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File #: Ord 25-31    Version:
Type: Ordinance Status: Passed
In control: City Council
Final action: 5/7/2025
Title: Creating Chapter 193 of the Legislative Code (Title XIX) pertaining to Tenant Protections.
Sponsors: Cheniqua Johnson, HwaJeong Kim, Rebecca Noecker, Saura Jost, Nelsie Yang, Anika Bowie, Matt Privratsky
Attachments: 1. 4.1 public comment, 2. 4.7 public comments, 3. 4.8 public comments, 4. 4.9 public comments, 5. Tenant Protections Presentation, 6. Petition submitted at 4.9 council meeting, 7. 4.10 public comments, 8. 4.22 public comment, 9. 4.28 public comment, 10. 4.30 public comments, 11. 5.1 public comment, 12. 5.6 public comments, 13. SEIU HCMNIA Letter to St Paul City Council, 5-5-25
Title
Creating Chapter 193 of the Legislative Code (Title XIX) pertaining to Tenant Protections.
Body

Section 1

WHEREAS, under City Council RES 17-994, the Council directed the creation of a fair housing workgroup to make policy and budget recommendations “with the goal of eliminating housing disparities, lowering barriers to affordable housing, and ensuring access to economic opportunity in the City of Saint Paul”; and

WHEREAS, under City Council RES 17-2064, the seated Council directed the development of a fair housing strategic plan; and

WHEREAS, under City RES 18-1204, the seated City Council acknowledged “the housing crisis” in our city and region, and the urgent need to address the crisis as our population grows,”; and

WHEREAS, under City ORD 20-14, the seated City Council voted to passed Ordinance 20-14 Creating Chapter 193 of the Legislative Code (Title XIX) pertaining to Tenant Protections; and

WHEREAS, under City ORD 21-21, the seated City Council voted to passed Ordinance 21-21 Repealing Chapter 193 of the Legislative Code related to Tenant Protections; and

WHEREAS, the 2040 Comprehensive Plan identified decent, safe, and healthy housing for all Saint Paul residents, fair and equitable access to housing for all City residents, stable rental housing and improved access to affordable housing as 3 of 7 housing goals; and

WHEREAS, 47% of Saint Paul residents are renters; and recent data shows that 49% of Saint Paul renter households are cost burdened earning 60 percent or less of the Area Median Income; and

WHEREAS, the Fair Housing Act of 1968 requires that the City affirmatively further fair housing, meaning the City must take meaningful action to overcome historic patterns of segregation, promote fair housing choice, and foster inclusive communities that are free from discrimination; and

WHEREAS, prospective renters regularly are required to pay a security deposit at the outset of renting a unit and particularly for tenant applicati...

