Democrats’ partisan landlord-tenant bill fails to tackle soaring rent prices

The Minnesota Senate on Friday approved a package of partisan changes to landlord-tenant law that are poised to make housing more expensive for renters and create significant burdens for landlords. The landlord-tenant conference report is the product of an agreement between Democrat House and Senate negotiators on SF 3492, the landlord-tenant bill the Senate passed by an overwhelmingly partisan vote in April.  

Sen. Eric Lucero (R-St. Michael), the lead Republican on the Senate’s Housing and Homelessness Prevention Committee, issued the following statement sharply criticizing the misplaced priorities in the bill:   

“The cost of housing in Minnesota is dramatically more expensive than all surrounding states. Unfortunately, the Democrat majority has put virtually zero effort into addressing the root causes of expensive housing in Minnesota. Instead of encouraging more homeownership, preserving naturally occurring affordable housing, and developing additional rental properties, Democrats took an adversarial approach to the landlord-tenant relationship that erodes private property rights and jeopardizes the safety of everyone who live in multi-family housing. More should have been done to increase the supply of affordable housing options. Democrats failed to deliver once again.”    

NOTABLE PROVISIONS    

  • The bill mandates that landlords accept alternative IDs like ITINs and prohibits denying rental applications based on pending eviction actions, making it exceedingly difficult to vet applicants and increasing the risk of housing unsuitable tenants.   
  • The bill places more burdens on landlords and limits their ability to respond to tenant abandonment. If a tenant abandons a lease, the landlord must attempt to rent the dwelling at market value. Failure to do so results in immediate termination of the rental agreement, absolving the tenant of rent liability.  
  • The bill allows non-resident tenant organizing groups access to apartment buildings, presenting potential safety concerns for residents and staff. This is particularly concerning after a Brooklyn Park apartment complex caretaker was murdered in February.