MN HF4634

Allows tenants to pay for repairs to remedy violations in residential rental units and deduct the repair costs from future rent as an alternative to rent escrow actions.

Requires tenants to provide written notice to the landlord and attempt telephone or email contact before contracting for repairs, along with notice of intent to deduct costs from rent.

For code violations, tenants must provide a copy of the written code violation notice or an explanation with repair estimate, and must wait for the landlord's repair period to expire before proceeding (unless claiming excessive time).

For other violations, tenants must give written notice specifying the violation and may contract for repairs if the landlord fails to provide a scheduled repair date or correct the violation within seven days.

Requires tenants to obtain bids from two different contractors and provide both bids to the landlord 24 hours before work begins (or as soon as practicable for emergencies), and provide invoices or payment receipts when deducting repair costs from rent.