Duluth voters approve ‘Right to Repair’ for tenants, over landlords’ concerns
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Voters in Duluth have overwhelmingly passed a ballot initiative dubbed “Right to Repair,” a first-of-its-kind law in Minnesota that allows tenants to make simple repairs to their rental units, and then deduct the cost of those repairs from their next rent payment — up to $500 or half a month's rent, whichever is greater.
Voters approved the referendum by a 69 to 31 percent margin, with all of the city’s 34 precincts voting in favor of it.
Advocates say it’s a common-sense approach that gives frustrated renters another tool to get basic repairs done in a timely manner — from a broken window or doorknob to a leaky faucet or clogged drain.
About 40 percent of Duluth residents are renters. The city’s housing stock is some of the oldest in the state, much of it built prior to 1940.
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A tenants union called Duluth Tenants, with financial and staff backing from the progressive nonprofit Take Action Minnesota, gathered thousands of signatures to place the measure on the ballot. It also had support from several labor unions and Democratic state lawmakers.
Critics, including several city council members, the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce and landlords, argue the measure could place renters at legal or financial risk if they pay for repairs that are later disputed by their landlords. They also argue landlords with just one or a few properties could be hurt by legal and insurance costs.
At First Lutheran Church, a polling place just east of downtown Duluth, Sarah Leininger said she voted in support of the initiative in part because of her experience working in mental health.
“I have a lot of clients who have massive struggles having landlords that are able to fulfill the necessary and simple repairs, to have things even like drains that work so they can flush toilets and wash dishes,” Leininger said. “So it feels pretty personal to me right now.”
Jaym Fitzgerald is a renter who said the initiative seems like a fairly simple thing to help renters get repairs done if landlords aren’t responsive.
“And I know a lot of people who live in really bad housing with mold and leaks,” Fitzgerald said. “There are places in town that I won't rent with because of how the landlords treat the renters.”
Duluth’s city council passed local legislation earlier this year in response to the campaign for the ballot initiative. Council backers say it protects renters by placing the impetus on the city to inspect and fine landlords who don’t complete repairs within two weeks. It also requires landlords to provide tenants with information about their rights and resources.
But backers of the ballot initiative say the city process — which runs through the Fire Department’s Life Safety division — is more cumbersome and wouldn’t result in the timely repairs renters want.
Outside a polling place at Pilgrim Congregational Church in eastern Duluth, Barbara Montee said the measures the council adopted are sufficient to protect renters.
“Now, landlords will get required education, or they don’t get their license renewed,” she said. Montee, a landlord in Duluth, said the council also imposed steeper fines for noncompliant landlords. “And Life Safety is going to be threatening to pull licenses. That will get the attention of any landlord who can't afford to make a repair. They'll find the money.”
Montee said her long-term fear is that the measure could deter investment in Duluth, especially the construction of more affordable housing. She also thinks “mom and pop” landlords will be more likely to sell to large property management firms or out of town investors.
The measure is modeled after similar policies in several states and cities, including Chicago, but this is the first law like it in Minnesota.
Use the audio player above to listen to MPR News host Nina Moini interview Duluth Tenants organizer Chloe Holloway.
