1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to housing; prohibiting landlords from charging a prospective tenant more 
1.3 	than the actual cost of a tenant screening service;amending Minnesota Statutes 
1.4 	2016, section 504B.173, subdivision 1.
1.5 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.6 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2016, section 504B.173, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
1.7 		Subdivision 1.Limitations. A landlord may not:
1.8 	(1) charge an applicant a screening fee when the landlord knows or should have known 
1.9 	that no rental unit is available at that time or will be available within a reasonable future 
1.10 	time;
1.11 	(2) collect or hold an applicant screening fee without giving the applicant a written 
1.12 	receipt for the fee, which may be incorporated into the application form, upon request of 
1.13 	the applicant; or
1.14 	(3) use, cash, or deposit an applicant screening fee until all prior applicants have either 
1.15 	been screened and rejected, or offered the unit and declined to enter into a rental agreement.; 
1.16 	or
1.17 	(4) charge more than the actual cost of obtaining the screening or more than the customary 
1.18 	costs charged by screening services in the surrounding area.

1.19 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective August 1, 2017, and applies to tenant 
1.20 	screening fees collected on or after that date.