Written by a licensed professional who actually treats you, such as your therapist or doctor, with their name, license and contact information. Says you have a disability and explains how the animal helps with it, without listing your diagnosis or medical history. Covers a specific animal.
Twin Cities Renter Guide
Renter rules as of Oct. 17, 2026
Across the River: renting in Minneapolis vs. Saint Paul
Minneapolis
More to look up
Every rental license has a public tier, and the city's license list can be searched by the owner's name.
Saint Paul
More to stand on
A 3% rent cap in older buildings, screening limits, and 60 days before an eviction filing. A right to repair is on the Nov. 3 ballot.
Your rights as a renter depend on which side of the river you live on. The rules are scattered across two city codes, state law, inspection records and years of council minutes. This guide puts them in one place: what each city requires of landlords, how to check a building before you sign, what to do when the rent goes up or the heat goes out, and how your council member votes.
Renters are the majority in both cities: 56% of Minneapolis households and 52% in Saint Paul, per the 2020 census. Both elect their councils by ranked-choice voting, and in 2023 one Saint Paul council member led by just 246 first-choice votes.
Where do you rent?
Showing both cities next to each other.
Looking for help?
Trouble at home, or looking for a new one.
Check my rent increase
Enter your rent before and after the increase. Nothing you type leaves this page.
Write my repair notice
Fill this in and copy the letter. Nothing you type leaves this page.
Eviction timeline
For an eviction over unpaid rent. Enter the date you got a notice from your landlord to see the earliest each step can happen. Real cases usually take longer, because court dates depend on the court's calendar.
Looking for a place
Where to look for a rental, how to check what tenants say about it, and what a landlord can and can't charge you to apply.
Where to look
- HousingLink: the Twin Cities nonprofit listing affordable rentals and open waiting lists for subsidized housing. Start here if you need income-restricted housing.
- U of M off-campus listings: for students near campus.
- Zillow, Apartments.com and Craigslist: the biggest general listing sites. Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace have the most small landlords and the most scams.
Check before you apply
- City records. In Minneapolis, look up the building's rental license and tier by address or owner name. For both cities, see Checking a place before you sign.
- Tenant reviews. Read Google Maps reviews and ApartmentRatings for the building and the management company. Look for patterns in recent reviews, like slow repairs or kept deposits, not a single angry post. Reviews can be faked in both directions.
- The owner's other buildings. Search the owner's name in Minneapolis's license list, then check those addresses too. See Slum Lord Millionaires for the biggest owners and their records.
- Ask current tenants. They'll tell you about heat, pests and how fast repairs happen.
Application fees: your rights
Under Minnesota law, before taking an application fee a landlord must tell you in writing which screening company they use and what criteria they'll judge you on. They can't charge a fee if no unit is available, can't cash it until earlier applicants are turned down, and must refund it if they rent to someone else first or reject you for a reason they didn't list. They also can't deny you over an eviction case that's pending, sealed or didn't end in an order to move out.
Spot a scam
The Attorney General warns about rent far below market, pressure to pay within hours, requests for money before you see the place, payment by wire or gift card, and the same photos or phone number showing up in other listings. Never pay before you've seen the unit and met the landlord or manager in person.
Furry friends: renting with pets
Renting with a cat, a dog or an assistance animal: what landlords can and can't do, the city rules, and where to get help so you never have to choose between your home and your pet.
Pets: the basics
- No-pet buildings are legal. A landlord can ban pets or charge pet deposits and fees, but the policy has to be in the lease. LawHelpMN
- No declawing demands. Since 2024, a landlord who allows animals can't require you to declaw or devocalize a pet, refuse to rent to you over it, or advertise that requirement. Lease terms that do are void.
- Deposits. Both cities cap security deposits at one month's rent (Minneapolis, Saint Paul). Saint Paul says its cap doesn't stop a separate pet deposit. Every deposit is due back within three weeks of move-out, and normal wear and tear can't be deducted.
City licenses and limits
| Minneapolis | Saint Paul | |
|---|---|---|
| License required | Dogs, cats and ferrets over 4 months: $30 a year fixed, $40 not | Dogs over 3 months: $20 a year fixed, $80 not |
| Extra permit needed | More than four pets | More than three dogs or three cats |
| Source | City of Minneapolis | City of Saint Paul |
Breeds, banned animals and exotics
- Dog breeds. Minnesota cities can't regulate dogs as dangerous based only on breed. That rule covers cities, not landlords, so check your lease for breed or size limits before you sign.
- Banned statewide. Big cats, bears and nonhuman primates are illegal to keep as pets in Minnesota, with narrow exceptions for zoos and sanctuaries.
- Saint Paul. Some animals are banned outright, including roosters and wolf hybrids, and others, like chickens, rabbits, ferrets and bees, need a permit.
- Minneapolis. Venomous reptiles and amphibians are not allowed, large snakes, lizards and turtles need a permit, and chickens and other birds need a fowl permit with neighbor consent.
Fish, reptiles and other small pets
Many leases count any animal as a pet, so get your landlord's OK in writing before bringing home a tank, terrarium or cage, and ask about size limits for large aquariums. If you keep turtles, snakes or other reptiles, buy from a breeder or store: most native Minnesota turtles can't be sold as pets, and wild snakes, lizards and salamanders can't be collected. Never release a pet outdoors.
Rules change and have exceptions. Before getting an unusual animal, ask the city: Saint Paul Animal Services, 651-266-1100, or Minneapolis 311.
Service and support animals
Service and emotional support animals follow different rules from pets, even in a no-pets building. Under Minn. Stat. 504B.113 and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights:
- The landlord can't charge pet rent, fees or deposits for it. You're still responsible for any damage the animal causes.
- The landlord can ask for documentation from a licensed professional, unless your disability and need are obvious or already known. They can't demand your medical records or your provider's contact information.
- No certification or registration is required, and buying one doesn't count as documentation.
- A landlord can say no only for a specific reason, like that particular animal posing a direct threat or causing major damage. Breed and size stereotypes don't count.
- Since 2025, landlords who charge pet fees must say in the lease that those fees don't apply to service or support animals.
Real ESA letter or fake?
A certificate, ID card, vest or "registry" number. Bought from a website after a quick quiz or short video call with someone who doesn't otherwise treat you. A provider not licensed in Minnesota and with no existing treatment relationship. Under Minnesota law, online certification sellers don't count.
Knowingly giving a landlord fake documentation is against Minnesota law, and a landlord can deny the application or the request. If you need a letter, ask the provider who already treats you. The federal HUD guidance on assistance animals from 2020 was withdrawn in 2025; Minnesota's law still applies.
Help for you and your animal
Animal Humane Society Pet Helpline
Behavior, vet, housing helpFree advice on behavior problems, plus referrals for vet care, pet-friendly housing and low-cost spay and neuter. Call before you think about giving up a pet.
