Lease Terms, Renewals and Pet Policies: A Minnesota Owner's Guide

A well-written lease prevents most landlord and tenant disputes before they start. Minnesota has several specific rules about what a lease must say, how renewals work, and what you can require for pets.

What a Minnesota lease needs

• Written lease: required for every unit in a building with 12 or more units (section 504B.111), and a good idea for any rental.
• Dates and proration on page one: the lease must show the start and end dates. If move-in or move-out falls mid-month and rent is prorated, the prorated amounts go on the first page too (section 504B.146).
• Total Monthly Payment: all nonoptional fees must be disclosed, and rent plus those fees must appear as the "Total Monthly Payment" on the first page, along with whether utilities are included (section 504B.120).
• Prorated final month: if a lease ends before the last day of the month, the final month's rent must be prorated by the day (section 504B.116).
• A copy for the tenant: every tenant who signs must get a copy of the lease (section 504B.115).

Renewals and notice periods

• No forced early renewals: for leases longer than 10 months, a landlord can't require a tenant to renew more than six months before the lease expires (section 504B.144).
• Automatic renewal clauses: to enforce one, the landlord must give the tenant written notice pointing to the clause, served personally or by certified mail, 15 to 30 days before the tenant's deadline to give notice of moving out (section 504B.145).
• Matching notice periods: a landlord's notice to quit or notice of a rent increase can't be shorter than the notice the lease requires from the tenant (section 504B.147).
• Month-to-month tenancies: either side can end a tenancy at will with written notice at least as long as the rent interval, up to three months (section 504B.135).

Fuze's standard lease term is 12 months, and owners can also allow shorter leases, 13 to 24 months, or 24 months or longer. If a tenant doesn't sign a renewal, the lease converts to month-to-month automatically, with a monthly convenience fee of 20% of rent, split evenly between the owner and Fuze. Either side must give two full calendar months' written notice to end a month-to-month tenancy. Before each renewal, we do a pre-renewal inspection and a market rent analysis, then make a renewal recommendation. The renewal fee is 30% of one month's rent.

Pets and assistance animals

• Service and support animals aren't pets: a landlord can't charge an extra fee, charge or deposit for a service or support animal granted as a reasonable accommodation. The tenant is still liable for any damage the animal causes (section 504B.113).
• Documentation: a landlord may ask for documentation from a licensed professional confirming the disability-related need, unless the need is readily apparent or already known. The landlord can't require medical records.
• Disclose it in the lease: if your pet policy charges pet fees or deposits, the lease must disclose that those charges don't apply to service or support animals.
• No declawing or devocalizing requirements: a landlord who allows animals can't require declawing or devocalizing, refuse a tenant for refusing it, or advertise in a way that discourages applicants with animals that aren't declawed or devocalized (section 504B.114).

At Fuze, each owner sets the pet policy: you choose whether to allow cats, small dogs or large dogs, and you can set breed, size or number limits. When pets are allowed, the standard fees are a $500 non-refundable pet fee per pet plus $50 per pet per month. Service and support animals are not pets. We follow Minnesota law and local ordinances for them, and no pet fees apply.

Talk to Fuze about your rental

Want a lease that protects you and follows Minnesota law? See how Fuze property management works, view our pricing, or call 612.353.8080.

This article is general information, not legal advice. It summarizes Minnesota Statutes chapter 504B as published in the 2025 Minnesota Statutes by the Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Laws change, and some cities add their own rules, so check current law or talk with a Minnesota attorney about your situation.