Landlord and Tenant Lawyers in Duluth

Find the right Tenant attorney in Duluth, MN

Tenant Law in Minnesota

Relations between tenants and landlords in Duluth, Minnesota can occasionally be touchy. The fact is that it's not easy to be a landlord or a tenant, particularly because landlords and tenants often don't understand the legal rights and responsibilities that apply to them.

Both parties to a landlord/tenant relationship are controlled by an extensive body of laws and regulations, defining their legal rights and obligations.

Landlord's Rights in Duluth, MN

First and foremost, landlords have a right to timely payment of rent from their tenants, at the agreed-upon rate. This, of course, imposes on tenants a duty to pay their rent in whole, in a timely manner.

Furthermore, landlords can bill the tenant for any damage they cause to the unit, whether it was intentional or negligent. The costs of repairs for such damage can be deducted from a tenant's security deposit, but it should be noted that tenants aren't liable for ordinary wear and tear, over which they have little control.

Tenant's Rights in Duluth, MN

Much like landlords have a right to get paid for the service they provide, tenants have a right to get what they pay for: a suitable place to reside. In Duluth, Minnesota, all residential rental agreements carry an "implied warranty of habitability." This means that a landlord implicitly guarantees that any residence he or she rents will be fit for human habitation. In general, an unit will be automatically deemed uninhabitable if it lacks running water, electricity, heat, and acceptable protection from the elements. There are numerous more factors that can be considered, as well, but those are some of the basics.

Tenants also have a right to ensure that the common areas of their apartment building are reasonably safe. Landlords are required to make sure that the common areas of their buildings meet Duluth, Minnesota's building codes, and that there are no conditions that create unnecessary safety hazards. They are obligated to make, at their own expense, the necessary repairs.

Tenants also have rights, under federal and Minnesota law, to not be victims of racial, ethnic, or gender discrimination in housing, whether they are renting or buying. Furthermore, landlords are not allowed to discriminate against tenants based on physical disabilities. They must also allow physically-disabled tenants to make reasonable modifications to the apartment to make it more accessible. Nonetheless, the landlord can require tenants to remove those modifications and restore the property to its original condition once the tenant moves out.

Tenants are also legally safeguarded from unfair eviction. Before a lease agreement expires, landlords cannot evict tenants unless they breach as significant term of the agreement by not paying rent, causing serious damage to the property, engaging in activities that are a nuisance to the other tenants, or engaging in illegal activity on the property, among other things.

Can a Duluth, Minnesota Landlord/Tenant Lawyer Help?

Tenants and landlords always want to avoid getting into any serious disputes - these disputes interfere with the tenant's living arrangement, and the landlord's business. In short, they help nobody. While a good Duluth, Minnesota attorney can definately help his or her client prevail in such a dispute, they may be more essential for their ability to help prevent such disputes from escalating in the first place.

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Life in Duluth

Duluth, Minnesota is the fourth-larges city in the state, with a population of about 85,000. It is the county seat of St. Louis County. It is located on the north shore of Lake Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes.

Various Native American tribes have lived in the area now known as Duluth for thousands of years. The first permanent European settlement of Duluth was established in 1852, and discovery of significant deposits of copper and iron led to a land rush, creating rapid population growth.

Around the same time, newly-build channels linking the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean allowed for large ships to access Duluth, further promoting economic growth.

During the first half of the 20th Century, Duluth, Minnesota underwent a major industrial boom, becoming an important center for steel manufacturing. However, by the 1970s, foreign competition began to seriously weaken the U.S. steel industry, leading to the closure of one of the major steel plants in the area.

More recently, Duluth, Minnesota has, with a good amount of success, transitioned into a tourism-based economy.

If you live in or near Duluth, Minnesota, chances are you can find a good lawyer for whatever legal problem you might have. Duluth, Minnesota lawyers are able to handle just about any case that walks through their door.

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