The 2010 “Tenant Bill of Rights”, 2010 Minn. Laws ch. 315
This session law included a variety of new tenant protections and a couple of pro-landlord changes to the law. Many of the underlying legislative materials are available here, including a transcript of one committee hearing.
The Covenants of Habitability
Minn. Stat. sec. 504B.161 (2014) is the fifth version of Minnesota’s statute requiring residential landlords to do repairs. Available here are all five versions as well as a more detailed legislative history of the original version. Most of this material is readily available on the website of the Minnesota Revisor but the detailed legislative history is only available with quite a bit more work. The detailed history may shed light on some questions about the meaning of the statute.
Security Deposits
Throughout the years the Minnesota State Legislature has made changes to the security deposit statute. Available here are 18 versions of the security-deposit session Laws since 1971. These should include all the relevant session laws. Not included is a 1974 session law mentioning deposits but making no changes. Over time, the security deposit statute was first codified as Minn. Stat. sec. 504.19 and then later as 504.20 and 504B.178. The session laws reproduced are these:
1971 Minn Laws ch. 784, s. 1-2; 1973 Minn Laws ch. 561, s. 1 ; 1975 Minn Laws ch. 401, s. 9 ; 1977 Minn Laws ch. 129, s. 7 ; 1977 Minn Laws ch. 280, s. 1-5 ; 1984 Minn Laws ch. 565, s. 1 ; 1986 Minn Laws ch. 444 ; 1992 Minn Laws ch. 376, s. 7 ; 1992 Minn Laws ch. 555, art. 2 ; 1996 Minn Laws ch. 357 ; 1998 Minn Laws ch. 266 ; 1999 Minn Laws ch. 199, art. 1, s. 16 ; 2000 Minn Laws ch. 282, s.1 ; 2003 Minn Laws ch. 52, s. 2; 2004 Minn Laws ch. 203, art. 2, s. 61 ; 2008 Minn Laws ch. 177, s. 2 ; 2009 Minn Laws ch. 123, s. 4 ; 2010 Minn Laws ch. 315, s. 6
Minn. Stat. sec. 504B.178, subd. 8 – Use of deposit to pay rent
One specific subdivision in the security deposit statute governs tenants who try to use their deposit to pay last month’s rent. The subdivision makes this unlawful but requires the landlord to follow a specific procedure to use the law. Also, in somewhat dense language, the subdivision sets specific and limited penalties for such tenants. Following the legislative history of the subdivision can help the reader understand the subdivision. Available here is a history of the subdivision, including details about the 1977 session law that created those penalties.