.

When the 14 days have elapsed, landlords may start the eviction process if rent and fees have not been paid.

There are also instructions for new or prospective tenants.

Landlords must offer prospective tenants the following information before signing a lease:

• The name of the person who owns or manages the property, and address. These are necessary to the tenant should they need to serve legal papers. If an owner has safety concerns about sharing an address, the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office provides the Safe At Home program, which provides a way to keep the address confidential.
• The tier the property’s rental license is in. If it is Tier 2 or Tier 3, you must also provide any housing cost violations that caused that rating. The property’s tier is on the rental license or can be looked up here.
• A list of any open violations on the property.
• A summary of how the property deals with garbage, recycling and organics.
• Lead paint. While this is not new, housing providers must also notify tenants of potential lead-based paint in any property built before 1978.

If a resident doesn’t get this information in a timely manner, they can end their lease by giving a notice as long as the rent payment schedule, or three months, whichever is less.

Within 90 days of the lease’s start, housing providers must also share:

• City, state and federal renter’s rights. For Minneapolis, click here. Minnesota, click here. And for U.S. tenants rights, click here.
• Notify them they can contact 311 for any Regulatory Services.

As has been the case for quite some time, property owners or managers must also display the property’s rental license city’s Who to Call poster in the front, main common area. If there isn’t one, then it should be posted near the front door of each unit.

The silver lining I suppose is the city has several online forms to help make disclosures easier.