Helpline: 952-435-7738animalhumanesociety.org
Feline Rescue
Cats, Saint PaulCat shelter and foster network on Fairview Avenue since 1997, with claw-clipping clinics and trap-neuter-return help.
MN SNAP
Low-cost spay and neuterLow-cost spay, neuter and vaccines in north Minneapolis and at a mobile clinic.
Pet Haven of Minnesota
Food, vet and rehoming helpFoster-based rescue that also helps owners with food, vet care, supplies and safe rehoming if it comes to that.
Secondhand Hounds
Rescue and clinicsDog and cat rescue with microchip and nail-trim clinics.
Can Do Canines
Free assistance dogsTrains assistance dogs for mobility, hearing, seizure, diabetes and autism needs, at no cost to the people who receive them.
Minneapolis Animal Care & Control
City shelterLicenses, lost pets, adoptions, and low-cost vaccines and microchips.
Phone: 612-673-6222minneapolismn.gov
Saint Paul Animal Services
City licensingDog licenses and permits for keeping more animals.
Phone: 651-266-1100stpaul.gov
Who to call
Answer three questions and get the groups most likely to help, with phone numbers and websites. Legal hotlines answer questions about your rights. Tenant unions help you and your neighbors push the landlord together.
Looking to learn?
How the rules work on each side of the river.
How rent limits work
Saint Paul
3%
Most a rent can rise in 12 months
In buildings that got their first certificate of occupancy before 2005, a landlord who wants more than 3% has to apply to the city first. Newer buildings are exempt.
SPLC ch. 193A · City of Saint Paul
Minneapolis
No limit
Landlords answer to nobody on rent
A landlord can raise rent by any amount when a lease renews and never has to justify it to anyone. Voters gave the council the power to cap rents in 2021. The council hasn't passed a cap.
Minn. Stat. 471.9996 · 2021 ballot results · Minnesota Reformer, May 2025How it works: exceptions, exemptions and what to do
Saint PaulRent stabilization
Going above 3%
- Increases from 3% to 8% can be self-certified by the landlord.
- Anything above 8% needs a staff determination, with no upper limit if the landlord can justify it.
- The city notifies tenants when a landlord applies and again when the request is approved or denied.
- The landlord or the tenant of that unit can appeal within 45 days. A tenant's appeal ends if they move out while it's pending.
Who isn't covered
- Buildings with a first certificate of occupancy after Dec. 31, 2004, including buildings converted from nonresidential use.
- Affordable units restricted by deed or agreement.
- Units paid for through Housing Support.
When a tenant moves out
After a just-cause vacancy, rent can go up as much as 8% plus inflation for the next tenant. Without just cause, the 3% cap still applies.
SPLC 193A.05 · City of Saint PaulApproval rates
By mid-2023, the city had granted 721 of 844 requests to go above 3%: 190 of 233 self-certifications, 21 of 71 staff determinations, and 510 of 540 vacancy increases.
KSTP, Aug. 2023If your rent went up too much
File a rent stabilization complaint with the city. The form is in English and Spanish. The city's information line is 651-266-8989, weekdays 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
City of Saint PaulRepairs and rent
If voters approve right to repair on Nov. 3, deducting a repair wouldn't change your rent for rent stabilization purposes. If the repair fixed a health or safety threat, the maximum rent used to calculate future increases would drop by your average monthly deduction over the past 12 months.
Chapter 34A.06MinneapolisNo rent cap
- Minnesota bars cities from capping rent unless voters approve it at a general election.
- Minneapolis voters did that in 2021, passing City Question 3 by 53.21% to 46.79%. It authorized the council to regulate rents.
- The council has not passed an ordinance. In June 2023 it voted against advancing a rent stabilization proposal while three of its supporters were out for Eid.
- State law sets no fixed notice period for a rent increase. A landlord's notice just can't be shorter than the notice the lease requires from the tenant.
- State law bars raising rent to punish a tenant for complaining about repairs or code problems.
How the two cities compare
Ten things a renter runs into, from the application to the day the building sells. Tap any one for the details and sources. The tag on each row says which city gives renters more.
Minneapolis
Saint Paul
Grey links under each entry are the sources
Rent increasesSaint PaulSaint Paul caps most increases at 3%. Minneapolis has no limit.3% a year in buildings first occupied before 2005.No cap. No city review.
State law: cities may cap rent only if voters approve it at a general election. There's no statewide cap.
Minn. Stat. 471.9996
Minneapolis
No cap. No city review. A landlord can raise rent by any amount at renewal. Details.
2021 ballot results · Minnesota Reformer, May 2025Saint Paul
3% a year in buildings first occupied before 2005. Anything more goes through the city first. Details.
SPLC ch. 193A · City of Saint PaulNotice before an eviction filing for unpaid rentSaint PaulSaint Paul: 60 days through 2026, then 30. Minneapolis: 30.60 days through Dec. 31, 2026, then 30.30 days.
State law: 14 days, delivered in person or by first-class mail. A longer city period replaces it.
Minn. Stat. 504B.321
Minneapolis
30 days, since March 1, 2025. The council voted twice in 2026 to stretch it, first to 60 days and then to 45. Mayor Frey vetoed both. The council failed to override the first veto.
City of Minneapolis · FOX 9, 2025 · Sahan Journal, Apr. 2026Saint Paul
60 days from May 14 through Dec. 31, 2026. It goes back to 30 days after that.
SPLC 193.04 · HOME Line, May 2026Getting repairs madeAbout even, for nowBoth rely on city inspectors and rent escrow. Saint Paul votes on repair and deduct Nov. 3.City inspections or rent escrow. Repair and deduct is on the Nov. 3 ballot.Call 311 or file rent escrow in court.
State law: rent escrow. The tenant pays rent to the court instead of the landlord until repairs are made.
Minn. Stat. 504B.385
Minneapolis
Call 311 or go to court. The city will contact the landlord and won't tell them who called. If that doesn't work, the option is rent escrow.
Minneapolis tiering FAQ for renters · Minn. Stat. 504B.385Saint Paul
Call the city or go to court, for now. Report code problems to the city's Department of Safety and Inspections, or use rent escrow as anywhere in Minnesota. On the ballot On Nov. 3, voters decide whether a renter whose landlord ignores a written request for 14 days could arrange the repair and deduct up to $500 or half a month's rent, whichever is more. How it would work.
Chapter 34A text · MPR News, Aug. 2026Security depositAbout evenBoth cap deposits at one month's rent.One month's rent, plus up to one month prepaid.One month's rent, or half a month if you also pay first and last.
State law: returned within three weeks after you move out and give a forwarding address, with 1% simple annual interest.
Minn. Stat. 504B.178
Minneapolis
One month's rent at most. If the landlord also wants first and last month's rent, the deposit drops to half a month, payable in up to three installments.
City of MinneapolisSaint Paul
One month's rent at most, plus up to one month of prepaid rent. A landlord can ask for one extra month only from an applicant they could have turned down under the screening rules.
