ST. PAUL, Minn. – On Tuesday, the Senate Housing and Homelessness Prevention Committee heard three bills authored by Senator Clare Oumou Verbeten (DFL-St. Paul). The proposed legislation included SF 429, SF 430, and SF 690, which contain several proposals to help balance the power between tenants and landlords.
“Hearing these bills in the Housing and Homelessness Prevention Committee is just the first step,” said Senator Oumou Verbeten. “Almost 30% of households in Minnesota are renters. These three bills would level the playing field between tenants and landlords by requiring pre-eviction notice, prohibiting discrimination based on the use of public assistance, and expunging eviction actions. We want people to be able to find a home that makes them feel welcome and safe.”
The first bill heard in the committee, would require a 14-day notice before a formal eviction action could be brought in court (SF 429). It would also include information on how tenants can seek legal help and apply for emergency financial assistance. Currently, Minnesota is one of only four states in the country that does not require a landlord to formally notify a tenant before filing an eviction action for nonpayment of rent.
The second bill would prohibit discrimination in housing based on one’s source of income (SF 430). In Minnesota, it is legal for a landlord to reject a prospective tenant because they use public assistance to pay rent. Nineteen states and the District of Columbia have passed laws prohibiting housing discrimination based on source income.
Lastly, the final bill would provide for expungement of eviction actions on an individual’s record (SF 690). In Minnesota, a simple filing of an eviction action by a landlord appears immediately on a tenant’s record before the court has rendered a judgement or even heard a case. The eviction action appears indefinitely on the renter’s record as an “eviction” and reportable by tenant screening agencies for the next seven years, whether the eviction was warranted or not. Even if the tenant wins in housing court, the record would still show an eviction action has been filed.
The three bills were laid over for possible inclusion in an omnibus bill.
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Learn more about Sen. Oumou Verbeten.
