Rental License Tiering
The majority of residential rental properties in Minneapolis provide safe and sanitary housing. Rental properties that are not regularly maintained, use excessive City services, and are at a higher risk for fire damage, create safety and livability issues for residents and neighbors. A tiered rental license inspection program allows Regulatory Services to prioritize inspections required to maintain safe housing conditions.
- Tier 1, Eight year cycle: Use very few city services, well maintained, managed and meet minimum housing code.
- Tier 2, Five year cycle: Use some city services, maintained to minimum housing code, may be at a higher risk for fire damage.
- Tier 3, One year cycle: Require excessive city services, poorly maintained or managed, may be at a higher risk for fire damage.
Tiering process
- Twenty-four (24) months of data are analyzed to determine a property’s tier
- A set of fifteen elements are used to determine the tier score
- The tiering elements are equally applied to the City’s nearly 24,000 rental licenses
- Element points are totaled to determine the property’s tier
- Tier elements were developed with input from stakeholders including rental property owners, tenants, neighborhood associations, City Council, Minneapolis Police Department, and the City Attorney’s office
Determining a property's tier
- Inspections: The number of inspections conducted by Regulatory Services at a given property
- Violations: The number of housing or fire code violations issued by Regulatory Services
- Letter of Intent to Condemn for Lack of Maintenance: The number of letters issued with the intent to condemn a building for the lack of maintenance
- Rental License Operation Conditions: The rental property owner has met with the City to agree upon certain conditions or restrictions for a given rental property
- License Revocation Action: Revocation action has been taken against the property for the violation of rental licensing standards
- Solid Waste Dirty Collection Point Warning Letters: The number of Solid Waste warning letters issued to a property for a dirty collection point
- Solid Waste Dirty Collection Point Clean-Ups: The number of collection point clean-ups undertaken at a property by Solid Waste
- Public Works Snow and Ice Removal Letters: The number of Public Works warning letters issued to a property for snow and ice removal
- Public Works Public Walk Snow and Ice Removal Clean-Ups: The number of snow and ice clean-ups undertaken at a property by Public Works
- Delinquent Rental License Fee: The rental license fee has not been received by the due date
- Administrative Citations: Fines issued at a given property
- Special Assessments: All outstanding fines or fees issued to a given property
- Conduct on Premises: A provision in the Rental Licensing Ordinance that allows the City to address qualifying incidents of disorderly conduct of tenants and their guests that adversely impacts neighbors
- Building Age: The age in which the building was constructed
- Fire Alarm & Suppression System: A permit for the building’s fire alarm or suppression system has been approved or its existence has been verified
High risk violations
- High risk violations represent a greater danger to the security and well-being of tenants and their neighbors
- Understanding and proactively maintaining life safety issues at rental properties are basic practices of responsible property management
Your property's tier
Regulatory Services provides the full rental license tier scoring data online to provide property owners and managers with a helpful resource to reconcile their records with the department’s.
Tiering administrative review
If after reviewing the tier data provided in the links above you believe your property was scored incorrectly, please call 311 or 612-673-3000 and ask for an administrative review. Be prepared to provide the element that you believe was scored incorrectly. Administrative reviews are only undertaken if the rental license fee is paid. To ensure equity, sustainability, and build on the positive relationships that we’ve built with property owners, property managers, and tenants, a property’s tier is only changed if the data used to score it was inaccurate.
Last updated Feb 7, 2019