SPLC 193.02Applications and screeningSaint PaulSaint Paul sets lookback limits. Minneapolis offers two screening paths.Set limits on how far back landlords can look.Inclusive criteria or an individual assessment.
Minneapolis
Two paths. Landlords either use the city's inclusive screening criteria or do an individual assessment of each applicant. In effect since 2020.
Renter protection ordinance announcement, Sept. 2019Saint Paul
Set lookback limits. Under the standard criteria, a landlord can look back 3 years for evictions and misdemeanors, 7 years for most felonies and 10 for certain serious ones. Credit score alone can't sink an application. Fees can't exceed the real cost of screening, and a denial has to come in writing within 14 days.
SPLC 193.03 · HOME Line, May 2026A lawyer in eviction courtMinneapolisMinneapolis guarantees one to low-income renters. Saint Paul doesn't.No citywide guarantee.A free lawyer for low-income renters.
State law: a court-appointed lawyer only for public housing tenants facing a breach-of-lease eviction.
Minn. Stat. 504B.268
Minneapolis
Right to counsel for low-income tenants facing eviction, passed unanimously in October 2021 for households under 200% of federal poverty guidelines.
Minnesota Reformer · FOX 9Saint Paul
State law only. HOME Line's 2026 review of new Saint Paul ordinances includes no right to counsel. Eligible renters can get free help from legal aid offices like SMRLS.
HOME Line, May 2026 · SMRLSWhen an affordable building sellsAbout evenBoth protect tenants in affordable buildings for three months after a sale.Three months of protection and relocation help.Advance notice of a sale and three months of protection.
Minneapolis
Advance notice and three months of protection. An owner selling an affordable building of 5+ units has to notify the city and post notice. For three months after the sale, if a new owner ends or doesn't renew a lease without cause, or a tenant moves out because the owner raised rent or started rescreening, the owner owes relocation help equal to three months' rent. In effect since April 1, 2019.
MCO ch. 244 art. XVIII, renter FAQSaint Paul
Three months of protection, three months' rent. If a new owner ends or doesn't renew a lease without cause, rescreens and denies, or raises rent and the tenant leaves, they owe relocation help equal to three months' rent, paid within 30 days.
SPLC 193.05, 193.06 · HOME Line, May 2026Retaliation and immigration statusMinneapolisMinneapolis added immigration-status and retaliation protections in 2026.State law. More repair protection is on the Nov. 3 ballot.Broader protections since May 2026.
State law: if a landlord retaliates within 90 days of a complaint, the landlord has to prove it wasn't retaliation.
Minn. Stat. 504B.285 · 504B.441
Minneapolis
Broader since May 2, 2026. Landlords can't ask about immigration or citizenship status, or reject an applicant for using an ITIN. They can't retaliate for repair requests, code complaints, going to the press, or joining a tenant association.
HOME Line, May 2026 · City council update, Apr. 2026Saint Paul
State law, for now. The right-to-repair measure on the Nov. 3 ballot would presume any rent hike, cut in services or eviction within 90 days of using it is retaliation, including a threat to call immigration authorities.
Chapter 34A.08Rent-setting softwareMinneapolisBanned in Minneapolis. No rule in Saint Paul.No local rule.Banned since March 2026.
Minneapolis
Banned since March 1, 2026. Landlords can't set rents with software fed by competitors' private data. Tenants can sue.
HOME Line, May 2026 · City of MinneapolisSaint Paul
Nothing in city code. HOME Line's 2026 review of new Saint Paul ordinances lists no rule on rent software.
HOME Line, May 2026Checking a building before you signMinneapolisMinneapolis lets you search by landlord. Saint Paul goes one address at a time.Look up fire inspection grades by address.Search license tiers by owner name.
Minneapolis
Search by landlord. The city's license list shows each property's tier, is updated weekly, and can be searched by owner name. A city dashboard shows any property's tier and score. More on inspections.
Active rental licenses · Rental license tiersSaint Paul
One building at a time. A city map shows each building's fire inspection grade, A through D. You can filter it by grade and click an address to see that building.
Certificate of Occupancy map · C of O program detailsHow to check out a building
Both cities license rentals and inspect them on a schedule. More violations mean more frequent visits. Minneapolis shows renters more of that record before they sign.
MinneapolisRental license tiers
10–19 pts · every 8 yrs
220–39 · every 5 yrs
340+ · every year
- Tiers come from two years of inspections, violations and trash cleanups. A building with no routine inspection in over five years is labeled Tier 1D.
- A separate management score tracks how long an owner takes to meet standards, adding points for repeat inspections, late payments and citations. It raises the license fee but doesn't change the inspection schedule.
- The tier is printed on the license certificate, which has to be posted where tenants can see it.
- Rentals with one to four units generally get inspected when they change owners.
- 311 complaints are confidential. The landlord learns a problem was reported, not who reported it.
Saint PaulFire Certificate of Occupancy grades
A<5 pts · every 6 yrs
B5–10 · every 4 yrs
C11–39 · every 2 yrs
D40+ · every year
- Every building except owner-occupied houses and duplexes needs a Fire Certificate of Occupancy.
- One- and two-unit rentals get a provisional certificate until their first inspection.
- The grade comes from the last fire safety inspection, scored by how serious each violation is.
- The map can be filtered by grade, and you can click an address to see its record. You can't search by owner, and there's no separate score for how management responds.
The upshot: in Minneapolis you can look up a landlord by name and see the tier of every building they hold a license for. In Saint Paul you can check the building you're touring, one address at a time.
Looking to act?
Your council, your building, your neighbors.
Who represents me
Pick your city, then tap your ward. Not sure which ward you're in? Look it up by address: Saint Paul · Minneapolis.
Tap your ward on the map to see who represents you, how they've voted, and how to reach them.
How they voted
The stronger a ward's color, the more often its council member voted with renters on contested votes about rent limits, eviction notice and tenant protections. Tap a ward to see every vote, the source for it, how close that member's last race was, and how to reach them. Both cities use ranked-choice voting, and each margin shown is the winner's first-choice lead over second place. Ten of the 20 members led by fewer than 2,000 first-choice votes. Renter shares are 2020 census counts.
How we scored the votes
- We counted contested votes from 2022 through October 2026 on rent stabilization, pre-eviction notice, renter protections and tenant rent appeals. Each one is backed by council minutes or news reports that name how members voted.
- A vote counts as with renters when it kept or expanded a tenant protection, and against renters when it weakened one or blocked one from moving forward.
- Unanimous votes are listed on each member's card but left out of the score, because they don't separate one member from another.
- Abstentions don't count. Neither do votes from earlier council terms that a member wasn't part of.
- For the two failed Minneapolis veto overrides in 2026, only Ward 11 member Jamison Whiting's votes are confirmed by name, from the voting record his office posts. Other members' override votes are shown as not confirmed and aren't scored.
