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Minnesota Month-to-Month Rental Agreement

Quick answer: Minnesota does not compress the month-to-month termination notice into one fixed number in the sources this page relies on (Minnesota requires notice equal to one full rental period, the interval between rent due dates up to three months, rather than a fixed day count (Minn. Stat. 504B.135)), so verify the current statute and write an explicit notice clause into the agreement. The sections below cover what is verified.

A month-to-month rental agreement in Minnesota renews automatically at the end of each rental period until the landlord or the tenant ends it with proper written notice. Minnesota does not set a single fixed statewide notice period, so confirm the current rule before either side serves notice.

This template walks you through the rent, the deposit, the house rules, and an explicit termination notice clause, so both parties know exactly how the tenancy ends. Download the finished Minnesota agreement in Word and PDF.

Create your Minnesota month-to-month rental agreementRead the full Month-to-Month Rental Agreement guide

Minnesota month-to-month notice rules

Minnesota month-to-month termination notice at a glance
Who is ending the tenancyMinimum written noticeStatute
Landlord ending the tenancy (no fault)No single fixed period: check your state statute before serving.See your state statute
Tenant ending the tenancyNo single fixed period: check your state statute before serving.See your state statute

Minnesota requires notice equal to one full rental period, the interval between rent due dates up to three months, rather than a fixed day count (Minn. Stat. 504B.135).

Verify before you rely on it

Landlord-tenant statutes change, and cities or counties can add stricter local rules such as just cause ordinances or longer notice for older tenancies. Confirm the current Minnesota requirement in the statute cited above (or with your local court's self-help resources) before serving or relying on a termination notice.

Month-to-month rental agreement requirements in Minnesota

Minnesota requires notice equal to one full rental period, the interval between rent due dates up to three months, rather than a fixed day count (Minn. Stat. 504B.135). Whatever the current rule turns out to be for your situation, write the notice mechanics into the agreement itself, in writing and with a fixed day count, so neither side has to litigate what "reasonable notice" means.

Deposit rules apply with full force even without a fixed term: in Minnesota, no statutory cap limits the deposit, and the landlord must return it within 21 days after the tenancy ends (Minn. Stat. 504B.178). Note the amount, where it is held, and the deduction conditions directly in the agreement.

Rent changes work differently here than under a fixed-term lease: because the tenancy renews every month, the landlord can change the rent or other terms prospectively by giving the same kind of advance written notice the statute requires for termination, plus any rent-increase-specific rules Minnesota or your city imposes. The agreement should say how changes are communicated so an increase never arrives as a surprise.

The body of the document does the everyday work: identify the landlord, every tenant, and the property precisely, fix the rent (amount, due date, grace period, late fee), assign utilities and maintenance, and set the house rules on pets, smoking, and alterations. The only structural difference from a standard lease is the term clause, which renews monthly instead of expiring on a date.

Federal law adds one universal requirement worth remembering: for housing built before 1978, the landlord must give the tenant the EPA lead-based paint disclosure and pamphlet before signing. Cities and counties in Minnesota can layer on registration, inspection, or rent regulation rules of their own, so a quick check of local ordinances is part of preparing any rental agreement.

Step by step: preparing your Minnesota month-to-month rental agreement

A rolling tenancy works when the paperwork is as solid as a fixed-term lease. These are the steps that matter in Minnesota.

  1. Screen the tenant first. Run the application, income verification, and references before drafting anything. The short exit makes some landlords casual about screening; resist that, because fair housing law applies from the first contact and a problem tenancy is a problem even at 30 days' notice.
  2. Agree on the business terms. Settle the rent, the deposit, the move-in date, who pays which utilities, and any pet or parking arrangements before filling in the agreement.
  3. Set the notice clause to the statute. Write the termination notice into the agreement: in Minnesota, that means the period the current Minnesota statute requires. The agreement can give more time than the statute, never less, and both sides should see the same number in the document they sign.
  4. Complete every clause of the agreement. Work through the guided form: parties, property, rent, deposit, utilities, maintenance, and house rules. Where Minnesota law sets a boundary, the agreement should match or exceed it, never contradict it.
  5. Attach disclosures and document the condition. Include the federal lead-based paint disclosure for pre-1978 housing and any Minnesota or local disclosures, then complete a move-in checklist with dated photos signed by both parties. Month-to-month tenancies can end quickly, and the move-out accounting relies on this record.
  6. Sign and distribute copies. Every adult tenant signs, the landlord signs, and each party keeps a full copy. No notarization is needed; from the first month onward the agreement simply renews until one side serves proper written notice.

How this template works in Minnesota

Answer guided questions about the landlord, the tenant, the property, and the rent, and the agreement writes itself in front of you. Select Minnesota as the property's state, set the termination notice clause to the periods in the table above, and download the finished agreement in Word and PDF.

The form, the live preview, and the full guide live on the main Month-to-Month Rental Agreement page.

Minnesota month-to-month rental agreement FAQ

How much notice does a landlord have to give to end a month-to-month tenancy in Minnesota?

Minnesota does not compress the landlord's notice into one fixed number in the sources this page relies on. Minnesota requires notice equal to one full rental period, the interval between rent due dates up to three months, rather than a fixed day count (Minn. Stat. 504B.135). Check the current statute before serving notice.

How much notice does a tenant have to give in Minnesota?

This page does not cite one fixed tenant-side number for Minnesota: minnesota requires notice equal to one full rental period, the interval between rent due dates up to three months, rather than a fixed day count (Minn. Stat. 504B.135). The practical answer is the notice period written in your agreement, which should be at least as protective as the statute.

Can the landlord raise the rent on a month-to-month tenancy in Minnesota?

Yes, prospectively: because the tenancy renews monthly, the landlord can change the rent for future months by giving proper advance written notice, subject to any rent regulation in Minnesota or your city. The increase cannot apply retroactively, and the tenant can always respond by giving notice and moving out.

Do security deposit rules apply to a month-to-month rental in Minnesota?

Yes, in full. Minnesota sets no statutory deposit cap and requires it back within 21 days after the tenancy ends (Minn. Stat. 504B.178), exactly as it would under a fixed-term lease.

Month-to-Month Rental Agreement in other states