Independent Living in Minnesota

Located on the banks of Lake Superior and at the headwaters of the mighty Mississippi river, Minnesota has earned the nickname “Land of 10,000 Lakes” for good reason. In fact, there are 11,842 lakes in the state that cover a total of over 2.6 million acres. Minnesota is truly a nature lover’s paradise, filled with lakes, rivers, wide open prairies, and dense pine forests. Many locals enjoy fishing and hunting during the summer and snowmobiling and ice fishing in the winter. The state has a large Scandinavian influence, and Minnesotans are often known for being “Minnesota Nice” – the locals tend to be hospitable and friendly, and enjoy sharing each other’s company over a home-cooked meal. Whether you’re a fan of relaxing in nature and enjoying outdoor recreation, or you’d prefer spending time in a major city like Minneapolis, Minnesota has something to offer everyone.

Let A Place for Mom’s Senior Living Advisors help you find the best retirement homes Minnesota has to offer. Currently, A Place for Mom partners with more than 290 independent living communities in Minnesota. The median monthly cost of independent living in Minnesota is about $2,050.

Independent living communities are not considered health care facilities and require residents to be independent and in fairly good health. Because these communities do not provide care services to residents, they’re not licensed or inspected like assisted living or nursing home facilities. That said, these facilities are typically run like any other rental community, though they typically have an age requirement, often between 55 or 62.

Minnesota’s Office of the Attorney General provides a Landlord and Tenant Handbook to outline all the rights and duties of landlords and tenants in the state. The following are just some of the laws that landlords and tenants must follow in Minnesota:

• Both the tenant and the landlord must follow the lease agreement, which can be in writing or a verbal agreement.
• With rental units that share an electrical or gas meter, landlords must provide prospective tenants with past utility costs before a lease is signed.
• Landlords are required to inspect the unit before a tenant moves in and identify needed repairs so the tenant is not made responsible for them upon moving out.
• Landlords should handle all maintenance and repairs to keep the unit in livable condition.
• If a tenant decides or needs to move, they do not have a legal right to get out of a lease. Tenants can only break a lease if it includes provisions that allow a tenant to break the lease.
• Landlords ensure the unit has access to functioning water, gas, and electricity. Landlords might also include these utilities in rent but are not required to.
• Landlords in Minnesota must provide their tenants with working heat above 68 degrees Fahrenheit from October 1^st through April 30^th.
• Repairs, maintenance, and yard work are the responsibility of the landlord unless the lease outlines that the tenant will be responsible for some and the tenant agrees.
• If the renter has a disability, the landlord should ensure the unit and community grounds are ADA compliant. Some examples include allowing the tenant to make adjustments to their unit, like grab bars in showers. A landlord should also provide ramps and a working elevator, if needed, to community spaces to accommodate persons in wheelchairs.
• Tenants must keep their units in good condition and must get consent from their landlord before making any modifications to the unit.

Like traditional rentals, independent living communities don’t have regular inspections by governing bodies unless they’re considered low-income communities and accept subsidies. In these cases, the Minnesota Housing agency may conduct periodic safety inspections.

When an independent living facility shares a campus with an assisted living or nursing unit, then those areas are regulated differently than independent living areas. This is because assisted living or nursing homes are considered health care providers, or care facilities, providing care services to their residents as well as housing. Unlike independent living rentals, these senior care units or wings are regulated by the Minnesota Department of Health. To learn more about how assisted living communities are regulated in Minnesota, you can visit our Minnesota assisted living page.

You can also look up licensing and inspection reports for assisted living facilities in Minnesota with their Health Care Provider Directory.

Minnesota Department of Health contact information

Home care and assisted living unit: 651-201-4200

General information: 651-201-5000

Toll-free: 888-345-0823

Violations

If a rental complex in Minnesota has received a citation from a health inspector in the past, the landlord must provide prospective tenants with a copy of their violations. It’s always a good idea to ask when touring a community if they can give you a copy of past inspection reports, if they have had any. The landlord is legally required in Minnesota to provide this information if their past violations could potentially threaten the health or safety of tenants. A copy of all violations must be provided by the landlord before the renter pays their deposit.

Generally, if a complex is not low-income or subsidized, there is no governing body that regularly inspects the community’s rental units and grounds. However, if a landlord fails to repair a problem in a unit or on the grounds that threatens the health or safety of a tenant, the tenant can report the landlord to the Minnesota Housing agency. In this case, the agency will conduct an inspection and order the landlord to fix the problem. If the landlord does not fix the problem in the given timeframe, the tenant can break their lease and/or take legal action against the landlord.

See the Minnesota Housing: monitoring and inspections page and the Landlord and Tenant Handbook above for more information.