Breaking a Lease in Minnesota
Minnesota rules on breaking a lease for renters and landlords, with the statute or official page behind each answer. Last verified: 2026-10-23.
Short answer: A tenant may end the lease without penalty if the tenant or an authorized occupant fears imminent violence after domestic abuse, criminal sexual conduct, sexual extortion or harassment. Minn. Stat. § 504B.206
The rules in Minnesota
| Ending a lease: domestic violence | A tenant may end the lease without penalty if the tenant or an authorized occupant fears imminent violence after domestic abuse, criminal sexual conduct, sexual extortion or harassment. The tenant must give signed, dated advance written notice by mail, in person, or by the usual written method of communication with the landlord. The notice must state the fear of imminent violence, the need to terminate, the termination date, and instructions for disposing of any personal property. A qualifying document must be attached: an order for protection, a no-contact order, a court official's writing, or a qualified third party's statement. A sole tenant owes rent for the full month in which the tenancy ends, gives up the security deposit, and owes no further rent. With multiple tenants, the whole lease ends at the later of month-end or the end of the rent interval. The landlord must keep the information confidential ($2,000 statutory damages) and cannot require the perpetrator's name. Source: Minn. Stat. § 504B.206 |
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| Ending a lease: military, medical, death | Tenant death: after the death of the tenant (or of all tenants), the landlord or the personal representative may end the lease with at least two months' written notice. The notice must take effect on the last day of a calendar month and be hand-delivered or sent by first-class mail. The estate still owes rent through the notice period and damage repair. Infirmity: a tenant or authorized representative may end the lease with at least two months' written notice, effective at month-end, hand-delivered or sent first-class. This applies when a medical professional (physician, APRN or mental health professional) finds the tenant must move into a medical care facility and the tenant meets the statute's need criteria. The notice must include the medical documentation and proof of acceptance at, or a pending application to, the facility. It does not apply if the landlord can offer an accessible unit in the same complex within two months. Neither right can be waived. § 504B.265: https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/504B.265. No state military lease-break statute beyond the federal SCRA was checked. |
Related questions
- Can I break my lease because of domestic violence?
- Can I break my lease for military orders, medical reasons or a death?
Minnesota vs. neighboring states
| State | Ending a lease: domestic violence | Ending a lease: military, medical, death |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | A tenant may end the lease without penalty if the tenant or an authorized occupant fears imminent violence after domestic abuse, criminal sexual conduct, sexual extortion or harassment. The tenant must give signed, dated advance written notice by mail, in person, or by the usual written method of communication with the landlord. The notice must state the fear of imminent violence, the need to terminate, the termination date, and instructions for disposing of any personal property. A qualifying document must be attached: an order for protection, a no-contact order, a court official's writing, or a qualified third party's statement. A sole tenant owes rent for the full month in which the tenancy ends, gives up the security deposit, and owes no further rent. With multiple tenants, the whole lease ends at the later of month-end or the end of the rent interval. The landlord must keep the information confidential ($2,000 statutory damages) and cannot require the perpetrator's name. Minn. Stat. § 504B.206 | Tenant death: after the death of the tenant (or of all tenants), the landlord or the personal representative may end the lease with at least two months' written notice. The notice must take effect on the last day of a calendar month and be hand-delivered or sent by first-class mail. The estate still owes rent through the notice period and damage repair. Infirmity: a tenant or authorized representative may end the lease with at least two months' written notice, effective at month-end, hand-delivered or sent first-class. This applies when a medical professional (physician, APRN or mental health professional) finds the tenant must move into a medical care facility and the tenant meets the statute's need criteria. The notice must include the medical documentation and proof of acceptance at, or a pending application to, the facility. It does not apply if the landlord can offer an accessible unit in the same complex within two months. Neither right can be waived. Minn. Stat. §§ 504B.265, 504B.266 |
| Iowa | No statute — Iowa Code ch. 562A contains no right for domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking survivors to end a lease early. Related protection: a landlord may not limit, penalize, fine, or evict a tenant for summoning police or emergency help for a victim of abuse or crime or in an emergency (tenant may recover a civil penalty of one month's rent, among other remedies). Iowa Code §562A.27B; ch. 562A (checked) | No statute found in Iowa Code ch. 562A giving early-termination rights for medical reasons, seniors moving to care, military service (beyond federal SCRA), or tenant death. Iowa Code ch. 562A (checked) |
