Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Minnesota House Bill HF2966 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1.1 A bill for an act
2	2	1.2 relating to housing; creating a statewide landlord database; creating a civil penalty
3	3	1.3 for a failure to register with the statewide landlord database; providing civil
4	4	1.4 remedies; providing attorney general enforcement; amending Minnesota Statutes
5	5	1.5 2024, section 8.31, subdivision 1; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota
6	6	1.6 Statutes, chapter 462A.
7	7	1.7BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
8	8	1.8 Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 8.31, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
9	9	1.9 Subdivision 1.Investigate offenses against provisions of certain designated sections;
10	10	1.10assist in enforcement.The attorney general shall investigate violations of the law of this
11	11	1.11state respecting unfair, discriminatory, and other unlawful practices in business, commerce,
12	12	1.12or trade, and specifically, but not exclusively, the Nonprofit Corporation Act (sections
13	13	1.13317A.001 to 317A.909), the Act Against Unfair Discrimination and Competition (sections
14	14	1.14325D.01 to 325D.07), the Unlawful Trade Practices Act (sections 325D.09 to 325D.16),
15	15	1.15the Antitrust Act (sections 325D.49 to 325D.66), section 325F.67 and other laws against
16	16	1.16false or fraudulent advertising, the antidiscrimination acts contained in section 325D.67,
17	17	1.17the act against monopolization of food products (section 325D.68), the act regulating
18	18	1.18telephone advertising services (section 325E.39), the Prevention of Consumer Fraud Act
19	19	1.19(sections 325F.68 to 325F.70), the requirements of the statewide landlord database (section
20	20	1.20462A.45), and chapter 53A regulating currency exchanges and assist in the enforcement of
21	21	1.21those laws as in this section provided.
22	22	1Section 1.
23	23	REVISOR MS/EN 25-0511103/24/25
24	24	State of Minnesota
25	25	This Document can be made available
26	26	in alternative formats upon request
27	27	HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
28	28	H. F. No. 2966
29	29	NINETY-FOURTH SESSION
30	30	Authored by Agbaje04/01/2025
31	31	The bill was read for the first time and referred to the Committee on Housing Finance and Policy 2.1 Sec. 2. [462A.45] STATEWIDE LANDLORD DATABASE.
32	32	2.2 Subdivision 1.Definitions.(a) For purposes of this section, the following terms have
33	33	2.3the meanings given.
34	34	2.4 (b) "Landlord" has the meaning given in section 504B.001, subdivision 7.
35	35	2.5 (c) "Residential building" has the meaning given in section 504B.001, subdivision 11.
36	36	2.6 (d) "Tenant" means a residential tenant as defined in section 504B.001, subdivision 12.
37	37	2.7 Subd. 2.Database established.The commissioner of the Housing Finance Agency must
38	38	2.8establish and maintain a statewide landlord database that collects and retains the information
39	39	2.9required in this section. The commissioner must make the database available to the public
40	40	2.10at no cost. The commissioner must not charge a fee to a landlord for submitting information
41	41	2.11to the database. The database must be searchable and allow tenants and prospective tenants
42	42	2.12to report rental units or landlords who cannot be found in the database.
43	43	2.13 Subd. 3.Annual submission required.(a) Before renting a residential building in the
44	44	2.14state or within 60 days of renting a rental unit in the state, a landlord must provide the
45	45	2.15following information to the statewide landlord database:
46	46	2.16 (1) the complete legal names of the owners of the residential building and, if the property
47	47	2.17is owned by a company or group of investors, the complete legal names of each natural
48	48	2.18person who has a property interest in the residential building;
49	49	2.19 (2) the business address of each natural person who has a property interest in the
50	50	2.20residential building;
51	51	2.21 (3) the name, address, and contact information for the landlord or manager of the
52	52	2.22residential building;
53	53	2.23 (4) the rent for each rental unit in the residential building on the first day that the unit
54	54	2.24is rented or on January 1 of the year of the filing for a renewal; and
55	55	2.25 (5) if the residential building has a rental license, the date of issue, the date of expiration,
56	56	2.26and the jurisdiction issuing the license.
57	57	2.27 (b) A landlord must annually update a submission for each rental unit or residential
58	58	2.28building that the landlord is renting by February 1 or, if a unit is vacant, before or during
59	59	2.29the first 60 days that the rental unit is occupied.
60	60	2.30 (c) A landlord who fails to comply with this subdivision is subject to penalties under
61	61	2.31subdivisions 4 and 5.
62	62	2Sec. 2.
63	63	REVISOR MS/EN 25-0511103/24/25 3.1 Subd. 4.Tenant remedies; civil action; retaliation.(a) A tenant or prospective tenant
64	64	3.2who is unable to locate a landlord in the statewide landlord database may notify the agency
65	65	3.3that the landlord, the residential building, or the rental unit could not be found, and the
66	66	3.4tenant or prospective tenant must provide their contact information, the residential building
67	67	3.5or unit address, and the contact information for the landlord. The agency must send a letter
68	68	3.6to the landlord with information on the database and a notice that the landlord must provide
69	69	3.7the landlord's annual submission to the database within 60 days of the date that the landlord
70	70	3.8received notice of the letter. The agency must send the tenant a copy of the letter. An
71	71	3.9enforcement action under subdivision 5 may not be brought until 61 days after the date the
72	72	3.10letter was sent under this paragraph.
73	73	3.11 (b) A tenant or prospective tenant may bring a civil action against a landlord who has
74	74	3.12not provided the information required under this section 61 days after the date of the
75	75	3.13notification under paragraph (a) for injunctive relief, costs, and reasonable attorney fees.
76	76	3.14In addition, the landlord is liable to the tenant or prospective tenant for a civil penalty of
77	77	3.15up to $5,000 if the court finds that the landlord has repeated knowing and willful violations
78	78	3.16of this section.
79	79	3.17 (c) A landlord must not refuse to rent to a prospective tenant, increase rent, decrease
80	80	3.18services, alter an existing lease with the tenant, file a complaint against the tenant, seek to
81	81	3.19recover possession of the premises, or commit any other act or failure to act, in whole or in
82	82	3.20part, in retaliation after a tenant exercises a right under this section. A tenant or prospective
83	83	3.21tenant may bring a civil action against a landlord who violates this paragraph seeking
84	84	3.22damages, costs, reasonable attorney fees, injunctive relief, and any other equitable relief
85	85	3.23the court deems appropriate.
86	86	3.24 Subd. 5.Attorney general enforcement.The attorney general may enforce this section
87	87	3.25under section 8.31. The court may award a civil penalty of up to $5,000 if the court finds
88	88	3.26that the landlord has repeated knowing and willful violations of this section.
89	89	3.27 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective January 1, 2026, and applies to causes
90	90	3.28of actions accruing on or after that date.
91	91	3Sec. 2.
92	92	REVISOR MS/EN 25-0511103/24/25