Minnesota Landlord Compliance Kit: Deposit, Notice and Eviction Checklists with an Excel Tracker

Who it is for

Landlords and property managers with rentals in Minnesota, and tenants who want the same record, from move-in through move-out or a court case.

Not the right fit if

Your rental is outside Minnesota: get that state's kit. Not legal advice, not a lawyer's review of a lease, notice or court case, and not a set of legal notice forms; city and county rules aren't covered.

Why it is different

• Built only from our Minnesota data files, checked November 2026 against 12 official pages, among them Minnesota Revisor of Statutes: 504B.178; Minnesota Attorney General: Landlords and Tenants handbook, ending the tenancy; Minnesota Attorney General: Landlords and Tenants handbook, during the tenancy; Minnesota Attorney General: Landlords and Tenants handbook, other important laws; Minnesota Judicial Branch: Instructions, Eviction Action Complaint (HOU101, rev. 1/24); Minnesota Statutes 504B.345.
• 1 item the official pages didn't state is left out of the rules and put on a short look-up list with the page to check, never guessed.
• The workbook recalculates with zero formula errors and works out Minnesota notice and deposit dates for you.

What is inside

• Start here. How to use the kit, the 22 confirmed Minnesota rules at a glance and a short look-up list of 1 point to check: diversion or mediation (statewide), each with the official page.
• Minnesota landlord rules checklist. Deposits, notice periods, the eviction case and the small claims limit, each confirmed rule with its source link and check date. What it confirms: deposit limit: No maximum in 504B.178; return deadline: Within three weeks after the tenancy ends and the landlord receives the tenant's mailing address or delivery instructions; within five days if the tenant leaves because the building is legally condemned (subd. 3); itemized list of deductions: A written statement showing the specific reason for withholding (subd. 3); interest on the deposit: Simple, noncompounded interest of 1% a year (subd. 2); where the deposit is held: Held by the landlord for the tenant; 504B.178 names no account type (subd. 2); penalty the law states: A penalty equal to the amount withheld plus interest (subd. 4); bad-faith retention adds punitive damages of up to $500 per deposit (subd. 7); ending month-to-month (landlord): If the lease is silent, written notice the other side receives at least one full rental period before the last day of the tenancy (the day before the last rent payment is due); ending month-to-month (tenant): If the lease is silent, written notice the other side receives at least one full rental period before the last day of the tenancy (the day before the last rent payment is due); rent increase notice: Periodic tenancy: proper written notice of one rental period plus one day; unpaid rent notice: Since January 1, 2024, the landlord must give a detailed 14-day written notice, with information on financial and legal resources, before filing an eviction for unpaid rent; entry notice: Only for a reasonable business purpose, with at least 24 hours' notice, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. unless agreed otherwise; late fee limits: Only if agreed in writing; at most 8% of the unpaid rent; court: Eviction cases are heard in Housing Court under the rules for district courts; filing fee: About $325, per the Attorney General's handbook; the court's fee schedule has the current amount; time to answer or appear: A tenant who disagrees must appear in court at the hearing; hearing after filing: The hearing is set 7 to 14 days out (5 to 7 on an expedited request), and service must be complete at least 7 days before.
• Move-in and move-out deposit checklist. A room-by-room condition checklist for both visits and the steps after move-out, with Minnesota's return deadline (within 21 days).
• Notice calendar. When each notice must go out: the lead time for every notice the state's text confirms, with a 2027 month-by-month serve-by table worked out with our notice date calculator's rules.
• Eviction timeline sheet. The Minnesota case in order from notice to lockout, with each confirmed stage, an example dated from a sample filing day where the rules give periods, and blanks for your own case dates.
• Minnesota landlord workbook (Excel). A tenant notice log that dates each notice from the Minnesota rules, a deposit tracker that works out the return date for each move-out, and a rent ledger with a running balance.