2007 Minnesota Statutes

504B.115 TENANT TO BE GIVEN COPY OF LEASE.
    Subdivision 1. Copy of written lease to tenant. Where there is a written lease, a landlord
must give a copy to a tenant occupying a dwelling unit whose signature appears on the lease
agreement. The landlord may obtain a signed and dated receipt, either as a separate document or
an acknowledgment included in the lease agreement itself, from the tenant acknowledging that the
tenant has received a copy of the lease. This signed receipt or acknowledgment is prima facie
evidence that the tenant has received a copy of the lease.
    Subd. 2. Legal action to enforce lease. In any legal action to enforce a written lease, except
for nonpayment of rent, disturbing the peace, malicious destruction of property, or a violation of
section 504B.171, it is a defense for the tenant to prove that the landlord failed to comply with
subdivision 1. This defense may be overcome if the landlord proves that the tenant had actual
knowledge of the term or terms of the lease upon which any legal action is based.
History: 1999 c 199 art 1 s 4