St. Louis Park, Minn., City Code ch. 8 §§ 8-326–8-335 (2026) § 8-334
Sale of affordable housing building
Operative Text
Sec. 8-334. Sale of affordable housing building.
(a) Definitions. The following definitions apply in this section of this code. References
to “section” are, unless otherwise specified, references to this section of this code. Defined
terms remain defined terms, whether capitalized or not.
(1) Affordable housing building means a multifamily rental housing building having
three or more housing units, where at least 18% of the units rent for an amount
that is affordable to households at or below 60 percent area median income, as
median income was most recently determined by the United States Department of
Housing and Urban Development for the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington,
Minnesota-Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area, as adjusted for household size
and number of bedrooms.
(2) Affordable housing unit means a rental unit in an affordable housing building that
rents for an amount that is affordable to households at or below 60 percent of area
median income, as median income was most recently determined by the United
States Department of Housing and Urban Development for the Minneapolis-St.
Paul-Bloomington, Minnesota-Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area, as adjusted
for household size and number of bedrooms.
(3) Cause means the tenant, or a member of the tenant’s household materially violated
a term of the lease. (Ord. No. 2590-20, 8-17-2020)
(4) Tenant protection period means the period that commences on the date when a
real estate closing transfers ownership of an affordable housing building and run
through the end of the 3 calendar months following the month in which written
notice of the transfer is sent to each affordable housing unit tenant pursuant to
subpart (c) of this section.
(5) Relocation assistance payment means a payment calculated by the city as follows:
The Federal Highway Administration uniform relocation assistance rate and two
months’ rent at 60% area median income. The relocation assistance payment
amount will be reviewed and updated annually by the city.
(b) Relocation assistance
(1) If during the tenant protection period the new owner of an affordable housing
building terminates or refuses to renew any affordable housing unit tenant’s rental
agreement without cause, then upon terminating or refusing to renew the tenant’s
lease, the new owner shall pay to the tenant, no later than the day upon which the
tenant vacates the unit, a relocation assistance payment calculated by the city as
per this code.
(2) During the tenant protection period if a rent increase goes into effect on any
affordable housing unit, or the new owner of an affordable housing building raises
any affordable housing unit tenant’s rent, or rescreens an existing affordable
housing unit tenant, and the tenant gives written notice to the new owner to
terminate the rental agreement, the new owner, shall within 30 days of receiving
tenant’s written notice of termination of the rental agreement, pay to the tenant a
relocation assistance payment calculated by the city per this code.
Supp. No. 44 (01-24) 8:50 St. Louis Park City Code
(c) Notice. Whenever ownership of an affordable housing building shall transfer, the
new owner shall, within thirty (30) days of the date on which a real estate closing transfers
ownership of the affordable housing building, give written notice to each affordable housing
unit tenant of the building that the property is under new ownership stating:
(1) The name, mailing address, and telephone number of the new owner.
(2) St. Louis Park City Code Section 8-334 provides for a tenant protection period for
affordable housing unit tenants. Under section 8-334, affordable housing unit
tenants may be entitled to relocation assistance payment from the new owner if
the new owner terminates or does not renew the tenant’s rental agreement
without cause within the tenant protection period. Affordable housing unit tenants
may also be entitled to relocation assistance payment from the new owner if the
owner raises the rent or initiates a tenant rescreening process within the tenant
protection period and the tenant terminates their rental agreement.
(3) Whether there will be any rent increase within the tenant protection period with the
amount of the rent increase and the date the rent increase will take effect.
(4) Whether the new owner will require existing affordable housing unit tenants to be
re-screened to determine compliance with existing or modified residency screening
criteria during the tenant protection period and if so, a copy of the screening criteria.
(5) Whether the new owner will terminate or not renew rental agreements without
cause during the tenant protection period and if so, notice to the affected affordable
housing unit tenants whose rental agreements will terminate and the date the rental
agreements will terminate.
(6) Whether the new owner intends to increase rent, require existing affordable housing
unit tenants to be rescreened to determine compliance with existing or modified
residency screening criteria, or terminate or not renew affordable housing unit rental
agreements without cause on the day immediately following the tenant protection
period.
The new owner shall provide a copy of the notice required by this part to the city at the same
time notice is provided to the tenants. The new owner of an affordable housing building shall
not terminate or not renew a tenant’s rental agreement without cause, raise rent, or
rescreen existing tenants during the tenant protection period without giving the notice
required by this part.
(d) Penalty.
(1) A violation of subpart (b) of this section is an administrative offense that may be
subject to an administrative citation and civil penalties as provided in city code
section 1-14. Notwithstanding any provision of city code section 1-14, the penalty for
a violation of subpart (b) of this section shall be the sum of the applicable amount of
relocation assistance plus $500.
Supp. No. 44 (01-24) 8:51 St. Louis Park City Code
(2) A violation of subpart (c) of this section is an administrative offense that may be
subject to an administrative citation and civil penalties as provided in city code
section 1-14.
(3) A violation of this ordinance as to each dwelling unit shall constitute a separate
offense.
(e) Within thirty (30) days after a person pays the penalty provided for in subpart (d) (1) of
this section to the city, the city shall pay to the displaced tenant of the affordable housing
unit for which the violation occurred an amount equal to the relocation assistance provided
for in subpart (b) of this section.
(Ord. No. 2534-18, 4-16-18; Ord. No. 2590-20, 8-17-2020; Ord. No. 2665-23, 6-5-23)St. Louis Park City Code § 8-334 establishes protections for tenants living in affordable housing buildings when those buildings change ownership. During a defined 'tenant protection period' that begins at closing and extends through three calendar months after written notice of the sale is sent to tenants, the new owner is restricted from terminating or non-renewing leases without cause, raising rents, or rescreening existing tenants without triggering a relocation assistance obligation. The new owner must also send tenants a detailed written notice within 30 days of closing, disclosing ownership information and any planned changes to rent, screening, or lease renewals. Violations are treated as administrative offenses, with penalties that can include civil fines plus the full relocation assistance amount owed to the displaced tenant.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Operators who acquire an affordable housing building in St. Louis Park must act quickly after closing to comply with § 8-334. Within 30 days of the real estate closing, a compliant new owner sends each affordable housing unit tenant a written notice containing the owner's contact information, a summary of tenant protection period rights, and clear disclosures about any planned rent increases, rescreening, or lease non-renewals—and simultaneously provides a copy of that notice to the city. Throughout the tenant protection period, a compliant owner who terminates or non-renews a lease without cause, raises rent, or initiates rescreening ensures that the required relocation assistance payment is made to the affected tenant no later than the day the tenant vacates, understanding that each unit in which a violation occurs constitutes a separate offense under § 8-334(d)(3).
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section 8-334 of the St. Louis Park City Code gives affordable housing unit tenants a protected window after their building is sold, during which the new owner faces significant financial consequences for no-cause evictions, rent increases, or rescreening. If a new owner takes any of those actions during the tenant protection period, tenants may be entitled to a relocation assistance payment calculated by the city, and if the owner fails to pay, the city can collect a penalty that includes that assistance amount plus $500 per unit and then pass the relocation funds on to the displaced tenant. Tenants who believe their rights under § 8-334 have been violated can contact the City of St. Louis Park to report the issue, and may also wish to reach out to a local tenant-rights organization to understand the range of options available to them.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated November 13, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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