Minnesota2026Passed Legislature
HF3951
Rules for Final Utility Bills and Rent Payment Methods
Last scannedAug 22, 2026, 3:39 AM
In one sentence
This law sets rules for how landlords calculate final utility bills when tenants move out if actual bills are missing, and requires backup payment options if digital rent systems fail.
What it does
- Allows landlords to send estimated final utility bills for submetered or apportioned services if the actual bill from the provider has not arrived by the time a tenant moves out.
- Requires that these estimates be based on the previous billing period and adjusted (prorated) for the number of days between the end of that period and when the tenant leaves.
- Limits extra fees on final utility bills, allowing only authorized administrative charges or late fees specifically for unpaid amounts from the prior month's bill.
- Mandates landlords to give a written receipt immediately if tenants pay rent with cash in person, or within three business days if paid by other means.
- Requires landlords to offer an alternative way to pay rent without extra fees if their digital payment platform is not working.
- Protects tenants from eviction or late fees if they cannot pay because both the digital system and the backup method provided are broken.
Who it affects
- Landlords who manage rental units in Minnesota
- Tenants living in apartments with submetered or apportioned utility services
- Tenants who use digital platforms to pay rent
Limits and unknowns
- The law does not specify the exact dollar amount landlords can charge as an administrative fee.
- It is unclear exactly how long a digital payment platform must be broken before a landlord must provide a backup option, only stating it should happen 'as soon as practicable'.
- The text provided does not list specific dates for when these rules officially take effect.
Plain language
Terms to know
- Submetered utility service
- A system where a tenant pays for their own specific water, gas, or electricity usage measured by a separate meter.
- Apportioned utility service
- A method of dividing the total cost of utilities among tenants based on factors like square footage rather than individual meters.
- Digital payment platform
- An electronic app or system controlled by a landlord, or operated by a vendor under contract with the landlord, that allows users to send money for rent and other charges.
Official record
Sources
Official summary
Submetered utility service final billing for vacating tenants provided, and provisions related to the payment of rent by tenants modified.
Official activity
Bill history
- See Senate file in House SF4171House
- Bills not identical, SF substituted on General RegisterHouse
- Referred to Chief Clerk for comparison with SF4171House
- Committee report, to adoptHouse
- Committee report, to adopt as amended and re-refer to Judiciary Finance and Civil LawHouse
- Introduction and first reading, referred to Housing Finance and PolicyHouse