HF2966

Purpose of the Bill

The purpose of this bill is to create a statewide landlord database in Minnesota to ensure transparency and accountability among landlords. It seeks to provide tenants and prospective tenants with accessible information about landlords and rental properties, improving tenant rights and offering mechanisms for enforcement and compliance.

Main Provisions

• Statewide Landlord Database: The bill mandates the establishment of a statewide database that will collect and maintain relevant information about landlords and their rental properties. This database must be freely accessible to the public and allow users to report landlords who do not appear in the database.

• Information Submission: Landlords are required to provide specific information about themselves and their properties to the database before renting a property or within 60 days of renting. This includes the names of property owners, business addresses, contact information, rental prices, and details about rental licenses.

• Annual Updates: Landlords must update their information annually by February 1st or within 60 days of a unit being occupied to ensure that the database remains accurate and up-to-date.

• Tenant Remedies and Enforcement: Tenants or prospective tenants who cannot find a landlord in the database can notify the housing agency, which will inform the landlord to submit their data. They may also file a civil lawsuit for injunctive relief, costs, and attorney fees if landlords fail to comply, potentially resulting in penalties up to $5,000 for willful violations.

• Attorney General Enforcement: The Minnesota Attorney General is empowered to enforce this law, and can also impose penalties of up to $5,000 for continued non-compliance by landlords.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• The bill amends Minnesota Statutes section 8.31, subdivision 1, to include enforcement of the requirements for the statewide landlord database.
• A new section, 462A.45, is introduced to establish this database and its operational criteria.

Relevant Terms

landlord database, tenant rights, rental property transparency, landlord compliance, civil penalties, attorney general enforcement, property management accountability, legal action, rental housing information.