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SF 5285

Certain landlord requirements clarification provisions

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Glenn Gruenhagen and 1 co-sponsor

Mandates landlords maintain habitable premises, improve energy efficiency when cost-effective, uphold health/safety laws, ensure 68°F heat Oct-Apr, and prohibits waivers.

Referred to Judiciary and Public Safety
#realestate #landlordsandtenants
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Bill Summary · SF 5285

Summary of SF 5285 (2025-2026) — Minnesota

Purpose and overall intent

SF 5285 seeks to clarify and codify certain landlord responsibilities in residential leases, updating Minnesota Statutes to specify minimum duties related to habitability, maintenance, energy efficiency, health and safety compliance, and heating requirements. The bill focuses on ensuring landlords maintain safe, livable premises and cannot be waivered by tenants through contract.

Key provisions and changes

  • Habitability and repair (existing covenant)
    Landlords must ensure that premises and all common areas are fit for the intended use and kept in reasonable repair during the lease term. This includes compliance with services and conditions listed in a referenced statute (section 504B.381, subdivision 1) and extermination of pests, except where disrepair is caused by tenant or their agents.

  • Energy efficiency covenant
    Landlords must take reasonable steps to make premises reasonably energy efficient. Specifically, installing measures such as weatherstripping, caulking, storm windows, and storm doors is required if those measures will save energy costs in Minnesota and the savings will exceed the cost of installation (including interest), amortized over a ten-year period after incurring the cost.

  • Health and safety compliance
    Landlords must maintain premises and common areas in accordance with applicable health and safety laws at federal, state, and local levels, including rental licensing ordinances where applicable, during the lease term. This covenant does not apply if health and safety violations are caused by the tenant or someone under the tenant’s direction or control.

  • Heating and temperature requirements
    Landlords must provide heat to maintain a minimum temperature of 68°F in all areas intended for habitation (including kitchens and bathrooms) from October 1 through April 30. The obligation does not apply to garages, crawl spaces, porches, or other areas not designed for continuous human habitation if a utility company requires and instructs otherwise.

  • Non-waivability
    The covenants regarding these landlord duties cannot be waived or modified by the tenant in the lease or license.

Who is affected

  • Landlords and licensors of residential premises are directly subject to these clarified covenants.
  • Tenants gain clearer protections regarding habitability, maintenance, energy efficiency improvements, compliance with health/safety laws, and guaranteed heating standards.
  • Property managers and rental licensors must ensure compliance with energy efficiency measures and heating requirements, and must observe health and safety standards.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Effective framing in statute: The bill amends Minnesota Statutes 2025 Supplement, section 504B.161, subdivision 1.
  • Legislative action: Introduced and first read on May 12, 2026; referred to Judiciary and Public Safety for consideration.
  • Effective date: Not specified in the provided text. Typically, statutes become effective upon passage and signing, with any effective-date language usually stated in the enacted bill or through a separate deferred effective date.

Notes and considerations

  • The energy efficiency clause ties specific improvements to cost savings over a ten-year horizon, which may influence landlord decisions on weatherization investments.
  • The heating provision aligns with standard habitability expectations but includes explicit seasonal temperature guidance and exceptions for non-habitable spaces.
  • The bill emphasizes that these covenants are mandatory and non-waivable, reinforcing tenant protections.

If you’d like, I can compare SF 5285 to current Minnesota law or provide a side-by-side and potential practicalimpacts for landlords and tenants.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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