as introduced - 93rd Legislature (2023 - 2024) Posted on 03/11/2024 04:54pm
A bill for an act
relating to civil law; requiring landlords to provide just cause for terminating
tenancy; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 504B.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
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A landlord must not issue a notice terminating a
tenancy or refuse to renew a lease unless the landlord establishes one or more of the grounds
for termination described in subdivisions 2 to 10. The landlord must provide the tenant with
sufficient written notice consistent with the lease requirements but not less than a full rental
period or in compliance with section 504B.135, describing the reason for terminating the
tenancy.
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The tenant fails to cure the deficiency after receiving a
nonpayment notice from the landlord, and the landlord does not pursue a valid nonpayment
eviction action under section 504B.291, subdivision 1, paragraph (a), but decides to terminate
the tenancy at the end of the lease.
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The tenant repeatedly makes late payments
of rent, at least five times in a 12-month period. The landlord must provide the tenant with
notice following a late payment that a subsequent late payment may be grounds for
termination of the tenancy.
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After receiving a written notice to cease from the landlord,
the tenant continues, or fails to cure the deficiency, to a material breach of the lease.
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The tenant refuses to renew or extend the lease after the
landlord requests in writing that the tenant renew or extend the lease.
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The landlord, in good faith, seeks
to recover possession of the rental unit so that the landlord or a family member may occupy
the unit as that individual's principal residence.
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(a) A landlord who wishes to withdraw the property from the residential rental
market must:
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(1) file a notice of intent to withdraw with the commissioner of the Minnesota Housing
Finance Agency;
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(2) must provide tenants with 180-day notice prior to the termination of the tenancy;
and
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(3) provide one month's rent as a relocation fee to the tenant 30 days prior to withdrawal.
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If the landlord offers the units for rent within five years, the commissioner, the attorney
general, or the tenant may sue for damages and attorney fees on behalf of removed residents.
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(b) Provided that the landlord complies with chapter 515B where applicable and obtains
the necessary permits before terminating the tenancy, the landlord elects to demolish the
building, convert it to a cooperative, or convert it to nonresidential use; the landlord seeks,
in good faith, to recover the unit to sell it in accordance with a condominium conversion;
or the rental unit is being converted to a unit subsidized under a local, state, or federal
housing program and the tenant does not qualify to rent the unit under that program.
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The landlord seeks, in good faith, to recover
possession of the dwelling unit that will render the unit uninhabitable for the duration of
the rehabilitation or renovation.
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The landlord is complying
with a government agency's order to vacate, order to abate, or any other order that necessitates
vacating the dwelling unit.
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The tenant's occupancy is
conditioned upon employment on the property and the employment relationship is terminated.
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Nothing in this section alters the landlord and tenant's
ability to amend the terms of a lease as otherwise allowed by law.
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