- The 2026 Saint Paul ballot vote is scored by the vote itself. The council majority said it acted on the city attorney's legal concerns.
Renter shares are 2020 census counts of renter and owner households, added up from every census block inside each ward. The wards drawn in 2022 follow block edges, so no estimating is needed. Each ward card also shows a more recent comparison from Minnesota Compass neighborhood survey data (2020–2024), spread across wards using 2020 household counts. Census counts and block boundaries from the Minnesota Geospatial Commons.
Ward boundaries come from the Minnesota Secretary of State's precinct file (May 2026 snapshot, via civic-data-boundaries-us-mn-precincts), merged by ward and simplified for this page. Confirm your ward with the city lookup linked above each map.
Organize my building
One tenant asking for a repair is easy to ignore. Most of a building asking together is harder to ignore. Minnesota law protects your right to organize, and local groups will help you do it for free.
Your right to organize
Since January 2025, Minnesota law lets tenants form associations, hand out flyers in common areas and at each unit, survey neighbors and hold meetings in the building. Your landlord can't require permission first or make rules against peaceful organizing. Raising your rent, cutting services or filing an eviction within 90 days of organizing is presumed to be retaliation, and the landlord has to prove it wasn't. A landlord who breaks the law in bad faith owes up to $1,000 for each violation, plus attorney fees.
Some limits: an organizer who doesn't live in the building has to be with a tenant who does, and your landlord doesn't have to give you anyone's contact info. The law doesn't require landlords to bargain with you. House summary of the 2024 law · HOME Line handout to give your manager
How to start
- Learn your rights. Call the HOME Line hotline at 612-728-5767 or ask for a free training for your building.
- Talk to neighbors one at a time. Find out if they have the same problems, and keep a contact sheet. HOME Line's guide
- Hold a first meeting. Bring an agenda and pick a facilitator, a note-taker and someone to run sign-in. HOME Line's meeting zine
- Vote to form your association. A majority vote, secret ballot or petition all work. Adopt a simple operating agreement. MN Renter's Guide to Tenant Organizing
- Pick one or two winnable issues. Write a demand with a deadline, and figure out who can say yes: the owner, the management company or the city. Same guide
- Send a signed, dated letter. Include your demands and HOME Line's handout on your right to organize. HOME Line's guide
- Turn up the pressure if they don't answer. Meet with the landlord, file inspection complaints, contact your council member, go to the press, or take the case to housing court together. HOME Line's guide
Keep meeting notes short and share them only with people who need them, because records can end up with management. MN Renter's Guide
Who can help
Twin Cities Tenants
Tenant union, both citiesA citywide tenant union launched in 2026 by building unions, including Inquilinxs Unidxs and the South Minneapolis Tenant Union. Their sign-up form asks where your building is at and what you need: help organizing, research on your landlord, or a connection to other unions.
HOME Line organizers
Free, statewideFree organizers who help tenants form an association, choose their top issues and plan a campaign. They also run a monthly Tenant Coalition meeting.
Hotline: 612-728-5767Email an organizer
Inquilinxs Unidxs por Justicia
Building unions, MinneapolisUnited Renters for Justice organizes building tenant unions and backed Progress Residential tenants who won rent freezes, refunds and repairs. Office at 3715 Chicago Ave.
Twin Cities DSA
Tenant organizing, metroThe chapter's Twin Cities Tenants working group organizes tenant unions around the metro and runs door-knocking and rights trainings.
Tenant Union Federation
National trainingA national federation of tenant unions. Its "Union School" teaches landlord research, organizing, bargaining and strikes to teams of three or more.
Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid
Free lawyers, MinneapolisRepresented the Brentwood Tenants Union in housing court. Call them when your association is ready to go to court over repairs.
Intake: 1-877-696-6529mylegalaid.org
We couldn't find a Saint Paul building union with a public page yet. Twin Cities Tenants and HOME Line both work in Saint Paul.
What organizing has won here
Brentwood Apartments, Loring Park. The Brentwood Tenants Union won a court order for repairs in 2025, then a $49,500 penalty against the owner plus $750 a day in March 2026. Legal Aid calls it "the largest fine ever awarded to a Tenants Union in Hennepin County Housing Court." MPR News, Sept. 2025
Progress Residential homes, north Minneapolis. Renters of single-family homes owned by one of the country's largest corporate landlords organized with United Renters for Justice and won rent freezes, refunds, repairs and moving costs. In January 2023 the City Council approved agreements on timely repairs and protection against retaliation.
LPM Apartments, Minneapolis. Tenants in the roughly 350-unit complex adopted bylaws and elected representatives in 2025. Their rent escrow cases didn't win damages, which is part of why unions keep organizing after a court case ends.
Get or give rent help
Where to apply for help with rent and utilities, and how to back the programs and neighbors keeping people housed. Programs change often; each entry shows when we last confirmed it (October 2026 unless noted).
Get help
Behind on rent or facing an eviction notice? Apply for every program you might qualify for, and call HOME Line for free advice. Not sure where to start? Dial 2-1-1.
Rent Help Hennepin
Minneapolis · eviction riskCounty emergency rent help for renters at immediate risk of eviction, aimed at households at or below 30% of area median income. Families with children, people with disabilities and seniors come first. The county warns it may narrow eligibility if demand stays high.
Hennepin County emergency help
Minneapolis · crisis costsShort-term help when a financial crisis threatens your health or safety, including housing costs. Requires a phone interview.
Phone: 612-596-1300hennepincounty.gov
Saint Paul Emergency Rent Assistance
Saint Paul · up to $3,500For Saint Paul renters at or below 80% of area median income with a 30-day notice to quit or a court summons after an unexpected hardship. Applications open only on the 1st and 2nd of each month, and recipients are chosen by lottery. Pays the landlord directly, once every 12 months. Not available after your court date or once a writ is issued.
Phone: 651-266-6671stpaul.gov/era
Ramsey County Emergency Assistance
Saint Paul · rent and utilitiesHelp with rent, housing costs and utilities. Apply online at MNbenefits, which the county calls the fastest way. Submit only one application. The county warns processing is slower than usual.
Phone: 651-266-4884ramseycountymn.gov
Family Homeless Prevention (FHPAP)
Statewide · $40 million in 2026The Legislature passed $40 million in 2026 for households at risk of homelessness, delivered through local FHPAP agencies. The state expects it to reach about 11,000 Minnesotans. Ask 211 or your county for the provider near you.
Minnesota Renter's Credit
Tax credit · up to $2,720Money back for renters with household income under $77,570 (tax year 2025). Claim it on your state return with Schedule M1RENT and the Certificate of Rent Paid (CRP) your landlord must give you by Jan. 31. No CRP? Ask the Department of Revenue for a Rent Paid Affidavit.
