Duluth Tenants Union files petition for right-to-repair ballot measure, despite city opposition

DULUTH – A group of more than 50 volunteers has collected nearly 6,000 signatures in its quest to improve rental conditions here.

It filed a petition at City Hall Thursday for inclusion of a right-to-repair ordinance on the November general election ballot, in opposition of some city councilors working on their own plan to hold landlords accountable.

The group collected double the signatures necessary.

“Too many of us are living with [problems] that go unresolved for weeks, months, even years,” said Chloe Holloway, who lived with a leaky ceiling that resulted in mold. “We cannot keep waiting until rental companies decide it’s convenient to address issues.”

The tenant group’s ordinance would require renters to provide written notice to a landlord that a “common” repair is needed, with the cost deducted from rent if it’s not scheduled or corrected within two weeks. After that, the tenant could hire a licensed contractor.

The ordinance would say the reimbursement cost can’t exceed a half-month’s rent or $500, whichever is greater, and would prohibit landlords from retaliating.

City data obtained by the group indicates more than 40% of rental properties had a code violation (excluding administrative violations) between 2022 and most of 2024. The top violations include electrical hazards and general maintenance involving equipment, windows and doors. The average time it took the fire department’s Life Safety division to open and close a case was about 15 months.

Rental properties are inspected by the city every three years, and the department is working through a pandemic backlog.

City Councilor Roz Randorf is among the authors of a recently passed tenants’ rights educational ordinance. She is also working on a second local law that would heighten accountability for landlords via escalating fines. It’s set to go before the council in July.

“We’re going to create a system that unearths bad landlords and gets them out of business,” she said.

She said tenants rights are better protected through those measures, and what’s proposed by the tenants group gives renters “a false sense of security” that could lead to legal troubles and eviction.

If a renter hires a contractor and something goes awry, the landlord could sue the renter, Randorf said, noting strong protections such as rent escrow already exist in Minnesota.

“I want to be a city where tenants are living in safe, secure housing, and this ballot measure is not doing it,” she said.

The tenant group says common problems include leaky faucets and clogged drains, a broken element in an oven and holes in ceilings or walls.

“To me, these are quality-of-life issues,” said Lee Stuart, who has worked on housing issues in Duluth for two decades. “It’s in everyone’s interest that repairs are handled quickly, so they don’t grow into big ones.”

She said the ordinance is not authorization for people to cause intentional damage.

The Fire Department handles rental complaints, and 47 were filed since 2023, the city has reported. Duluth has nearly 18,000 rental units, about 40% of all residences.