Rent Increases in Minnesota: What Are My Rights?
Minnesota law limits some rent increase notices and protects you from a rent increase used as a penalty. Cities generally cannot set their own rent control rules unless voters approve them. This page covers what Minnesota law says about rent increases and what you can do about one.
-
Your lease may set one notice period for you to say you are moving out. It may set a different notice period for your landlord to give you a rent increase or tell you to move out. If these two periods are different, Minnesota law protects you. Your landlord's notice of a rent increase cannot be shorter than the notice period your lease requires from you before you move out. A notice that your landlord will not renew your lease counts the same as a notice to quit under this rule.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
-
Minnesota's rent increase notice protection applies only if your lease sets a landlord notice period that differs from yours. Your notice period is the notice you must give to end your rental.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
-
Minnesota law does not let you or your landlord give up your right to notice before a rent increase. This is true even if your lease says otherwise. A court will not use a lease rule that tries to take this right away. This right stays the same even if the lease rule was spoken and not written.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
-
Minnesota state law does not let a city, county or town pass its own law to control rents on private housing. Subdivision 2 of this law sets a different rule. This does not stop a city from managing property it has a financial interest in through a public housing authority. It also does not stop a city from contracting with a property owner, or from following state or federal law. It also does not stop a city from helping landlords and tenants agree on rent.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
-
Voters in a city, county or town can approve their own rent control law in a general election. Minnesota law bans cities, counties and towns from making rent control laws in any other way. Check your city's guide for what applies where you live.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
-
Your landlord cannot raise your rent as a penalty for a complaint that your landlord broke a rule. Your landlord also cannot raise any other amount your lease requires for this same reason. This complaint can come from you. It can also come from a neighborhood group that works on housing issues. Your landlord cannot evict you for this reason either. Your landlord also cannot lower your services for this reason.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
-
If you file a complaint about a violation, the law assumes your landlord raised your rent within 90 days as a penalty. Your landlord must then prove the increase was not a penalty. This 90-day period starts on the day you file the complaint. If a court finds you did not file the complaint in good faith, this 90-day rule does not apply. After 90 days have passed, you are the one who must prove the increase was a penalty.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
-
Write down the date you get a rent increase notice and keep a copy of it with your lease. If you plan to question the increase, also keep copies of any complaints or repair requests you made to your landlord. Keep track of the dates on these too.
-
You can talk to or write to your landlord about the increase before you decide what to do. You can accept it, ask for a lower amount, or move out. Putting this in writing gives you a record if you need it later. Read your lease first so you know what it already says about rent increases.
-
If you decide to move out after a rent increase, you can choose which notice period to use. You can use the notice period set for you to say you are moving out. Or you can use the notice period set for your landlord to give a notice to quit or a notice of a rent increase.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
-
If your landlord takes you to court for not paying rent after a rent increase, you can defend yourself in that case. You must show the increase was a penalty for using your legal rights in good faith. You must show this if the increase was a penalty for a report you made to the government. This report must be about a health, safety, housing, or building code problem, made in good faith. You must also pay the court or your landlord the rent you owed before the increase.
✓ Sources checked September 29, 2026
Is something on this page wrong or out of date? Tell us.