Revenue: 651-296-3781revenue.state.mn.us
Energy Assistance
Heat and utilitiesGrants of $200 to $1,400 toward heating bills, plus up to $600 in a crisis, for households at or below 50% of state median income. Apply Oct. 1, 2026 through May 31, 2027. Payments depend on federal funding arriving.
Give help
When federal immigration enforcement surged in the Twin Cities in early 2026, neighbors built rent funds fast. By March, 124 groups had given out $8.6 million, $7.1 million of it for rent. By May, donations had dropped sharply while families were still behind. Many of those funds have since wound down, so check before you give.
Wilson Foundation, Mpls Response & Recovery
Give · matchedMatches donations and sends them to vetted neighborhood rent-relief groups, which pay landlords directly. Renters can't apply here; social workers, schools and congregations refer families.
Yesod Fund (Shir Tikvah)
Give · congregation fundA congregation-run fund that had paid about $1 million, mostly rent, by March 2026.
Stand With Minnesota directory
Find a groupA directory of local mutual aid groups. Its own rent programs have wrapped up, but the listings point to groups still working.
Other ways to help
- Give to your neighborhood. Ask a school social worker, congregation or tenant union which local fund is still paying rent.
- Volunteer at a clinic. HOME Line and legal aid groups need help reaching renters before eviction hearings.
- Push for permanent help. In February 2026, Twin Cities Tenants asked the state for a $50 million rent relief fund; the House version failed on a tied committee vote, and the Legislature later passed the $40 million FHPAP boost. Tell your state legislators what you think rent help should look like.
Federal programs
- Section 8 waitlists are closed. Minneapolis's housing authority last opened its voucher waitlist in June 2019. Saint Paul's last opened in November 2024, with 1,200 households drawn by lottery. Watch both agencies and HousingLink for the next opening.
- Proposed time limits and work rules. In February 2026, HUD proposed letting housing authorities set time limits as short as two years and work requirements of up to 40 hours a week for rental aid, exempting older adults and people with disabilities. It was a proposal, not a final rule, when reported.
- Emergency Housing Vouchers are running out. HUD told housing agencies in 2025 to expect no additional funding, with money expected to run out by the end of 2026. If you have one, ask your housing agency what comes next.
Renter policy and politics
Who shapes the rules, and what the evidence says.
Protect renters or build more?
Can a city protect renters and still get new homes built? A common argument says no: that rent stabilization and right to repair scare off builders and make the shortage worse. We checked that claim against the research and the Twin Cities permit numbers.
Short answer
Saint Paul's law isn't the strict kind of rent control most studies look at. It exempts rentals built after 2004 and lets rent rise more after a tenant moves out, and no study has measured what it did to construction. From 2023 to 2025, permits fell about 70% in both cities, including Minneapolis, which has no rent control. Saint Paul's drop did start first, in 2022, and studies of older, stricter laws do find less rental housing. Repair-and-deduct laws exist in most states, and the only study we found showed no significant effect on rents or supply.
Housing units permitted
| Year | Saint Paul, all units | Minneapolis, buildings of 5+ units |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Not reported | 4,646 |
| 2020–2021 | Over 2,000 a year | Not listed |
| 2022 | 1,169 | Not listed |
| 2023 | 1,204 | 1,043 |
| 2024 | 404 | 351 |
| 2025 | 357 | 300 |
Both series come from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis but count slightly different things. From 2023 to 2025, Saint Paul fell about 70% and Minneapolis about 71%. Measured from each city's own peak, Saint Paul fell more than 80% and Minneapolis about 94%. Minneapolis Fed on Saint Paul, June 2026 · Minneapolis Fed on Minneapolis, Oct. 2026
Saint Paul's law isn't San Francisco's
The studies that find the biggest supply losses look at strict caps with few exceptions. Saint Paul's law was rewritten in 2022 to exempt new buildings for 20 years, exempt affordable housing, and let rents rise up to 8% plus inflation after a tenant moves out. In 2025 the council permanently exempted rentals built after 2004. More than 1,700 landlords applied for higher increases after a move-out, and the city granted 1,580 requests in 2023 and 2024.
Most U.S. rent laws exempt new construction, so the Urban Institute says any effect on new building "remains speculative". The benefit for tenants is better established: in San Francisco, rent control made covered renters about 20% less likely to move and more likely to stay in the city.
What the Twin Cities numbers show
Saint Paul's drop did start a year before Minneapolis's. But Minneapolis never passed rent control, and its multifamily permits fell to 300 units in 2025, the lowest since 2008. The Minneapolis Fed cited borrowing, operating and construction costs, weak demand, slow rent growth, city rules and investor worry about possible rent stabilization.
The drop was national. Construction starts in buildings with five or more units fell from about 531,000 in 2022 to about 336,000 in 2024 as the Federal Reserve raised its target rate to 5.25% to 5.5%. Housing production fell in 10 of 12 peer metro areas from 2023 to 2025.
No study has measured what Saint Paul's ordinance did to construction. The Minneapolis Fed researchers who interviewed developers said they didn't design their work to find a causal effect. And after Saint Paul permanently exempted newer buildings in May 2025, permits hadn't rebounded by year's end: 357 units that year.
Building more and protecting renters
Minneapolis passed its 2019 renter protections and its 2021 right to counsel during its biggest multifamily permitting stretch in recent history. From 2017 to 2022, its housing stock grew 12% while rents rose 1%, compared with 4% and 14% in the rest of Minnesota, according to Pew. The Minneapolis Fed credits slower rent growth there to both new supply and weaker demand after 2020.
Pro-housing advocates haven't always opposed tenant protections. In 2018, Minneapolis's Neighbors for More Neighbors backed capping yearly rent hikes, just-cause eviction and a right to counsel along with zoning reform. A preliminary University of Minnesota study found no drop in permits after states passed just-cause eviction laws.
There are tradeoffs. One national study linked stronger tenant rights to fewer evictions and higher median rents. An Urban Institute analysis tied rent stabilization to 9.9% less rental housing overall but 42.1% more units affordable to the lowest-income renters.
Right to repair and housing supply
Repair-and-deduct is old and common. Most states recognize some version of it. California's law has been on the books for over a century and lets tenants deduct up to one month's rent, twice a year. Minnesota tenants can repair and deduct only with a court order.
The only study we found, using 1968–72 data, showed repair-and-deduct had no significant effect on rents or supply. Landlord groups argue it adds cost and liability, and the Minnesota Multi Housing Association warned it could push affordable homes off the market. The article cites no data for that. Duluth's version is newer, and local coverage has carried landlord predictions but no reported outcomes yet.
What critics point to
Critics point mostly to studies of older, stricter laws. In San Francisco, landlords whose buildings came under rent control cut their rental housing supply by 15%, mostly by selling to owner-occupants or redeveloping. A 2024 review of nearly 200 studies found that 12 of 16 studies of rental supply found a drop, though its author also found rent control effective at slowing rent growth for covered units.
