From left, the panel of experts at the June 25 renter’s rights forum: Christan Hokans, Dustin Hilliard, Manire Vaughn, Regan Reeck, Darrell Spears, Elliott Payne and Doron Clark. (Mark Peterson)
A June 25 renter’s rights forum at the Broken Clock Brewing Cooperative brought out dozens of local residents to hear a panel of experts talk about renter’s rights and issues they might care about.
The panelists were joined by representatives of most of the Northeast neighborhood associations, who encouraged their neighbors to join and participate in dealing with area issues.
The meeting’s moderator, Christian Hokans, is Vice President of the Audubon Neighborhood Association and a senior associate with Fredrikson & Byron, P.A., a Minneapolis law firm.
He began the presentation by noting that there have been “huge” changes in renter’s rights during the 2023 and 2024 legislative sessions, inviting audience members to Google “Minnesota Statutes Chapter 504B.” (504B refers to the laws governing relationships between landlords and tenants.) He mentioned allowing a 30-day period following a notice of eviction and a 24-hour notice from landlords before entering a rental unit. Air-conditioning, emotional-support animal and pest-control requirements were discussed, among many other topics.
Panel member Dustin Hilliard is a tenants’ rights attorney with Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid (MMLA), a nonprofit which “advocates for the legal rights of disadvantaged people.” He said that MMLA is not just a housing law firm — it deals with disabilities, tax reduction and seniors, adding that MMLA is one of the few housing advocates that can sue landlords. He listed a number of issues that work in favor of renters, emphasizing the right of terminating leases, clarity in rent documents, protection regarding the kinds of income used to pay rent and protected classes, such as marital status, children and past rental histories.
Manire Vaughn, an associate director at Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights who works primarily with complaint investigation, said, “We truly believe that those who work, live, and visit our city should never be subjected to any sort of discrimination.” He noted that the department is governed by the Minneapolis Civil Rights Ordinance, which he called the “bible” for tenants. Vaughn began his career as a housing attorney at MMLA where he represented people facing evictions, housing terminations and housing discrimination.
Vaughn said housing is a human right and that it’s important that people know that — and to understand that, although the Department is neutral on this issue, it also wants to ensure people have resources. The Department has referral guides for attorneys who can take cases. Those who have experienced discrimination can call 311 or go to their website: https://www.minneapolismn.gov/government/departments/civil-rights/.
Regan Reeck is the managing organizer for HOME Line, a nonprofit tenant advocacy organization. She said that HOME Line is primarily a tenant hotline, where any residential renter in Minnesota can call for free legal advice about issues like repairs, security deposits, privacy intrusions and rent certificates. The organization also deals with rent increases and building-wide maintenance issues like sewage backup and malfunctioning utilities.
Reeck stressed the importance of tenants familiarizing themselves with 504B and understanding their rights and options. She noted that recent changes in tenant law at the local and legislative levels caused Minnesota “to go from one of the worst states in the Union to one of the best in just two years.”
Reeck said that HOME Line has attorneys but does not represent individuals; they are primarily an advice line. “It may be a little while but we will get back to you,” Reeck said. “We do tend to prioritize evictions and emergency repairs, and we’re currently facing the largest amount of evictions we’ve ever seen in the state.”
Darrell Spears is a housing liaison with Minneapolis Regulatory Services. MRS enforces and administers Housing Ordinance 244, which insures minimum standards for safe and healthy living conditions. Spears referred to the two parties — tenant and landlord, which he calls the ‘T word’ and the ‘L word.’ “The words go back hundreds of years in English common law,” he said.
“My ancestors, those that left the South after emancipation, were farmers that were living on land where there were high levels of abuse, and so some people just literally had to leave to survive. So we’re working on our terms. We call tenants residents and we call landlords either property owners or, in most instances, property managers. If we can work on changing mindsets, it may not even happen in my lifetime, but this is about making change from the ground up,” he continued. Spears said there was a time when some property owners would remove the renter’s front door until payment was received. He added that renters facing challenges should begin by putting something in writing to their property owner. If they don’t want to make repairs, the next step is to reach out to 311, which will bring out an inspector to tell you if it’s a violation or not.
First Ward City Council member Elliott Payne represents a large part of Northeast Minneapolis. He noted the recent statewide change from a 14-day pre-eviction notice was extended to a 30-day notice. “… let’s all thank Melissa Hortman for all of the protections like that we got,” Payne said. “We just strengthened our civil rights organs to add body weight to protected class housing weight.” Rental assistance programs were taking an average of 28 days to get checks to help renters make payments, and “14-day pre-eviction notices didn’t actually help you stay in your home.”
Recently elected District 60 State Senator Doron Clark called safe and affordable housing “a fundamental right we all deserve to have.” He said he was focused on working with HOME Line to figure out how to improve renter’s rights across the state, saying he would be working “throughout the summer” to make sure it’s easier for renters to stay in their homes.
Clark pointed towards some of the legislation he promoted during the last session, such as the Revitalizing Main Street Act, which makes it legal statewide to have housing on top of commercial spaces — making it easier, at the end of a commercial building’s typical lifespan, for folks to redevelop. Zoning is therefore simpler thanks to having both commercial and residential buildings on the same block, rather than things changing jurisdiction by jurisdiction.