What happens if a tenant breaks a lease in Minnesota?
In Minnesota, when a residential tenant abandons the unit during the lease term, the landlord must make reasonable efforts to rent it at a fair rental value. If the landlord rents the unit for a term that starts before the lease expires, the lease ends on the date the new tenancy begins. If the landlord fails to use reasonable efforts, or accepts the abandonment as a surrender, the lease ends on the date the landlord had notice of the abandonment, and the tenant owes no rent after the tenancy ends. For a periodic tenancy or a tenancy at will, the most the tenant can owe is rent for the notice period required to end the lease, counted from the date the landlord has notice of the abandonment. These rights cannot be waived. Separately, federal law lets a servicemember end a lease early after receiving qualifying military orders. This is Minn. Stat. § 504B.154.
| What | Minnesota |
|---|---|
| Landlord’s duty to re-rent | Required by statute |
| What it means | The landlord must make reasonable efforts to re-rent |
Source
Minn. Stat. § 504B.154
Read the statute in the Minnesota Statutes (Office of the Revisor of Statutes): revisor.mn.gov.
Checked against the statute on November 13, 2026.
This is a summary of a published statute, not legal advice. Rules change, local ordinances can add to them, and the terms of a specific lease may differ. Check the citation and speak to a lawyer before acting.
How Seayora uses this rule
Seayora keeps every lease’s term, rent and signers in one record and dates every change to it. This page states the state’s rule so a lease’s own early-termination and sublet clauses can be checked against it before the lease is signed.
Guides on this rule
- Breaking a Lease by State: What the Tenant Owes — What a tenant owes after leaving a lease early, and the 34 states whose statutes say whether the landlord must try to re-rent the home.
Compare this rule in every state
More Minnesota rules
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- How much notice must a landlord give to end a tenancy in Minnesota?
- How much can a landlord charge for a late rent fee in Minnesota?
- Can a landlord change the locks to force a tenant out in Minnesota?
- How long does a tenant have to respond to an eviction case in Minnesota?
- What are squatters’ rights in Minnesota?
- What are the steps to evict a tenant for unpaid rent in Minnesota?
- Is there rent control in Minnesota?
- Can a landlord refuse a Section 8 voucher in Minnesota?
- Can a landlord retaliate against a tenant for complaining in Minnesota?
- Do contractors charge sales tax in Minnesota?
- Every Minnesota rule on one page
The same question in other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- California
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Kansas