Minn. Stat. § 504B § 504B.154
TENANT ABANDONMENT OF DWELLING.
Operative Text
Subdivision 1.Abandonment. (a) If a residential tenant abandons a dwelling unit during the lease term, the landlord shall make reasonable efforts to rent it at a fair rental value. If the landlord rents the dwelling unit for a term beginning before the expiration of the rental agreement, the agreement is terminated on the date the new tenancy begins. The rental agreement is terminated by the landlord on the date the landlord has notice of the abandonment if the landlord fails to use reasonable efforts to rent the dwelling unit at a fair rental value or if the landlord accepts the abandonment as a surrender. The tenant shall not be liable for rent after the termination of the tenancy. (b) If the rental agreement was for a periodic tenancy or tenancy at will, the maximum rent liability for the tenant is the notice period required to end the lease from the date the landlord has notice of the abandonment. Subd. 2.Waiver prohibited. Any waiver of the rights provided by this section shall be void and unenforceable.
Under Minn. Stat. § 504B.154, when a residential tenant leaves a dwelling unit before the lease ends, the landlord is required to make reasonable efforts to re-rent the unit at a fair market rate rather than simply letting it sit vacant and collecting rent from the departing tenant. The lease terminates either when a new tenancy begins, or — if the landlord fails to make those reasonable efforts or accepts the abandonment as a surrender — on the date the landlord first had notice of the abandonment. For periodic or at-will tenancies, the tenant's rent exposure is capped at the standard notice period required to end that type of tenancy. Any contractual language attempting to waive these protections is void.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Operators subject to Minn. Stat. § 504B.154 generally document the date they first received notice of a possible abandonment and promptly begin marketing the unit at a fair rental value, keeping records of those re-leasing efforts. If a new tenant is secured, the prior rental agreement terminates on the day the new tenancy begins, which limits the departing tenant's ongoing rent liability. Accepting an abandonment as a surrender — or failing to pursue re-rental — triggers termination as of the notice date, so maintaining clear records of outreach and listing activity is a standard practice for compliant property management under this statute.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Minn. Stat. § 504B.154 provides that a tenant who leaves a unit early is not automatically on the hook for rent through the end of the lease; the landlord has a legal duty to make reasonable efforts to re-rent the unit at a fair value. Once the tenancy terminates — whether because a new tenant moves in or because the landlord failed to meet that re-rental duty — no further rent is owed. Tenants in periodic or at-will arrangements have an additional protection capping their maximum rent exposure at the standard notice period, and any lease clause attempting to strip away these rights is unenforceable under § 504B.154; tenant-rights organizations or legal aid services can help clarify how these protections may apply in a given situation.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated September 15, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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