MN HF82

Renewed or new commercial and residential leases cannot exceed the rent amount charged on or before March 1, 2020, for entities receiving state funding related to civil unrest or eligible for emergency assistance awards in areas affected by the peacetime emergency declared in Executive Order 20-64.

Landlords may calculate the pre-March 1, 2020 rent baseline using either an average of monthly rent for January, February, and March 2020, or the last annual rent paid prior to March 1, 2020.

Landlords may increase rent on April 1 of each year by a percentage equal to the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers (CPI-U) change during the 12-month period ending in November of the previous year, as determined by the Housing Finance Agency commissioner by February 1 annually.

Residential tenants may file actions against landlords for violations and receive equitable and monetary damages, and may use violation of this section as an affirmative defense to eviction actions; both residential and commercial tenants prevailing in enforcement actions receive reasonable attorney fees and costs.

The section is effective July 1, 2020, applies to leases signed or renewed on or after that date, and expires April 1, 2024.