St. Paul proposes 5 new ordinances to protect renters

St. Paul aims to pass renter protections this year, including capping security deposits to one month’s rent, shielding renters with bad credit or old evictions and temporarily freezing rent increases after a property is sold.

Deputy Mayor Jaime Tincher and Councilmember Mitra Jalali announced the agenda — called Stable, Accessible, Fair and Equitable (S.A.F.E.) Housing St. Paul — on Wednesday, calling it an essential move to help tenants amid rising rents and a nationwide housing shortage.

“Housing is a basic human right,” Jalali said. “We’ve undertaken significant city efforts to produce and preserve more housing . . . and I see these comprehensive tenant protections as part of addressing rising displacement concerns in St. Paul as equally important.”

Fifty-one percent of St. Paul residents are now renters, and the city council is increasingly sympathetic to their perspective. Jalali, a renter herself, ran on a platform focused on increasing affordable housing and renter protections.

Read more: https://minnesotareformer.com/2020/03/05/st-paul-proposes-5-new-ordinances-to-protect-renters/