Minneapolis / Inspection guide

Inspecting a Minneapolis rental before and after you sign

By Homzora Team · September 26, 2026

In Minneapolis, a good inspection looks ahead to winter. The heating system, the windows and the pipes will all be tested for months at a time, and radon is a real concern in many buildings. Minnesota law gives tenants strong repair tools, which makes a careful record at move in especially valuable. This guide explains what to check and how to get repairs made, with a source for every rule.

What Minnesota law requires

Minnesota requires landlords to keep the home and common areas fit for their intended use and in reasonable repair, including pest control, and to comply with health, safety and rental licensing rules. Landlords must also provide heat of at least 68 degrees from October 1 through April 30. These duties cannot be waived in the lease.^[1] The heat standard became statewide on January 1, 2024.^[2]

Check the rental license tier

Minneapolis requires rental properties to be licensed and assigns them to tiers. Tier 1 properties are inspected every eight years, Tier 2 every five years and Tier 3 every year.^[3] Ask for the license and its tier. A property that has not been inspected recently depends even more on your own careful look.

Heat first

Test the heat during your viewing, even in summer. Turn up the thermostat and check that heat reaches every room, including rooms at the end of hallways, corner rooms and any basement or attic space. Ask whether the building uses a boiler with radiators, a forced air furnace or electric baseboard heat, how old the system is, and when it was last serviced. If you control the thermostat, ask whether the landlord expects a minimum temperature when you are away in winter to protect the pipes.

Windows, storm windows and drafts

Open and close every window and door, check that each one locks, and look for cracked glass, broken seals and gaps where cold air can enter. Many older Minneapolis buildings have storm windows; check that they are intact and fit properly. Run your hand along frames and door edges to feel for drafts, and look at the inside of window frames for water stains or rot, which can signal condensation problems in winter.

Water, pipes and leaks

Run every tap and the shower, note how long the water takes to get hot, flush each toilet and look under sinks for leaks. Ask whether pipes have ever frozen or burst, and find the main water shut off valve. Look at ceilings below bathrooms and along outside walls for stains, which can point to past leaks or ice dams on the roof. In a basement or garden level unit, look for water stains or a damp smell and ask whether it has ever flooded.

Radon

More than two in five Minnesota homes have radon at levels that pose a significant health risk, and state average levels are more than three times the national average. Testing is the only way to know, and the recommended action level is 4 picocuries per liter.^[4] Ask whether the building has been tested, especially for basement and garden level units. If there is a mitigation system, look for the fan and vent pipe and ask whether it is working.

Kitchen and bathrooms

Turn on every burner and the oven, check that the refrigerator and freezer are cold, and run the dishwasher and garbage disposal briefly if there are any. Check the bathroom exhaust fans, since poor ventilation in a closed up winter home can lead to mold. Look for signs of pests, such as droppings, in cabinets and behind appliances; pest control is part of the landlord's duty to keep the home in reasonable repair.^[1]

Attics, insulation and ice dams

In a top floor unit or a house, ask about insulation in the attic and walls. Poor insulation makes a home expensive to heat and can cause ice dams, where melting snow refreezes at the edge of the roof and forces water under the shingles and into ceilings. Look at upstairs ceilings, especially near outside walls, for water stains or peeling paint, and ask whether the roof has leaked in winter. Roof leaks fall under the landlord's duty to keep the home in reasonable repair^[1], so note any stains on your move in list.

Condensation and winter moisture

In a tightly closed winter home, moisture from cooking, showers and even breathing can condense on cold windows and walls. Look for mold or black spots around window frames, in closets on outside walls and behind furniture, and ask whether the unit has had condensation problems. Working bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans help a great deal, so test them during your viewing. If condensation is a problem, ask the landlord in writing about better ventilation or window repairs before winter arrives.

Electrical and outlets

Switch on every light and test several outlets in each room. In winter, many renters use space heaters, electric blankets and extra lighting, so look for scorched outlet covers, loose outlets or breakers that trip often. Ask whether the circuits can support a space heater safely, and never run one from an extension cord. Report any electrical problems in writing.

Safety equipment

Press the test button on every smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm and note any that do not sound. Carbon monoxide alarms matter especially in a closed up winter home with a gas furnace, boiler or water heater. Ask where the electrical panel is, and test several outlets in each room with a phone charger.

Common areas, snow and ice

Walk the hallways, stairs, laundry room, parking area and trash area. Check railings, lighting and the condition of stairs. Ask who clears snow and ice from sidewalks, steps and parking areas, and how quickly. Ask whether the building has off street parking or a garage, which avoids the city's snow emergency parking restrictions.^[5]

Look at the entrance and hallways with winter in mind. Entry doors should close fully and latch, since a door that blows open lets cold air into the whole building. Check that the laundry room is heated and that any shared storage areas are dry. Notice where snow from the roof falls, and whether it lands on a walkway you will use every day.

Questions to ask the landlord

What is the rental license tier, and when was the last inspection?
How old is the heating system, and when was it last serviced?
What were the heating bills last January, if tenants pay for heat?
Has the building been tested for radon, and is there a mitigation system?
Have pipes ever frozen, and has the basement ever flooded?
Who clears snow, and how quickly?

Write down the answers and the name of the person who gave them.

How to get repairs made

Make every repair request in writing and keep a copy, even if you also call. Describe the problem, where it is and when it started, and attach photographs. When the landlord needs to enter to make repairs, it must give at least 24 hours' notice and enter between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., unless you agree otherwise or there is an emergency.^[6]

If the landlord does not act, Minnesota gives you formal remedies. In a rent escrow action, after written notice and a 14 day wait, or until the deadline in any code violation order, you deposit rent with the court administrator instead of paying the landlord. The court holds a hearing within 10 to 14 days and can reduce the rent, release escrowed rent to pay for repairs or impose fines, and the filing fee can be waived if you cannot pay.^[7] A tenant remedies action is another option, after at least 14 days' written notice to the landlord.^[8] HOME Line can explain which remedy fits your situation.^[9]

You are protected from retaliation. If a notice to quit comes within 90 days after you asserted your rights or reported code violations, the landlord must prove it was not retaliatory.^[10] For code problems, you can also contact the city through 311.^[11]

Record everything at move in

Whatever move in form the landlord uses, your own record is essential. Photograph and film every room before furniture arrives, with close ups of existing damage and a wider shot showing where it is. Email the photographs and a written list of problems to the landlord, so there is a dated record that it received them. This record is your best protection against being charged at move out for damage that was already there.

What to do with what you find

Before you sign, list every problem you found and ask the landlord in writing to repair it before move in, or to note it as existing damage. Keep the photographs and the landlord's reply. A landlord that will not put anything in writing is telling you something important about how repairs will be handled later.

Inspect again during the tenancy, not only at the start. Before each winter, check the heat, windows, storm windows and weather stripping, and test the carbon monoxide alarms. Reporting problems early, in writing, keeps them small and builds a record that protects you.

Your completion record

Rental license tier
Heat tested and serviced
Windows, storm windows and drafts
Pipes, leaks and basement
Radon test and mitigation
Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
Repair requests in writing

Keep this record with your move in photographs. See the evidence guide for how to document problems, and the move in guide for the steps before you sign.

Sources and official resources

Use the planning tools · All Minneapolis guides