Minnesota Tenant Law: Security Deposits, Late Fees & Landlord Entry (2026)

Security deposits

Max

No statutory cap on the amount.

Return deadline days

21 days

Itemization required

Yes

Interest required

Yes: 1% simple, noncompounded interest per year (amounts under $1 excluded).

Source: Minn. Stat. § 504B.178, subds. 2-3

Late fees

Rule

Only if agreed in writing, and the agreement must say when the fee is imposed; capped at 8% of the overdue rent payment. Federally subsidized tenancies may follow a conflicting federal fee schedule; for assisted tenancies the fee is calculated only on the tenant's portion of rent.

Source: Minn. Stat. § 504B.177

Landlord entry

Notice

Only for a reasonable business purpose and after a good-faith effort to give at least 24 hours' notice specifying a time or window; entry only between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. unless agreed. No notice needed when immediate entry is necessary for safety/emergency reasons. The tenant cannot be required to waive the notice right as a condition of the lease.

Source: Minn. Stat. § 504B.211, subds. 2-4

Ending a month-to-month tenancy

Tenant

Written notice at least as long as the interval between rent due dates (or three months, whichever is less)

Landlord

Written notice at least as long as the interval between rent due dates (or three months, whichever is less)

Source: Minn. Stat. § 504B.135

Rent increases

Rule

No general statutory notice period for rent increases. But if a lease gives the landlord a different notice period than the tenant, the landlord's notice of a rent increase (or to quit / non-renewal) may not be shorter than the notice the lease requires from the tenant; this cannot be waived.

Statewide rent control

No; cities and counties may control rents only through an ordinance or charter amendment approved in a general election (Minn. Stat. § 471.9996).

Source: Minn. Stat. §§ 504B.147, 471.9996

Repairs & habitability

Rule

In every residential lease the landlord covenants that the premises and common areas are fit for their intended use, kept in reasonable repair (including pest extermination), and compliant with health and safety codes, and must provide heat to at least 68°F from Oct 1 through Apr 30. These covenants cannot be waived; tenant-performed repairs require a conspicuous written agreement with adequate consideration. Tenants may use rent escrow with the court (after 14 days' written notice for most violations).

Source: Minn. Stat. §§ 504B.161, 504B.385

Retaliation

Rule

A landlord may not evict, increase obligations or decrease services as a penalty for a tenant's good-faith complaint or for enforcing lease or legal rights. If the action comes within 90 days of the complaint/act, the landlord bears the burden of proving it was not retaliatory.

Source: Minn. Stat. §§ 504B.441, 504B.285, subds. 2-3

Clauses often unenforceable in Minnesota

• Waiving or modifying the landlord's repair and habitability covenants (504B.161, subd. 1(b))
• Waiving the 24-hour entry notice right as a condition of the lease (504B.211, subd. 2)
• Late fee above 8% of the overdue rent, or not agreed in writing (504B.177)
• One-sided attorney-fee clause: if the landlord can recover fees, the tenant gets the same right when prevailing (504B.172)
• Any waiver of the security deposit rules, incl. 21-day return and interest (504B.178, subd. 10)
• Requiring renewal more than 6 months before a 10+ month lease ends (504B.144)
• Landlord notice of rent increase / non-renewal shorter than the tenant's required notice (504B.147)
• Charging full rent for a final partial month instead of prorating (504B.116)