Minnesota’s Eviction Moratorium Off-Ramp Has Begun. Here’s What to Know

(KNSI) – On Tuesday, Gov. Tim Walz signed the legislature’s omnibus housing bill, which includes an off-ramp for the state’s eviction moratorium. The off-ramp, which began Wednesday, says tenants can be evicted now if they are behind on rent but refuse to apply for rental assistance. For those who have requested assistance from RentHelpMN — the state’s COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance connection point — they cannot be evicted while their request for help is being processed.

Here’s a breakdown of the off-ramp’s structure:

Now: Landlords can terminate tenants’ leases and give them a 15-day notice if they have materially violated the lease agreement (does not apply to nonpayment of rent. Landlords can also evict tenants who are behind on rent who qualify for assistance but have refused to apply.
July 14th: This is the earliest day tenants can be evicted for materially violating lease agreements.
August 13th: Landlords can terminate leases for the nonpayment of rent by tenants who are not eligible for COVID-19 rental assistance.
September 12th: This is the earliest day tenants who are not eligible for rent assistance can be evicted.
October 12th: The eviction moratorium’s protections are lifted except for eligible rentals who have pending COVID-19 rental assistance applications.
June 1st, 2022: All protections are lifted.

During a press briefing Wednesday, Housing Commissioner Jennifer Ho says the long off-ramp timeline is beneficial because the eviction moratorium can’t be reversed quickly; it gives renters time to apply for help.

“It’s something that needs to be done with great care, and for renters who are out there and are scared, then there’s time,” Ho said. “Just apply to RentHelpMN.”

She added that the federal funds that support the state’s RentHelpMN assistance program are available for several more months, meaning households that are impacted economically by the pandemic through this year can be covered.

“We understand that the same way there are COVID long-haulers, there are COVID economic long-haulers,” Ho said. “The beautiful thing about the federal money is that it doesn’t expire until next year, and this means people who maybe don’t need it for the first time until the end of this year have an opportunity to get in.”

As of June 24th, Minnesotans have submitted 27,655 applications for $146.03 million in rental and utility assistance. Because the state government has to follow a series of steps to verify that the renter qualifies for aid and that they are paying the right property owner, assistance isn’t deposited immediately. So far, roughly $11 million in assistance — about 7.5 percent of the funds that have been requested — has been paid out.

Ho estimates that Minnesota Housing could see up to 75,000 requests for aid.

“I’m expecting another surge of applications today [June 30th] and through the next couple of weeks as people realize that there are going to be consequences associated with not applying if you’re eligible,” Ho said.

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan says the eviction moratorium off-ramp came through compromise.

“I think Minnesotans can feel confident that folks came together on both sides of the aisle to get this done and to ensure that we can keep more folks in their homes and make sure property owners are receiving payments,” Flanagan said. “I think the eviction moratorium itself saved over 2,000 lives in the state, and that’s pretty powerful.”

Renters can apply for financial assistance through the state of Minnesota at RentHelpMN.org or by calling 211.

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