Residents and Minneapolis City Council members deliberated on Tuesday for a potential new ordinance that could change the landlord rental renewal process.

​The proposed STOP Slumlords Ordinance would specifically change the licensing renewal process for landlords, building on current deliberations over improving accountability.

​Landlord policies are scored on three tiers based on the number and severity of issues or citations against a property. 

Tier one covers properties with the fewest or least severe issues. Tier two covers properties with moderate violations, and tier three is for properties with serious conditions that could be life-threatening to residents. 

Landlords can renew the license online and pay the fee, regardless of tier. If the ordinance goes through, it will be implemented in January 2027 and landlords with tier three housing would need to meet with the city council.​ 

According to the City of Minneapolis, there are 24,000 rental licenses in Minneapolis. About 160 of the rental licenses have a tier three rating.

​Council member Robin Wonsley (Ward 2), one of the authors of the ordinance, said she wanted the ordinance to help improve tier three apartments.

​”This is a new step that will help with enforcement and protect renters’ rights,” Wonsley said.

​Will Luther, the director of student affairs for the University of Minnesota undergraduate government, said college students are more at risk financially when they are in tier three apartments.

“Many of these problems are not discovered until after they sign their lease, leaving students unable to have alternative housing options,” Luther said. “Through this policy, proactive measures are put in place to protect students from problems out of their control.” 

​At the hearing, residents said the ordinance could help hold landlords accountable for rental units in poor condition. ​

Minneapolis resident Andrew Fahlstrom said he went to tier three housing complexes in Minneapolis, where he saw substandard housing.

“I remember one in a tier three building and touching a hole, and an avalanche of cockroaches came down from the ceiling,” Fahlstrom said. “Can you imagine living in these conditions? I couldn’t.”

Minneapolis NAACP executive director Cynthia Wilson said while the ordinance was a step in the right direction, the city should be doing more for renters.

“The truth of the matter is, this shouldn’t even be a topic,” Wilson said. “We are dealing with homelessness, and now, we’ve got people living in housing, and now, we can’t even get the basics.” ​

Some of the residents argued the ordinance could do more harm than good. 

Cecil Smith, the president and CEO of MN Multi Housing Association, said the ordinance could cause tenants to become homeless.

“While we strongly share the council’s goal of holding negligent property owners accountable, MHA is strongly against the ordinance because the net effect does not help renters or address the issue,” Smith said.

Council member LaTrisha Vetaw (Ward 4) said she was skeptical of the ordinance. Vetaw argued the solution should focus more on increasing the number of case inspectors with consistent follow-ups.

​“It really does seem like a management issue to me. We’ve had all these people today come to me with and have talked about personal experiences that they’ve had,” Vetaw said. “It doesn’t mean they will be at the tier level where it will come to the council.” 

For Minneapolis resident Vanessa Del Campo, the ordinance could help give renters like her a voice. 

Del Campo said her apartment used to be filled with rats and an unworkable kitchen. She added that she had to call 311, the city’s information line, multiple times before an inspector came. 

Del Campo said she was glad for the ordinance, but she wants the city to listen to renters more often.

“Renters actually know what the conditions are in the places where their homes are. They’re not going to lie about the rents being jacked up or about the infinite number of problems there are for repair,” Del Campo said. “And some of the owners are not very honest in saying what is happening in the buildings.” 

Editor’s note: Del Campo’s interview was translated from Spanish by an interpreter.