St. Paul voters will decide this election whether renters should have the legal authority to fix something broken in their homes and deduct those costs from their rent if landlords fail to act. The “right to repair” measure, as reported by CBS News, aims to give tenants a direct remedy for neglected maintenance, bypassing the often slow process of court battles or rent escrow.
The stakes are high because renters make up half of St. Paul’s population.
How the Repair Process Works
The proposed ordinance establishes a clear, timed sequence to prevent disputes. A tenant must first provide the landlord with a 14-day notice detailing what needs to be fixed. If the landlord fails to correct the issue or schedule a repair within that window, the tenant can step in. They can either perform the work themselves or hire someone who can.
To prevent abuse of the system, the measure includes strict financial caps. The cost for materials and labor cannot exceed $500 or one-half month’s rent—whichever amount is greater. The tenant cannot deduct a dime from their rent without providing valid receipts.
“It just puts another power, another resource, common-sense tool in the hands of everyday tenants,” said Cole Hanson, coordinator for the Safe Homes Saint Paul coalition.
Hanson argues that while tools like rent escrow exist, they are often too cumbersome or expensive for the average resident to utilize effectively.
The Clash Over Housing Growth
The debate in St. Paul isn’t happening in a vacuum. It is colliding with a broader economic anxiety regarding the city’s housing supply. Opponents, led by the St. Paul Area Chamber, argue that adding more regulations to the landlord-tenant relationship will stifle new construction and discourage investment in the city’s tax base.
B Kyle, CEO of the Chamber, has been vocal about the risks. In a recent op-ed, Kyle suggested the policy is designed to “poll well,” “campaigns well and fits neatly on a yard sign” rather than serve as a sustainable economic strategy. The concern is that if property owners feel too exposed to tenant-led deductions and regulations, they will stop building in St. Paul altogether.
This fear is rooted in recent data. According to an analysis by the Minnesota Reformer, the city saw 88% fewer housing units built in 2024 compared to the average of the previous three years. This slump follows a period of tension over rent control, which voters approved five years ago but which was later watered down by the City Council due to similar concerns about market stagnation.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis echoed these sentiments in a recent housing report, noting that property owners feel rent stabilization has already had a “profound effect” on the local market. For the Chamber and its allies, the right-to-repair measure is another brick in a wall that makes St. Paul less attractive to developers.
A Proven Precedent in Duluth
While the Chamber warns of economic collapse, supporters point to other Minnesota cities as proof that the policy is manageable. Last year, a similar ballot measure passed in Duluth with nearly 70% of the vote. The argument from the Safe Homes Saint Paul coalition is that the vast majority of landlords already maintain their properties and will never be affected by this law.
The real impact, they argue, falls on the owners who ignore tenants for weeks or months.
The tension here is a classic civic tug-of-war: the immediate, tangible need for safe housing versus the long-term, systemic need for a growing housing supply. If the measure passes, St. Paul will join Duluth in shifting the power dynamic of the rental market, betting that tenant protections won’t scare off the developers the city needs.
As the election nears, the city is left to decide if the risk of slower growth is worth the reward of ensuring no resident has to live with a broken furnace because their landlord stopped answering the phone.
