Minnesota’s landlord-tenant law is collected in Chapter 504B of the Minnesota Statutes, and it skews toward tenants: no security deposit cap, mandatory 1% simple interest on deposits, a 21-day return clock, and a penalty that effectively doubles a wrongfully withheld deposit. A 2023–2024 reform rewrote the eviction rules, requiring a detailed 14-day pre-filing notice for nonpayment and sealing most eviction records from the public until a final judgment.
Minnesota has no statewide rent control, but state law (Minn. Stat. § 471.9996) explicitly lets cities adopt rent stabilization, and St. Paul has done so — a 3% annual cap on covered units. Minneapolis voters authorized the city council to act in 2021, but no ordinance has been enacted as of this writing.
This guide covers deposits, rent increases, evictions, and habitability under state law and flags where St. Paul and Minneapolis go further. Tenants who document everything — move-in condition, written repair requests, and forwarding addresses — are the ones who recover deposits and defeat evictions. It is general information, not legal advice.
| Governing law | Minn. Stat. Ch. 504B |
|---|---|
| Security deposit cap | None set by statute |
| Deposit return deadline | 3 weeks (21 days) after the tenancy ends, with itemized statement |
| Deposit interest | 1% simple interest per year |
| Wrongful withholding penalty | Double the withheld amount + up to $500 punitive damages |
| Nonpayment notice to quit | 14 days (Minn. Stat. § 504B.291) |
Minnesota Rental Law at a Glance
Chapter 504B is the single source for most Minnesota landlord-tenant rules: deposits, rent, habitability, escrow, retaliation, and eviction actions. Evictions are heard in district court, and a 2023–2024 reform made two changes landlords keep tripping over — a mandatory pre-filing notice for nonpayment, and an expungement system that keeps many eviction records off the public file.
Minnesota balances a pro-tenant deposit law with a flexible rent-setting regime: no cap on deposit size, no cap on rent increases except in St. Paul, but strict deadlines and strict paperwork everywhere. Tenants who follow the rules can recover real money; landlords who miss the 21-day deposit clock pay for it twice.
Security Deposits: No Cap, a 21-Day Clock, and Real Interest
Minnesota does not limit how large a security deposit can be (Minn. Stat. § 504B.178), and there is no separate cap on pet deposits either — but the deposit earns simple, noncompounded interest at 1% per year, running from the first day of the month after it was paid until it is returned or a judgment is entered.
Within three weeks (21 days) after the tenancy ends, once the landlord has the tenant’s forwarding address, the landlord must return the deposit with interest or send a written statement giving the specific reason for any withholding. If the tenant left because the unit was condemned through no fault of their own, the deadline drops to 5 days. Deductions are limited to unpaid rent or other money owed under the lease and damage beyond normal wear and tear, and the landlord carries the burden of proving every dollar.
- ✓Missing the deadline triggers an automatic penalty equal to the withheld portion, on top of returning it — effectively doubling the recovery — and interest keeps running.
- ✓Bad-faith retention adds punitive damages of up to $500 per deposit; bad faith is presumed if the landlord still has not returned the money within 2 weeks after the tenant files a recovery action.
- ✓The 21-day clock does not start until you give a forwarding address — send it in writing, by a method you can prove.
- ✓Do not skip the last month’s rent assuming the deposit covers it; Minnesota presumes against that offset and penalizes it after a written demand.
- ✓Practical tip for tenants: document the unit at both ends and give the forwarding address in writing. For landlords: return the deposit within 21 days, with interest, or prepare to pay twice.
Rent Increases and St. Paul’s Rent Cap
Minnesota has no statewide rent control, but Minn. Stat. § 471.9996 authorizes local rent stabilization. St. Paul is the only city that has enacted it: a standard cap of 3% per 12-month period for covered units, effective January 1, 2023, enforced by the Department of Safety and Inspections, with exceptions allowing higher increases where the landlord demonstrates a need, and an exemption for buildings constructed after December 31, 2004.
Minneapolis has no rent cap — voters approved a 2021 charter amendment authorizing the council to act, but no ordinance has been enacted. For month-to-month tenancies elsewhere, a landlord must give written notice of at least one full rental period — usually 30 days — before changing the rent (Minn. Stat. § 504B.135), and a fixed-term lease cannot be raised mid-term unless the lease allows it.
Evictions After the 2024 Reforms
A Minnesota eviction for nonpayment now requires a detailed 14-day written notice before the landlord can file (Minn. Stat. § 504B.291), and unpaid rent is curable — a tenant who pays in full by the notice deadline can stop the eviction. After filing, the court schedules a first appearance roughly 7 to 14 days out, and tenants generally keep a pay-and-stay right until a writ is executed.
The 2023–2024 expungement reform is the other half of the story: eviction case files are nonpublic until a final judgment, and many records are automatically expunged — when the tenant prevails, when the case is dismissed, or when the parties agree. For landlords who screen applicants on eviction history, the public record is now a less complete signal; for tenants, a dismissed case should not haunt them.
Habitability, Repairs, and Rent Escrow
Minnesota’s covenants of habitability (Minn. Stat. § 504B.161) require the landlord to maintain the premises in a fit and habitable condition, with working heat, plumbing, electricity, and structural soundness. When a serious condition goes unfixed after written notice, tenants can use rent escrow (Minn. Stat. §§ 504B.385, 504B.395) to pay rent into court while the court resolves the repair dispute — and in that action the court may order the tenant to fix the violation and deduct the cost from rent (§ 504B.425).
Minnesota also bars retaliation: a landlord cannot raise rent or evict because a tenant reported a code violation, used escrow, or organized with neighbors. Tenants should put repair requests in writing and keep copies; landlords should treat any written complaint as the start of a documented repair timeline, because escrow orders can redirect rent and attorney’s fees can follow.
Required Disclosures and Safety Devices
Minnesota requires working smoke alarms in rental units (Minn. Stat. § 299F.362) and carbon monoxide alarms where required by state fire code, with the landlord responsible for installation and the tenant responsible for testing and battery replacement. The federal lead-based paint disclosure applies to housing built before 1978, and the state runs radon awareness programs — there is no blanket statewide requirement that landlords test rentals for radon, so tenants who are concerned should request testing in writing.
There is no statewide mold or bed-bug disclosure requirement in Minnesota, though local ordinances can add their own disclosure duties. A Minnesota lease that documents known conditions, alarm locations, and utility-billing arrangements up front avoids most of the disputes that otherwise end up in front of a judge.
Resolving Disputes and Finding Help
Deposit and lease claims up to $15,000 go through conciliation court — Minnesota’s small claims process — which is informal and built for self-represented parties, and you can sue for a security deposit in the county where the rental property is located. Start with a written demand letter citing § 504B.178 and give the landlord a deadline; if that fails, file in conciliation court.
Free help is widely available: HOME Line runs a tenant hotline, and Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS), and LawHelpMN provide advice and representation. Eviction defense moves fast in Minnesota, so anyone served with an eviction summons should seek help before the hearing date, not after.
Guide reviewed 2026-08-19. Rental laws change frequently; verify the current statute text before relying on any rule on this page. This information is not legal advice.