South Minneapolis renters launch union, threaten rent strike as problems persist with mold and pests

Six months after protesting the many problems plaguing their apartments, a group of south Minneapolis renters say the management has ignored their demands and that they are considering a rent strike as a last resort if their union’s demands are not met.

On Tuesday, tenants from a handful of buildings owned by Investment Property Group (IPG) held a press conference to list their continued grievances about pests and broken equipment, which they say have plagued their units.

Valerie Mack, who lives in the apartment complex at 2119 Pillsbury Av., was one of several renters who spoke at Tuesday afternoon’s news conference outside the Blaisdell Apartments at 2200 Blaisdell Av. to commemorate the launch of the union for local tenants of IPG, a Park City, Utah-based company which owns those two complexes and others in Minneapolis. Mack reported still having mold-covered carpets that were painted over months ago to look as though the issue was fixed, and frequent problems with cockroaches.

“I’ve lived here 15 years and we won’t run out just because IPG can’t fix the issues and do their job,” Mack said.

Asked what steps the union would take to improve conditions, tenants and members of the tenant advocacy group United Renters for Justice said they will work to add members and connect with other unions around the country to help with demanding fixes in their buildings. As a last measure, they said they would consider going on rent strike.

The two buildings are among 21 in Minneapolis owned by IPG, according to United Renters for Justice which hosted Tuesday’s news conference. In March, a couple dozen renters and their advocates gathered along Blaisdell Avenue to protest the poor conditions before marching into the basement office where a manager said she looked forward to working with the renters and took a list of demands.

But those demands, which included a meeting with IPG and adding a 24/7 maintenance emergency line, were never addressed, renters said Tuesday.

“We feel neglected and disrespected,” Isse said.

Over the summer the residents formed the IPG Tenants Union, and on Aug. 27 renters visited the offices for a pre-scheduled meeting with the manager. When the manager realized they wanted to meet as a collective union, she locked the door, closed the shades and called police on the renters, according to the tenants.

The management office declined to comment when reached by phone Wednesday and asked about the allegations, which included one renter saying he was pepper sprayed by the manager recently without reason in the building’s alley. An email to IPG was not returned.

IPG owner Brian Fitterer did not respond to a Facebook request for comment. His company was sued by Attorney General Keith Ellison in 2023 alleging that IPG illegally charged thousands of tenants in Minnesota with exorbitant utility fees and failed to pay back security deposits.

In July, IPG agreed to a settlement in which the company must pay back more than $5 million in relief to tenants. Speakers on Tuesday pointed out Fitterer’s ties to President Donald Trump. In 2020, Fitterer had donated over $500,000 to Trump’s campaign, The Salt Lake Tribune reported at the time. He’s also the owner of the swimwear company Kandy Wrappers, which had previously sponsored a Miss USA contest that had been owned by Trump.