In Saint Paul, economists estimated that passing the original 2021 ordinance, before it was loosened, lowered property values 6% to 7%, about $1.6 billion. Saint Paul apartment permits fell 48% in a year while Minneapolis's rose 16%, according to the Pioneer Press. Developers said rent control was chilling building at Highland Bridge, and developers interviewed by the Minneapolis Fed in 2026 still named it as a reason.
They also question who benefits. The same Saint Paul study also found the tenants who gained most had higher incomes and were more likely to be white.
What the evidence says
Protections don't build homes, and a rent cap alone won't end a shortage. But the claim that renter protections caused the Twin Cities' construction collapse doesn't fit the numbers. From 2023 to 2025, building fell just as fast in the city without rent control. It fell nationwide when interest rates rose, and it hadn't come back in Saint Paul by the end of the year new buildings were exempted. The research supports building more housing and protecting renters who already live here.
The landlord lobby
Renters are the majority in both cities, but landlords and real estate groups are better organized and better funded. Here's who they are, what they've spent, and which elected officials have voted their way. Every figure links to a filing or a news report on one.
Short answer
The Minnesota Multi Housing Association (MHA), the state's landlord trade group, leads the opposition. Realtor groups, the business chambers and large developers back it up. In 2021 they raised about $3.9 million to fight Saint Paul's rent control question, and lost. Since then they've put money into city council and mayoral races in both cities and into lobbying at the Capitol.
Follow the money
- 2021
Sensible Housing Ballot Committee, chaired by MHA's Cecil Smith: about $3.9 million, including $750,000 from the National Association of Realtors
Opposing Saint Paul's rent control question. The renter campaign on the other side raised about $213,000.
- 2021
Same committee, federal filings: $4.9 million in all, with $430,000 from Steven Scott Management and $300,000 from Dominium
The full 2021 rent control campaign
- 2023
Service Saint Paul PAC, mostly funded by the Operating Engineers union: $10,000 from MHA, plus $85,000 from Weidner Property Management after the election
Saint Paul council races. All five candidates it backed lost.
- 2023
MHA at the Capitol: about $435,000 on lobbying. Minnesota Realtors reported about $573,000, and Housing First Minnesota, the builders' group, about $620,000.
State housing law, the year lawmakers passed a major tenant protection package
- 2025
We Love Minneapolis: $72,585 from MHA. Its top donor in its first-quarter report was The Hornig Companies, $30,000, which owns more than 90 rentals.
Supporting 15 council candidates aligned with Mayor Frey. Axios called it "underwritten by the Downtown Council and landlord groups."
- 2025
Saint Paul Area Association of Realtors: a $1,000 maximum gift and a National Association of Realtors outside campaign. No dollar amount for that campaign is public.
Electing Kaohly Her mayor of Saint Paul
- 2026
Wake Up Saint Paul, which calls itself "a project of the Domestic Policy Caucus." The caucus's board includes the Saint Paul Area Chamber's director of public affairs, according to its own website.
A campaign against Saint Paul's rent control, covered by the Pioneer Press as "Repeal St. Paul rent control? Allow a downtown data center? Policy org is on it." Its site runs a homeowner survey and blames rent control for higher property taxes, citing the Minneapolis Fed. The Fed researchers said they didn't design their work to find rent control's causal effect.
Who votes their way in Minneapolis
Mayor Jacob Frey. In 2021 he vetoed a ballot question that would have let residents write rent control by petition and promised to veto a 3% cap in 2022. In 2026 he vetoed a 60-day and then a 45-day pre-eviction notice. MHA had asked publicly: "We hope that the Mayor will veto this ordinance." In 2025, MHA-funded We Love Minneapolis spent on council candidates aligned with him.
Five council members who voted no twice. Michael Rainville (Ward 3), LaTrisha Vetaw (Ward 4), Pearll Warren (Ward 5), Elizabeth Shaffer (Ward 7) and Linea Palmisano (Ward 13) voted against both eviction notice ordinances. MPR News named them as the five no votes in April. In March, CBS named the seven yes votes and one abstention, which leaves the same five. All five were among the candidates We Love Minneapolis backed in 2025. Palmisano was also one of two votes against the 2025 ban on rent-setting software.
Each override failed 7–6, with nine votes needed. Jamison Whiting (Ward 11) was the sixth no both times, though he abstained on the 60-day ordinance and voted yes on the 45-day one (March, May). We found no landlord money behind his campaign.
Who votes their way in Saint Paul
Mayor Kaohly Her. The Saint Paul Area Association of Realtors endorsed her, gave her campaign the legal maximum, and says the national Realtors group ran an outside campaign for her. Its government affairs director said rent control was "top of mind" for members when they endorsed her. Her had said she voted against rent control in 2021, and SPAAR had endorsed her opponent, Melvin Carter, four years earlier.
The council majority that tried to keep right to repair off the ballot. On Aug. 5, 2026, Anika Bowie (Ward 1), Rebecca Noecker (Ward 2), Saura Jost (Ward 3), Molly Coleman (Ward 4) and Cheniqua Johnson (Ward 7) voted to keep it off the ballot, after the city attorney argued its language was unconstitutional. A judge put it back on, and the Minnesota Supreme Court let that stand. MHA opposed the measure, saying it "hands it to renters who never signed up for it."
Bowie, Jost and Noecker voted for the 2025 exemption that took newer buildings out of rent stabilization, as did interim Ward 4 member Matt Privratsky. It passed 4–3. The year before, MHA had called the idea "an acknowledgment that rent control has harmed the current and future residents of St Paul."
Bowie, Jost and Coleman also voted to deny tenants' appeals in the September 2025 Ashland Avenue rent increase appeals, which tenants won 4–3. Bowie, whose ward includes the buildings, cited inspection and phase-in concerns. In Coleman's 2025 race, the Star Tribune reported that the Saint Paul Area Chamber backed her and that her donors included Ryan Companies executives, plus DFL donors, lobbyists and union PACs.
In Saint Paul, most landlord money has gone through committees and outside campaigns, not straight to council members. On the council reports we could read, direct real estate gifts were small, like $600 from the Realtors PAC to Noecker. Ramsey County has taken its campaign finance reports offline and expects them back by January 2027, so some 2025 reports, including Coleman's, aren't available yet.
What they say
MHA's Cecil Smith called rent control "probably the worst solution one could propose" in 2021. When Minneapolis drafted a 3% cap in 2022, MHA called it an "abject failure" and urged the council to reject it. After the 2023 tenant package passed at the Capitol, Smith said the changes "could have been improved with the involvement of his association."
Developers have argued it too. At the 2022 Saint Paul hearings, a Ryan Companies executive testified that "there is no money for housing with this ordinance in place." For what the research says about that claim, open Protect renters or build more?
How we chose who's on this card: officials are named for how they voted on contested renter measures. A vote isn't proof of landlord influence. Money ties are noted only where filings or reporting document them. Votes come from council records. Money comes from campaign finance filings, or from news reports that cite them.
