You can rent an apartment even if you’re under 18, but there’s no law that says landlords have to rent to you. It often helps to have an adult (or Rental Assistance agency) co-sign to say they will pay rent if you can’t.
In MN, landlords can’t discriminate against people on public assistance or because of race, color, religion, family size, national origin, handicap, sexual orientation or marriage status.
- Never rent an apartment you have not seen.
- Never pay a security deposit before you sign the lease.
- Read the lease before you sign it! The landlord must give you a copy.
- Do not sign a lease until you have inspected the apartment. Make a list of anything that is dirty, damaged, or broken. Ask the landlord to sign the list and agree to fix any problems. Save a copy.
- Unless you want to move again soon, you are better off with a written one-year lease than renting month-to-month.
- The landlord must return your deposit within 21 days. If they do not return all of it, they have to send you a letter explaining why. If they don’t give it back, you can sue for it.
- You can bargain with your landlord to change the lease before you sign it. You should put both your initials by any change that you make.
- Your landlord can’t evict you by changing the locks or shutting off the utilities. Contact the police and get a lawyer immediately if this happens.
- If you are being evicted, contact a lawyer. You can fight the eviction in court; if you lose it will go on your permanent record, but if you win you can probably get it expunged.
Photo by Maxwell GS