What Your Minneapolis Duplex Tenant Doesn’t Know

I seem to run into things in Minneapolis and St Paul duplexes in bunches.

Lately it’s been units with unexpected tenants. They weren’t squatters per se, just people the official tenant had taken in as a roommate or partner.

One of these units was my own.

While I did know the person’s name, I didn’t know anything more. I didn’t have a social security number, criminal background check, employment history or phone number. That was far more information than other housing providers in the same situation had on the people in their duplex.

In my case, this is my fault. I’d inherited this tenant when I bought the property. Most issues I’ve had with her over the years come down to the same thing; there was nothing in the lease that expressly forbade her from getting a roommate in my lease. That doesn’t mean she had the right to do so without permission.

I’m a seasoned landlord. I should have an addendum to my lease spelling out a resident needs permission to get or replace a roommate. I need to state that a person must pass criminal background checks, meet credit check requirements, and be gainfully employed. I not only need to say it, I also need to have the residents sign a document saying they understand this.

I didn’t do either.

Additional tenants mean higher utility bills, more wear and tear on an apartment, and more management. That means more expenses, and warrants a rent increase.

In my experience, tenants often don’t do things with malicious intent. Rather, they simply didn’t understand or know something.

Its our responsibility to tell them.