Repairs can cause friction between tenants and landlords. If the repair is an emergency, such as no power, heat, working plumbing, hot water, or an intent-to-condemn notice, contact the landlord right away. You may also contact Legal Aid or a housing inspector.

If things are promised in writing, such as in lease or the rental advertisement, write a letter to the landlord. Ask for a response of date of repair. Be polite and list

• needed repairs
• when the problem was noticed
• other details, such as location

Mail the letter to landlord and keep a copy.

If your city has housing inspectors, you might call them. Show them your list so that they don't miss anything. Ask them to send a copy of the landlord's report to you. If problems are bad enough and repairs aren't made, inspectors may threaten condemnation. Landlords usually have at least 30 days to fix non-emergency repairs. A landlord may need to hire outside contractors who cannot make repairs quickly.

• If the landlord doesn't make repairs, file a Rent Escrow action. You can file 14 days after you wrote to the landlord, or after the inspector's deadline has passed. Legal Aid helps low-income people, or court administrators help complete petitions.
• Pay your rent. Rent is still due on time for the court. The court holds it until repairs are made. The court filing fee is sometimes waived for people unable to pay.
• Attend the hearing. Once a Rent Escrow is filed, hearings are scheduled in 10-14 days. Bring evidence, including a copy of your letter to landlord, housing inspector reports and photos.

• order repairs
• reduce your rent until repairs are done
• give you back rent money for months you have lived with the problems
• allow you to make repairs and deduct the bill from your rent.

For more information contact Legal Aid, an attorney, or the Minnesota Attorney General's Office. Ask for a copy of Landlords and Tenants: Rights and Responsibilities. Call 651-296-3353 or 1-800-657-3787 for a free copy.

Info-U Home Page

University of Minnesota Extension Home Page

Copyright ©  1998  Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.