Minnesota House and Senate negotiators have struck a deal on how to phase out Gov. Tim Walz’s moratorium on evicting renters from housing during the pandemic, House leaders said Monday.
The agreement offers strong protections for renters and clear timelines for landlords to secure rental assistance from the state, the leaders said in a statement.
Under the deal, Walz’s moratorium order would be replaced by an “off ramp” that will conclude 105 days after the proposal becomes law. It will require landlords to send notice to renters with overdue rent 15 days before an eviction. Renters who have claimed but have not yet received state rental assistance will be protected from eviction until June 1, 2022.
“A responsible off-ramp to our eviction moratorium is not only going to keep Minnesotans in their homes but give renters and landlords the time they need to access the available resources to make their housing sustainable,” said Rep. Alice Hausman, a St. Paul DFLer and chair of the House housing committee. “The agreement allows us to move forward on this issue and craft a budget aimed at addressing Minnesota’s housing crisis in all its forms.”
Senate housing committee Chair Rich Draheim, R-Madison Lake, confirmed the deal. “I think we have language we both can agree with,” he said.
Walz’s eviction moratorium was scheduled to expire when the pandemic ends. He and legislative leaders agreed the state needs to provide an off ramp to phase in evictions slowly in order to protect thousands of Minnesotans with overdue rent from losing their housing and prevent courts from being swamped by an avalanche of eviction cases.
The state and its largest cities and counties are receiving $672 million is federal rent aid from the COVID Relief Act that Congress passed last year and the American Rescue Plan approved in March.
The 105-day off ramp provides time for Minnesotans who owe back rent to secure rental assistance through the state’s RentHelpMN.org program, which makes payments directly to landlords.
