A 51-STATE SURVEY OF SECURITY DEPOSIT LAWS: Except for Attorney Fees, Minnesota is Mostly on the Slightly Pro-Tenant End of the Spectrum

By Paul Birnberg, paulrainerbirnberg@gmail.com

Unscrupulous landlords gouge residential tenants by unfairly keeping their security deposits. What laws in the fifty states plus D.C. are available to protect these tenants? How does Minnesota stack up against the other states? Two tables, Chart 1 and Chart 2, summarize the laws in the 51 jurisdictions. As discussed here, with the exception of attorney fees, on most issues Minnesota falls on the pro-tenant side of the spectrum but not at the very end of the spectrum.