1997 Minnesota Statutes

     566.18 Remedies for tenants; definitions. 

    Subdivision 1.    Application.  As used in sections 
 566.18 to 566.33, the terms in this section shall have the 
 meanings assigned to them. 

    Subd. 2.    Tenant.  "Tenant" means any person who is 
 occupying a dwelling in a building as defined in subdivision 7, 
 under any agreement, lease, or contract, whether oral or 
 written, and for whatever period of time, which requires the 
 payment of money or exchange of services as rent for the use of 
 the dwelling unit, and all other regular occupants of that 
 dwelling unit, and any resident of a manufactured home park. 

    Subd. 3.    Owner.  "Owner" means the owner or owners of 
 the freehold of the premises or lesser estate therein, contract 
 vendee, receiver, executor, trustee, lessee, agent, or any other 
 person, firm or corporation directly or indirectly in control of 
 a building subject to the provision of the act. 

    Subd. 4.    Commercial tenant.  "Commercial tenant" 
 means any person paying rent in a building defined in 
 subdivision 7 who is not a tenant, as defined in subdivision 2. 

    Subd. 5.    Person.  "Person" means a natural person, 
 corporation, partnership or unincorporated association. 

    Subd. 6.    Violation.  "Violation" means: 

    (a) a violation of any state, county or city health, 
 safety, housing, building, fire prevention, or housing 
 maintenance code applicable to the building; 

    (b) a violation of any of the covenants set forth in 
 section 504.18, subdivision 1, clauses (a) or (b), or in section 
 504.181, subdivision 1; 

    (c) a violation of an oral or written agreement, lease or 
 contract for the rental of a dwelling in a building.  

    Subd. 7.    Building.  "Building" means: 

    (a) a building used in whole or in part as a dwelling, 
 including single family homes, multiple family units such as 
 apartments, and structures containing both dwelling units and 
 units used for nondwelling purposes, and also includes a 
 manufactured home park, or 

    (b) an unoccupied building which was previously used in 
 whole or in part as a dwelling and which constitutes a nuisance 
 under section 561.01. 

    Subd. 8.    Inspector.  "Inspector" means the person 
 charged by the governing body of the political subdivision in 
 which a building is situated, with the responsibility of 
 enforcing provisions of local law, the breach of which could 
 constitute a violation as defined in subdivision 6, clause (a), 
 or if no such person, the county agent of a board of health as 
 authorized under section 145A.04 or the chair of the board of 
 county commissioners, and in the case of a manufactured home 
 park, the state department of health, or its designee. 

    Subd. 9.    Neighborhood organization.  "Neighborhood 
 organization" means a nonprofit corporation incorporated under 
 chapter 317A that satisfies clauses (1) and (2).  

    The corporation shall:  

    (1) designate in its articles of incorporation or bylaws a 
 specific geographic community to which its activities are 
 limited; and 

    (2) be formed for the purposes of promoting community 
 safety, crime prevention, and housing quality in a 
 nondiscriminatory manner. 

    For purposes of this chapter, an action taken by a 
 neighborhood organization with the written permission of a 
 tenant means, with respect to a building with multiple dwelling 
 units, an action taken by the neighborhood organization with the 
 written permission of the tenants of a majority of the occupied 
 units. 

    HIST: 1973 c 611 s 13; 1978 c 598 s 2,3; 1982 c 526 art 2 s 
 17-19; 1986 c 444; 1987 c 309 s 24; 1989 c 304 s 137; 1990 c 451 
 s 2,3; 1992 c 376 art 1 s 13; 1993 c 317 s 14,15; 1997 c 239 art 
 12 s 6