How much notice does a landlord have to give to raise rent in Minnesota?

At least as long as the interval between the days rent is due, or three months, whichever is less, under section 504B.135. For a monthly tenancy that means one month. Note the direction of that rule: three months is a ceiling rather than a default, so the rent interval governs and the three-month figure exists only to stop an unusually long interval producing an unreasonable notice period.

Is there a limit on how much rent can go up in Minnesota?

Not at state level. What makes Minnesota unusual is that section 471.9996 prohibits local rent control but permits an ordinance adopted by general referendum, and that exception has been used: it is how Minneapolis and St Paul put rent regulation to their voters. So the answer depends on the city in a way it does not in most states with no cap. Check the current local ordinance.

How is Minnesota different from Massachusetts on notice?

They phrase nearly the same rule in opposite directions. Minnesota sets the notice at the rent interval or three months, whichever is less, so the interval governs. Massachusetts defaults to three months and uses the interval only where it is longer than thirty days. Both produce about a month for an ordinary monthly tenancy, which is why both get reported as thirty-day states, but they diverge for longer rent intervals.

Do I owe the higher rent if I stay without agreeing to it?

Not automatically. Minnesota has no rent-increase statute; section 504B.135 governs ending a tenancy at will, and it does the work because rent cannot be changed inside a term. Your landlord is ending the tenancy and offering a new one at a different figure. Staying without accepting makes you a holdover tenant, which carries its own risks, but does not by itself put you in arrears at the new rate.

Minnesota Rent Increase Notice: the Interval, or Less

In Minnesota the notice before a rent increase must be at least as long as the interval between the days rent is due, or three months, whichever is less. For an ordinary monthly tenancy that means one month. There is no cap on the amount.

The phrasing is worth a second look, because three months here is a ceiling, not a default — and the neighbouring states that use almost the same words mean the opposite by them.

"Whichever is less" cuts the other way

Minn. Stat. § 504B.135 allows either party to end a tenancy at will on written notice, and sets the time at the rent interval or three months, whichever is less. So the interval governs, and three months exists only to stop a very long rent interval producing an absurdly long notice.

Compare Massachusetts, where the default is three months and the interval applies only where it is longer than 30 days. Two states, nearly the same sentence, opposite results for anything other than monthly rent. If you pay quarterly, Minnesota gives you three months and Massachusetts gives you three months for a different reason; if you paid annually, the answers would diverge.

The notice is a termination, so it is an offer

Minnesota has no rent-increase statute. Section 504B.135 governs ending a tenancy at will, and it does the work because rent cannot be changed inside a term. Your landlord is ending the tenancy you have and offering a new one at a different figure, which means a tenant who neither accepts nor leaves is holding over rather than in arrears at the new rate.

Minnesota is not a clean preemption state

This is the part that distinguishes Minnesota from most states with no cap. § 471.9996 prohibits local rent control but permits an ordinance adopted by general referendum. The exception is real and has been used: it is the route by which Minneapolis and St Paul put rent regulation to their voters.

So the Minnesota answer genuinely depends on the city in a way that the answer in Texas or Arizona does not. If you rent in either city, check the current local ordinance rather than relying on the state position — the rules there have been amended since they were adopted.

When this needs a lawyer

Get advice if you are in a city with a local ordinance and the increase may exceed it, if the increase followed a repair request or complaint, or if you were served a notice ending your tenancy rather than raising the rent. Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid and HOME Line both handle tenant questions without charge.

Sources

Minn. Stat. § 504B.135, read on revisor.mn.gov, with amendment history recording 2023 c 52 art 19 s 97. § 471.9996 for preemption with the referendum exception, via the National Multifamily Housing Council’s state chart of August 2026, which classifies Minnesota separately as preempting with local exceptions. Local ordinances change and should be read directly. Verified November 2026. This is general information, not legal advice about your tenancy.

Minnesota is one of 41 states that take the notice period from the statute on ending a tenancy — how all 51 compare. Oregon and Washington are the nearest states that cap the amount.

Not sure what your lease says about increases?

Upload it and we will read the rent, renewal and notice clauses and tell you what they commit you to. No account needed, and the preview is free.

Read my lease