Slum Lord Millionaires
Who owns the Twin Cities' rentals, whose buildings rack up the most violations, which landlords have ended up in court, and where Wall Street fits in. Every claim links to a public record.
| Owner (tax bill address) | Units | Mpls | St. Paul |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weidner Apartment HomesKirkland, Wash. | 4,028 | 4,028 | 0 |
| Sherman Associates | 2,828 | 2,440 | 388 |
| Bigos Management | 2,632 | 972 | 1,660 |
| The Hornig Companies | 2,561 | 2,228 | 333 |
| Spiegler / Innovative Properties | 1,741 | 1,024 | 717 |
| Steven Scott Management | 1,117 | 440 | 677 |
| Stuart Companies | 934 | 229 | 705 |
| Dominium | 803 | 257 | 546 |
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Not ranked: the largest owners are public, the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (5,841 licensed units) and the Saint Paul Public Housing Agency (4,265). We left them, nonprofits like Aeon and CommonBond, and colleges off the list. Unit counts are licensed rental units in Minneapolis rental license data and Saint Paul certificate of occupancy data, matched to owners through county parcel records, as of October 2026. Owners may hold more units through addresses we didn't match.
| Owner (tax bill address) | Units | Violations | Per 100 units |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clifton Properties, Waterstone and Fairfield Investments14 licenses at Tier 2 or 3 | 208 | 108 | 52 |
| RDA Uptown LLCs8 licenses at Tier 2 or 3 | 154 | 56 | 36 |
| MN Brownstones / 10th Floor Property Management9 licenses at Tier 2 or 3 | 324 | 99 | 31 |
| Millennium Management, NHH Properties and MN Rental Properties Group18 licenses at Tier 2 or 3 | 795 | 187 | 24 |
| Eat Street Portfolio, Blaisdell Portfolio and related LLCsIrvine, Calif. · 9 licenses at Tier 2 or 3 | 600 | 112 | 19 |
Owners with 100 or more Minneapolis units, ranked by housing code violations from January 2024 to October 2026 in the city's rental violations data. Tier 2 and 3 are the city's lower ratings for a building's condition and management, which bring more frequent inspections. Across all Minneapolis rentals, there were about 12 violations per 100 licensed units.
One outlier: Heritage Park and Sumner Field in north Minneapolis had 865 violations on 454 units. The land belongs to the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority, and private partnerships run the homes from St. Louis. Saint Paul doesn't publish violation data, so we can't rank its landlords the same way.
Each case below ended in a court ruling, a settlement or a city order. Settlements don't mean the landlord admitted wrongdoing.
Millennium Management
A student-rental company with buildings near the U of M and in Saint Paul. The University of Minnesota's Off-Campus Living office put it on its list of problem landlords in 2017, a list that requires three unresolved student legal cases in a year, and it is still on the university's non-compliance list today. In city records, Millennium shares a tax-bill address with NHH Properties and MN Rental Properties Group. Together their buildings logged 187 Minneapolis code violations since January 2024, and 6 of their Saint Paul rentals carry a C fire inspection grade in city data.
Stephen Frenz and Spiros Zorbalas
The city barred Zorbalas from holding rental licenses, and Frenz, who co-owned many of the buildings with him, kept running them. In December 2017 the City Council revoked Frenz's licenses on 60 properties and banned him from rental licenses for five years. The two agreed to an $18.5 million settlement with about 5,400 tenants in 2018. In 2019 a jury convicted Frenz of perjury for a false sworn statement in his tenants' lawsuit, and he was sentenced to 60 days in jail, served in two 30-day terms.
Mahmood Khan
The city moved to revoke his rental licenses after about 3,500 code violations across 42 properties. He sued, arguing the city's enforcement unfairly hurt minority tenants, and lost; a federal appeals court ruled for the city in 2019.
Steven Meldahl / S.J.M. Properties
A judge found he knowingly and in bad faith charged 267 families illegal late fees, and ordered a $133,500 penalty. He was later ordered to pay the state $1,072,818 in legal fees and costs.
Investment Property Group (Eat Street Portfolio)
The Attorney General sued the Utah-based owner of 13 Hennepin County complexes, including Greenway and Aldrich, over surprise utility fees and evictions. It settled in July 2025 for over $5 million in relief, including a $1.8 million restitution fund. Greenway and Aldrich share a tax-bill address with the Eat Street Portfolio group, which logs the most code violations of any large Minneapolis owner in the table above.
Quadrel Realty (Brentwood Apartments)
Represented by Legal Aid, the Brentwood Tenants Union won a 2025 agreement for repairs, which Quadrel then didn't make. In March 2026 a judge fined it $750 a day, more than $49,500 so far.
Madison Equities (Lowry Apartments)
The city revoked the 134-unit building's fire certificate of occupancy, a court put it in receivership, and it was condemned in December 2024, displacing more than 70 residents.
Housing Hub
Settled with the Attorney General for $63,000 in tenant refunds over illegal security deposit deductions.
Monarch Investment and Management Group
The Attorney General joined former tenants' lawsuit alleging false certifications to collect about $259,000 in pandemic rent aid. These are allegations; the case is open.
Investors owned just over 42,000 single-family homes in the Twin Cities metro in 2024, up from about 19,300 in 2008. That's about 1 in 20 homes, but the biggest owners are growing fastest: owners of 50 or more homes held 4,059 homes in 2022, and 81% of those owners are based out of state. A University of Minnesota study found eviction rates 17% higher at private-equity-owned homes than at homes owned by the smallest landlords.
The private equity giant bought Home Partners of America for $6 billion in 2021. Home Partners was the largest single-family landlord in the Twin Cities, with 1,152 homes in 2022. Invitation Homes, which Blackstone built and sold off in 2019, held another 1,040.
Pretium's Progress Residential owned 602 Twin Cities homes in 2022, and its HavenBrook arm owned 215 in north Minneapolis. Tenants organized with Inquilinxs Unidxs and won a repair agreement through the City Council in 2023. The Attorney General's lawsuit settled in 2024 with HavenBrook and Progress for a $2.2 million restitution fund and up to $1.99 million in forgiven rent debt.
The country's largest apartment manager runs 34 properties in the Twin Cities and Rochester. In 2025 it settled claims that it used rent-setting software to push up rents: $50 million in a national class action and $7 million in a proposed settlement with nine states, including Minnesota. It also paid $24 million to settle federal and Colorado charges over hidden fees. It admitted no wrongdoing. Minneapolis banned rent-setting software in March 2025.
Often blamed, rarely the landlord. BlackRock is an asset manager, not a home buyer, and fact-checkers have repeatedly debunked claims that it's buying up houses. It's frequently confused with Blackstone, which does own homes here.
