Copy of the landlord-tenant guide required at issuance or renewal of rental license.
Summary
HF1471 requires certain local governments in Minnesota—home rule charter cities, statutory cities, and towns—to provide landlords with the Minnesota Attorney General’s landlord-tenant guide whenever a rental license, registration, certificate of occupancy, or similar authorization for a dwelling unit is issued or renewed. If the document is issued in paper form, the local government must give the landlord a physical copy of the guide; if the document is issued electronically, it must provide a link to the guide on the Attorney General’s website.
The bill is a targeted administrative measure intended to improve access to tenant-landlord information at the point when rental properties are licensed or reauthorized. It creates a new statutory requirement in Minnesota Statutes chapter 471 and ties the obligation to local licensing processes rather than changing substantive landlord-tenant rights or duties. The bill’s practical effect is to standardize distribution of the Attorney General’s guide across covered local governments and to make the guide more likely to reach landlords who are operating rental housing.
Impact
HF1471 would add a new section, Minnesota Statutes section 471.9994, requiring covered cities and towns to distribute the Attorney General’s landlord-tenant guide during rental license, registration, or occupancy certificate issuance or renewal. This affects local government licensing procedures and imposes a ministerial duty on municipalities and towns that regulate rental housing. It does not directly amend landlord-tenant law itself, but it supports enforcement and compliance by ensuring landlords receive a state-issued informational resource.
Sentiment
The available record suggests generally favorable sentiment. The bill advanced through the House and passed on a 91-39 vote, indicating majority support but not unanimity. Its limited scope and informational purpose likely made it broadly acceptable to supporters as a practical consumer-protection and housing-administration measure.
Contention
No committee transcript is available, so specific arguments are not recorded here. Based on the bill’s structure, any contention would likely center on whether the state should impose another local administrative requirement on cities and towns, and whether mandatory distribution of the guide is necessary or duplicative. Opponents may have viewed it as an added burden on local licensing offices, while supporters likely emphasized improved landlord awareness of tenant rights and responsibilities.
Written lease requirements modified, disclosure of additional landlord contact information required, landlords prohibited from listing the name of a minor child of a tenant in a lease or eviction complaint, right to view rental unit established, and penalties against landlords established.
Statewide landlord database created, civil penalty for failure to register with statewide landlord database created, civil remedies provided, and attorney general enforcement provided.