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Date NameDistrictOpinionCommentAction
5/7/2025 9:29 PMEric Lein   [...continuing chopped-off text...] Versions of this hypothetical scenario are reasonable and very common. Where/When can we find clear answers for everyone to see before landlords are sued by tenants &/or hit with the city's administrative fines?
5/7/2025 9:27 PMEric Lein Against UNREASONABLE &/or CONFUSING RESTRICTION. “Sec. 193.02. Security deposits and prepaid rent. 193.02(b) Pre-paid Rent limitation. No Landlord may demand, charge, ACCEPT, or retain from a Tenant pre-paid Rent in an amount that exceeds the equivalent of a single month’s Rent...” /// ***UME - Tenant paid her July rent in full on July 1st (rent paid through July 31st). Tenant voluntarily delivers full August rent on July 25th (or July 15th, or 10th, or 3rd). /// Q1-Is the landlord allowed, or not allowed, to accept and deposit August rent before August 1st? /// Q2-If allowed, how many days before August 1st is it "safe" to accept & deposit the prepaid August rent? /// Q3-If not allowed, what is the landlord supposed to do? /// Q4-Does vague ordinance language invite lawsuits? /// Versions of this hypothetical scenario are reasonable and very common. Where/When can we find clear answers for everyone to see before landlords are sued by tenants &/or hit with the city's administrati...
5/7/2025 9:09 PMEric Lein   PROPOSED TEXT details are confusing: “Sec. 193.03. Applicant screening guidelines /// (c)(h) Individualized ***essment. /// (d)(i) Denials /// (2)(3) Individualized ***essment. After performing an individualized ***essment pursuant to 193.03(c), a Landlord may deny...” /// CONFUSION: Inconsistent numbering. Hastily-drafted fine print should be fixed BEFORE adoption, not later. For example: Sec 193.03(c) seems to have disappeared or maybe has been renumbered as 193.03(h); meanwhile Sec 193.03(i)(3) still refers to 193.03(c). Or maybe text shown on this web page is not actually what is being considered.
5/4/2025 7:12 AMSt Paul Landlord Against HOUSINGLINK.ORG offers this tidbit of wisdom: "It is important to remember that an overall standard of 'affordability' is a broad brush and individual families looking for housing can only evaluate the notion of 'affordable' relative to their own cir***stances." ----- THEREFORE, this ordinance's restrictions on landlords' use of credit history when screening prospective residents will increase the failure rate and in turn increase the overall costs of housing for all residents.
4/9/2025 9:52 PMGrant Abbott For At a time when the market is failing the provide the public with sufficient affordable housing, and homelessness is increasing, tenants must have adequate protection. Landlords have a desire to make as much profit as possible, so the temptation to take advantage of tenants is great. Reasonable protections for tenants must be in place. That's why I support this ordinance.
4/9/2025 5:13 PMElaine Tarone For I strongly support Councilwoman Johnson’s initiative for tenant protections. I t is a good first step in the right direction.
4/8/2025 2:52 PMElizabeth Wefel For This tenant protection ordinance is an important companion to the ordinance loosening the rent control ordinance. We need to protect our renters while we also seek to incent new development. Please p*** this ordinance. +1
4/8/2025 11:25 AMJenn P For I support strong tenant protections. I comend the council for taking this balanced approach to the issue of housiy- rolling back rent stabilization while also implementing support for tenants. There's a real power imbalance and it's important to have strong tenant protections to prevent abuse +1
4/8/2025 3:02 AMAaron Keniski For The city needs policies that both protect renters and make it easier to build the homes our city needs. +1
4/8/2025 2:49 AMTom Reimann For I urge p***age of this ordinance in conjunction with the rent stabilization amendment to improve renter protection while allowing for new housing construction. +1
4/7/2025 9:27 PMRobert Wales For This should really be tied into any weakening of rent stabilization. As a city we need to bolster housing but it will do no good to have a surplus of market rate housing without tenants who can afford to occupy more affordable rentals and live in the city. We need protections so that people can maintain their housing security and not fall whim to surging pricing or at will increases or terminations. Especially when we are ready to give leeway to larger developers who will seek to drive pricing higher in a geographically limited city. +1
4/7/2025 8:43 PMSusan Woehrle   Please support and strengthen tenant protections. +1
4/7/2025 8:42 PMLathan Kistler For Thank you for bringing this forward. As a former renter I remember the situations when landlords used their positions of power over their renters. This bill will help to protect and improve options for renters and I am thankful it is being considered. +1
4/7/2025 8:36 PMAlana Hawley For Tenant protections are crucial to keeping people in their homes, and safe from potential abuses by landlords. +1
4/7/2025 8:30 PMRachel Willson-Broyles For +1
4/6/2025 12:50 AMMelissa Wenzel For Dear City Council Members, Our city's renters deserve the sort of tenant protections that is being proposed, which ensure that landlords can’t discriminate against potential renters, that landlords and property owners must provide renters with fair and sufficient notice of sale when their home is being sold or when there may be a possible eviction due to a family’s inability to pay. That Saint Paul renters aren’t charged an exorbitant price for security deposits, and that landlords can’t retaliate against tenants for simply trying to protect their rights. These are foundational and crucial for our renters to have these rights, and yet is a pretty basic set of standards that should not negatively impact landlords. Thank you for supporting these important and impacting changes to our current tenant protections! Sincerely, Melissa Wenzel Ward 2 +1 -1
4/4/2025 6:36 PMJacob Hooper For Ive been directly impacted by many of the things this bill addresses (like absurdly high deposits). Thank you for this. +2
4/2/2025 2:23 AMNoah Schneider For +1 -1
4/1/2025 9:59 PMKatherine DuGarm For The city needs policies that both protect renters and make it easier to build the homes our communities need. +3 -2
4/1/2025 8:39 PMJeanne Kaplan For I support this legislation. Renters need this protection. +3