In 2026, bills to cap or ban private equity ownership of single-family homes stalled at the Capitol. The House version stalled in committee on a 7–6 vote, and a Senate cap was left out of the final housing bill, according to its House author.
Rankings use city license and parcel records, grouped by the address where each property's tax bill goes. Violations are city inspectors' findings, not court judgments, and settlements are not admissions of wrongdoing. How we counted
Renter Defenders
The groups that organize, advise and go to court for Twin Cities renters, what each one does, and what they've won and lost. Looking for help with your own building? See Organize my building.
Safe Homes Saint Paul
The coalition behind the 2026 tenant right-to-repair measure. Twin Cities DSA is its founding partner, and the campaign says the push for it came from DSA members. The measure is modeled on Duluth's. It started collecting signatures in January and qualified with 5,440 valid signatures. When the City Council voted 5–2 to keep it off the ballot, a Ramsey County judge ordered it back on, and the Minnesota Supreme Court declined to block it. Endorsers include the Saint Paul Federation of Educators, the Metropolitan Interfaith Council on Affordable Housing (MICAH) and Twin Cities DSA.
Stop the Sweeps coalition
Advocates and volunteers fighting Saint Paul's homeless encampment clearings, which began after the city said in July 2026 it no longer wanted established encampments. The coalition asked the city to end the policy that makes encampments illegal, close camps only if residents agree, and set up a committee with unhoused people to find solutions, the Villager reported. It works alongside Rising Waters Mutual Aid, and a speaker at its City Hall press conference said people need "a housing first approach." After the city cleared the Pig's Eye camp on Aug. 5, officials said only seven former residents used shelter, and an estimated 90 to 100 moved to another camp. In September the city had no dates set to clear the rest. Getting into housing takes time: Ramsey County has more than 1,400 people waiting for permanent supportive housing, and a single adult on the county's housing placement list waits 483 days on average.
HOME Line
A free tenant hotline that also trains renters to form associations and lobbies at the Capitol. It pushed for the 2023 tenant rights package and says organizing requests have "increased exponentially."
Inquilinxs Unidxs por Justicia
Organized tenants of landlord Stephen Frenz who won ownership of five buildings in 2020 through a land bank purchase, with plans for a co-op. Also organized Progress Residential tenants in north Minneapolis before the 2024 Attorney General settlement.
Twin Cities Tenants
A metro-wide union launched in January 2026 by building unions with the national Tenant Union Federation and backing from several labor unions. In February 2026 it ran a rent strike pledge drive, and members voted not to strike after falling short of the goal.
Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid
Free lawyers for low-income tenants. Represented the Brentwood Tenants Union, winning what it calls the largest fine ever awarded to a tenants union in Hennepin County Housing Court.
Housing Justice Center
Housing lawyers and policy advocates. Its president helped craft Saint Paul's 2021 rent stabilization ballot proposal, and it contributed to the MN Renter's Guide to Tenant Organizing.
Minnesota Housing Partnership
A housing policy group credited with a "key role" in passing the 2023 housing bill and tenant rights package.
Twin Cities DSA
The founding partner of Safe Homes Saint Paul, the 2026 right-to-repair campaign, which says the push for it came from Twin Cities DSA members. Its members also gathered signatures and knocked doors for Saint Paul's 2021 rent stabilization campaign, by the chapter's own account, and its tenants working group organizes tenant unions around the metro.
Defend Glendale & Public Housing Coalition
Glendale Townhomes residents who fought the public housing authority's redevelopment plan and won repairs without relocation in 2018.
Housing Equity Now St. Paul (HENS) and Keep St. Paul Home
The coalition behind Saint Paul's rent stabilization. HENS, a coalition led by Black and Indigenous people and other people of color with members including the Frogtown Neighborhood Association and The Alliance, turned in 9,100 signatures in 2021. Voters approved the 3% cap that November, after an opposition committee funded largely by landlord and Realtor groups raised nearly $4 million. The campaign won a national organizing award in 2022, and its ballot committee filed its final report that year. The city council weakened the ordinance in 2022 and again in 2025.
Home to Stay
The coalition that pushed Minneapolis's 2021 charter question letting the council pass rent control. It passed with 53% of the vote. A city work group then recommended a 3% cap, Mayor Frey promised a veto, and in June 2023, with three supportive members absent for Eid, the council voted 5–4 not to move it forward.
- Win · 2021
Saint Paul voters pass rent stabilization, and Minneapolis voters open the door to it.
- Win · 2021
Minneapolis guarantees lawyers for low-income tenants facing eviction.
- Loss · 2022
Saint Paul exempts new buildings for 20 years and lets rents jump after a tenant moves out.
- Win · 2023
The Legislature passes a tenant rights package: 14 days' notice before an eviction filing, eviction record expungement and a minimum indoor temperature.
- Loss · 2023
Minneapolis's rent stabilization proposal stalls in a 5–4 council vote, with three supporters absent.
- Win · 2024
Minnesota protects tenants' right to organize, with penalties for landlords who retaliate.
- Win · 2024
Progress Residential and HavenBrook tenants win a $2.2 million restitution fund and forgiven rent debt.
- Loss · 2025
Saint Paul permanently exempts rentals built after 2004 from rent stabilization.
- Win · 2026
Brentwood tenants win a $750-a-day fine against their landlord.
- Loss · 2026
Mayor Frey vetoes two longer eviction notice ordinances, and both overrides fail.
Pro-housing groups, often called YIMBYs ("yes in my backyard"), fight for more homes of every kind, and they've won big zoning changes. Their case is that renters are best served by more supply. Renter groups' case is that renters also need power over the homes they live in now. On rent caps, repair rights and landlord accountability, the two have often split.
Ratings reflect each group's public position on rent stabilization and tenant protections, not on building more housing. Pro-renter Mixed Critical
Neighbors for More Neighbors
Friend, at least in 2018. While pushing the Minneapolis 2040 zoning plan in 2018, it backed capping yearly rent hikes, just-cause eviction and a right to counsel. One of its members, a landlord herself, supported rent stabilization in 2021. We found no group statement on the 2021 ballot questions or on the rent cap that stalled in 2023.
Sustain Saint Paul and Nate Hood
Unclear for the group; skeptical from its best-known voice. We found no official group position on rent stabilization or right to repair. Nate Hood, a landlord who helped start Sustain Saint Paul, called the city's rent stabilization "the worst of both worlds." As a Planning Commission member he warned right to repair could make investors more hesitant, while saying he favors stronger enforcement against bad landlords. Ballotpedia lists him among the measure's opponents.
In these records, the splits don't come over building more housing. They come over measures that give current renters leverage over their landlords, like Saint Paul's rent cap and repair-and-deduct. Neighbors for More Neighbors' 2018 platform shows not every pro-housing group draws that line.
State law sets the floor for every Minnesota renter. Saint Paul built more rights on top of it. Minneapolis built better tools for checking up on a landlord. Every claim on this page links to its source. This is not legal advice.