This November was the hotline’s busiest for new contacts (calls & emails) ever . Last year we had 1,461 new contacts in November while this year, we had 1,583, a 7% increase.
Here are the top 10 reasons for calls in November, compared to November, 2023.
| Contact Reason | Number of Contacts | Change from Nov. ’23 |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Evictions | 384 | + 1% |
| 2. Repairs | 377 | – 1% |
| 3. Break Lease | 186 | + 26% |
| 4. Security Deposits | 161 | + 9% |
| 5. Lease Questions | 109 | + 33% |
| 6. Financial Aid | 93 | + 47% |
| 7. Landlord Notice to Vacate | 87 | +7% |
| 8. Fees | 73 | + 37% |
| 9. Privacy/Intrusion | 58 | – 10% |
| 10. Heat | 51 | + 8% |
Evictions remained the top reason for contacts again this month. Repairs were very close behind and will almost certainly be our top reason for calls for the entire year. Financial Aid questions remain much higher than last year at this time—a 47% increase from last November, which isn’t that surprising when considering the high eviction numbers and that around 90% of Minnesota evictions are filed for non-payment of rent.
There was also a pretty substantial spike (a surprising 26% increase over last November) in questions from tenants who want to break their lease. There are a variety of reasons why tenants need to break their leases such as the tenant can no longer afford the place and wants to move in with friends/family, a new job or transfer, or perhaps wanting to move in with a significant other. but a 26% increase over last November is still surprising.
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