Landslide victory for controversial Duluth rental repair law

DULUTH – Voters here gave the first renters rights law of its kind in Minnesota a resounding endorsement Tuesday, in a win fueled by months of intense on-the-ground campaigning.

The new right-to-repair ordinance, approved with more than two-thirds of the vote, will allow renters to initiate small fixes without involving city inspectors, and with an assurance that landlords pay.

The ordinance proposed by a group of renters called Duluth Tenants has been controversial in this city with an aging housing stock and dearth of homes for sale. Some city and business leaders have strongly opposed the effort, especially as it bypassed City Council regulation and was funded by TakeAction Minnesota, a progressive political advocacy nonprofit.

But it also had support from some state lawmakers, and organizers say more than 150 Duluth renters knocked on 22,000 doors to gather enough signatures to bring the right-to-repair ordinance to a vote.

The effort was a “massive labor of love,” DyAnna Grondahl, a Duluth renter employed by TakeAction, said Tuesday night.

“It means so much for renters who have been waiting for their repairs for a long time,” she said.

Nearly $300,000 was spent on the effort between TakeAction Minnesota and a real estate association. Minnesota Campaign Finance Board records show TakeAction invested more than $200,000 since May. In the past few weeks, Lake Superior Area Realtors spent $50,000 to oppose the effort, with 80% of that funding from the National Association of Realtors.

Jake Levine, a 31-year-old therapist and renter in the city’s Congdon Park neighborhood, is among them.

“It’s a nightmare trying to get stuff fixed,” he said, and that, paired with high rents and landlords who do “the bare minimum,” has his family considering a move out of the city.

“We can’t really afford to live here,” he said, “and we are college-educated with master’s degrees.”

Others worried about the repercussions of the citizen-led effort.

Dave Larson owns and rents out a duplex in the East Hillside, and makes timely repairs when needed, he said. He voted against the ordinance because it would be ripe for abuse, he said, and could put him out of the rental business.

Duluth Tenants argues that existing local and state renter protections aren’t enough and lead to unnecessary court hearings or ignored problems. Opponents have warned that the proposed ordinance is vague and legally fraught and will discourage landlords from offering properties to rent.

The City Council this summer approved stronger rental protections to root out negligent landlords, but Duluth Tenants has maintained their ordinance is still needed.

It will require renters to provide written notice to a landlord that a “common” repair is needed, with the cost deducted from rent if it’s not scheduled or corrected within two weeks. After that, the tenant could hire a licensed contractor. The reimbursement cost can’t exceed half a month’s rent or $500, whichever is greater.