Minnesota Lease Agreement: What to Include

A Minnesota residential lease needs to reflect this state's actual rules on security deposits, entry notice, late fees, and required disclosures — not a generic template written for a different state. The figures below come from Minnesota's residential landlord-tenant statute; where the state sets no fixed number, that's stated plainly rather than glossed over, since "the state doesn't specify" is itself something you need to know.

Security deposit

Security deposit limit: No statewide statutory limit. Minnesota requires landlords to pay interest on held deposits — check the current statutory rate and any escrow requirements before you hold tenant funds. Return deadline after move-out: 21 Days; 5 Days if building condemned.

Entry notice, late fees, and rent increases

Entry notice: Reasonable notice. Late fees: Up to 8% of overdue rent unless otherwise governed; no statewide grace period requirement. Rent increase notice for month-to-month tenancies: One rental period plus one day unless lease/statute provides otherwise days. (Entry notice citation: No confirmed statewide statute.)

Required disclosures

A Minnesota lease should include or accompany:

• • Federal lead-based paint
• • landlord/manager identity
• • pending foreclosure
• • shared utility billing
• • cannabis/smoking policy where applicable

Eviction notice for nonpayment

For nonpayment of rent, Minnesota's standard notice period is 14 days. This is the minimum notice before you can move to the next step in the eviction process — actual court timelines run longer once a case is filed. (Eviction notice citation: Minn. Stat. § 504B.321, subd. 1a (14-day pre-filing notice, effective 1/1/2024).)

What actually distinguishes Minnesota

Minnesota sets no statewide statutory cap on the security deposit amount — the lease itself is what controls how much you can charge, so put the amount and any pet/move-in fees in writing.

Minnesota is one of a smaller group of states that requires landlords to pay tenants interest on held security deposits — factor that into how you hold the funds.

Minnesota requires reasonable notice notice before a landlord enters an occupied unit for routine, non-emergency purposes.

Minnesota requires a comparatively long 14 notice period for nonpayment before you can file — plan for that lead time when a tenant falls behind.

Rent increase notice for month-to-month tenancies in Minnesota is One rental period plus one day unless lease/statute provides otherwise days — different from the 30-day default most other states use, so don't assume the general rule applies here.

Sources and the bottom line

The figures above reflect Minnesota's residential landlord-tenant statute as summarized on LeasePilot HQ's Minnesota landlord-tenant law page, which lists the specific sources behind each number. Security deposit rules specifically are codified at Minn. Stat. § 504B.178 (no statewide cap; interest required after 1 year), with the return deadline set by Minn. Stat. § 504B.178 (21 days). Primary and cross-reference sources used in compiling this page:

• • https://ipropertymanagement.com/laws/security-deposits
• • https://www.justia.com/real-estate/landlord-tenant/information-for-landlords/right-of-entry/
• • https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/state-landlord-tenant-laws

State landlord-tenant law changes through legislative sessions and court decisions — treat the numbers above as a starting point, verify against Minnesota's current statute (linked above) before relying on them for an actual lease, and see LeasePilot HQ's full Minnesota landlord-tenant law summary for the complete breakdown, or generate a lease with Minnesota-specific clauses built in automatically.