| Quick Facts | Answer |
| Reason Needed? | No |
| Maximum Amount | None (except in some cities) |
| Required Notice | Equal to Frequency of Rental Payments |
Does Minnesota Have Rent Control Laws?
Minnesota does not have statewide rent control laws limiting the amount that landlords may ask for rent. However, state law allows local governments to establish local rent control regulations as approved through a general election.
When Can a Landlord Raise Rent in Minnesota?
Landlords in Minnesota can raise the rent at any time, as long as they comply with the following:
- Wait until the end of the lease term (unless otherwise specified in the lease)
- Aren’t raising rent for discriminatory or retaliatory reasons
- Don’t break any local rent control laws
- Give reasonable notice
30 days before the end of a year-long lease, a landlord sends the tenant a notice that rent will increase by 3% if they choose to renew the lease.
When Can’t a Landlord Raise Rent in Minnesota?
Landlords in Minnesota may not raise the rent if:
- It is during the middle of a lease’s fixed term (unless stated otherwise in the lease agreement)
- The increase is applied in a way that discriminates against one of the protected classes specified in the Fair Housing Act
- The increase is higher than what’s allowed under local rent control laws
- It is done as retaliation against a protected tenant action, such as filing a complaint
How Often Can Rent Be Increased in Minnesota?
By state law, landlords in Minnesota can increase the rent as often as they wish, as long as sufficient notice is provided each time, except for mobile homes. Landlords of mobile home spaces can only increase the rent twice per year.
How Much Notice is Needed to Raise Rent in Minnesota?
In Minnesota, the notice period required to increase rent is equal to the period between rent payments (but no more than 3 months), unless stated otherwise in the lease agreement. For example, if a tenant pays rent monthly, then a rent increase requires at least one month of advance notice.
However, landlords must give mobile home residents 60 days of advance notice before increasing rent.
The notice period starts on the day the tenant receives the notice. Landlords that send notices by mail should provide additional time for delivery when calculating advance notice for rent increases.
How Much Can a Landlord Raise Rent in Minnesota?
By state law, landlords can raise the rent by any amount. There is no statewide limit or cap on the amount of a rent increase. However, cities and counties can establish local rent control laws.
For example, Minneapolis and St. Paul each have local rent control as follows:
- Minneapolis – The Minneapolis City Council has a Rent Stabilization Work Group
- St. Paul – Rent increases are limited to 3%, for new or existing tenants, with exceptions. Landlords can request a Rent Increase Exception to exceed the limit.
Sources
- 1 Minn. Stat. § 471.9996
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No statutory or home rule charter city, county, or town may adopt or renew by ordinance or otherwise any law to control rents on private residential property except as provided in subdivision 2. This section does not impair the right of any statutory or home rule charter city, county, or town:
(1) to manage or control property in which it has a financial interest through a housing authority or similar agency;
(2) to contract with a property owner;
(3) to act as required or authorized by laws or regulations of the United States government or this state; or
(4) to mediate between property owners and tenants for the purpose of negotiating rents.
Source Link - 2 Minn. Stat. § 504B.285(3)
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In any proceeding for the recovery of premises upon the ground of nonpayment of rent, it is a defense if the tenant establishes by a preponderance of the evidence that the plaintiff increased the tenant’s rent or decreased the services as a penalty in whole or part for any lawful act of the tenant as described in subdivision 2, providing that the tenant tender to the court or to the plaintiff the amount of rent due and payable under the tenant’s original obligation.
Source Link
- 3 Minn. Stat. § 327C.06
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Subdivision 1. Notice of rent increases required.
No increase in the amount of the periodic rental payment due from a resident shall be valid unless the park owner gives the resident 60 days’ written notice of the increase.
Subd. 2. Prohibition.
No rent increase shall be valid if its purpose is to pay, in whole or in part, any civil or criminal penalty imposed on the park owner by a court or a government agency.
Subd. 3. Rent increases limited.
A park owner may impose only two rent increases on a resident in any 12-month period.
Source Link - 4 Minn. Stat. § 504B.135
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A tenancy at will may be terminated by either party by giving notice in writing. The time of the notice must be at least as long as the interval between the time rent is due or three months, whichever is less.
Source Link
- 5 St. Paul Code of Ord. § 193A.04
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No landlord shall demand, charge, or accept from a tenant a rent increase within a 12-month period that is in excess of three (3) percent of the existing monthly rent for any residential rental property except as otherwise allowed under sections 193A.06 or 193A.08. Any rent increase over three (3) percent made pursuant to section 193A.06 of the Code shall not take effect until a final determination is issued.
Source Link
