St. Paul City Council votes to exempt more properties from rent control ordinance

The St. Paul City Council on Wednesday voted 4 to 3 to amend the city’s rent control policy, while also approving a slate of new tenant protections.

The amendment will give all rental properties built after 2004 a permanent exemption from the limits on annual rent increases. Prior to the amendment, the rent stabilization ordinance gave an exemption only for the first 20 years after new apartment buildings open.

Supporters of the amendment — including Mayor Melvin Carter — said the move would spur much-needed housing development in St. Paul. They said the prospect of rent controls, even if delayed for 20 years, were keeping projects from moving forward in the city.

“Our housing equity goals cannot be achieved without building more homes. I applaud the council for adopting these policies, which I proposed to advance these critical goals together,” Carter said in a statement following Wednesday’s meeting, referring to both the rent control amendment and the tenant protections.

Opponents of the rent control change said it was a misguided move that may not result in more housing — and could create more inequity in the city.

“What we are going to be seeing more of is working-class folks, front-line workers, living in buildings that are old,” while new buildings have unaffordable rents, Council Member Nelsie Yang — who voted against the amendment — said at the meeting.

The council unanimously supported the slate of tenant protections — including limits on what can be charged for security deposits, and requiring landlords to give a 30-day written notice before a tenant can be evicted.

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