| North Dakota | A tenant who is a domestic violence victim, or who fears imminent domestic violence against the tenant or the tenant's minor children, may end the lease. The tenant gives the landlord advance written notice saying the tenant fears imminent domestic violence from a person named in a court order, no-contact order, protection order, or other court record, that the tenant needs to end the tenancy, and the specific end date. The notice goes by mail, fax, or in person. The tenant owes rent for the full month in which the tenancy ends plus one more month's rent (subject to the landlord's duty to mitigate), paid on or before the end date, and is then released from the rest of the lease. The landlord must keep the documentation confidential. Refusing to rent to someone for using this right is prohibited, with $1,000 statutory damages plus actual damages and attorney's fees. N.D.C.C. § 47-16-17.1 | Tenant's death: on the death of a residential tenant, any surviving tenant or the estate may choose to end the lease on the last day of the month following the month of death. Chapter 47-16 has no state-law right for military members (beyond federal SCRA), medical or disability reasons, or seniors moving to care. A tenant may also end the lease if the landlord fails to make repairs or provide quiet possession within a reasonable time, or if the main part of the premises is destroyed. N.D.C.C. § 47-16-18; § 47-16-17 |
| South Dakota | If the tenant or a household member is the victim of alleged domestic abuse, unlawful sexual behavior or stalking, the tenant may terminate and vacate on or before a specified date without early-termination penalty by written notice stating the termination is due to fear of imminent danger or injury, attaching one of: a police report signed in the prior 30 days, a protection order issued in the prior 30 days, or documentation from a licensed health care provider who examined the tenant/household member in the prior 30 days. The tenant owes no early termination fee and no rent for the month following the month in which the tenant vacates. Landlord may not disclose the tenant's forwarding/contact information without consent unless required by law. SDCL 43-32-19(3); 43-32-19.1; 43-32-19.2 | Tenant may end a lease early if the landlord fails, within a reasonable time after written request, to put the tenant in quiet possession or make required repairs, or if the greater part of the premises is destroyed other than by tenant negligence. A lease terminable at either party's pleasure ends on notice of a party's death or incapacity; other leases are not ended by death. No state military, medical or senior-care termination right found in ch. 43-32. SDCL 43-32-19(1)-(2); 43-32-23 |
| Wisconsin | Yes. A tenant may end the tenancy and move out if the tenant or the tenant's child faces an imminent threat of serious physical harm from another person and the tenant gives notice under s. 704.21 with a certified copy of a qualifying document: a domestic abuse, child abuse or harassment/stalking injunction, a no-contact bail condition, or a criminal complaint for stalking or a domestic abuse offense. Separately, a tenant who is a victim of sexual assault (or whose child is) may end the tenancy with notice under s. 704.21 and a certified copy of a harassment injunction against the person who committed, attempted or threatened the sexual assault, or a criminal complaint alleging the sexual assault; this ground does not require showing an imminent threat of serious physical harm. The tenant owes no rent after the end of the month following the month of notice or move-out, whichever is later (subject to the landlord's duty to mitigate). On request with the same documents, the landlord must change the locks (or allow the tenant to) within 48 hours at the tenant's cost. Wis. Stat. 704.16 | Tenant death: the tenancy ends on the earlier of 60 days after the landlord learns of the death or the end of the lease term (periodic tenancies end 60 days after notice of death); the estate owes no rent after that, subject to mitigation, and the landlord may not seek the rent from family members who are not liable. Other adult tenants remain bound. No state statute found for military (beyond federal SCRA), medical/disability or senior moves. Wis. Stat. 704.165 |
City rules that may add to state law
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Breaking a Lease in Minnesota FAQ
Can a domestic violence survivor break a lease in Minnesota?
A tenant may end the lease without penalty if the tenant or an authorized occupant fears imminent violence after domestic abuse, criminal sexual conduct, sexual extortion or harassment. The tenant must give signed, dated advance written notice by mail, in person, or by the usual written method of communication with the landlord. The notice must state the fear of imminent violence, the need to terminate, the termination date, and instructions for disposing of any personal property. A qualifying document must be attached: an order for protection, a no-contact order, a court official's writing, or a qualified third party's statement. A sole tenant owes rent for the full month in which the tenancy ends, gives up the security deposit, and owes no further rent. With multiple tenants, the whole lease ends at the later of month-end or the end of the rent interval. The landlord must keep the information confidential ($2,000 statutory damages) and cannot require the perpetrator's name. (Minn. Stat. § 504B.206)
When can a tenant break a lease without penalty in Minnesota?
Tenant death: after the death of the tenant (or of all tenants), the landlord or the personal representative may end the lease with at least two months' written notice. The notice must take effect on the last day of a calendar month and be hand-delivered or sent by first-class mail. The estate still owes rent through the notice period and damage repair. Infirmity: a tenant or authorized representative may end the lease with at least two months' written notice, effective at month-end, hand-delivered or sent first-class. This applies when a medical professional (physician, APRN or mental health professional) finds the tenant must move into a medical care facility and the tenant meets the statute's need criteria. The notice must include the medical documentation and proof of acceptance at, or a pending application to, the facility. It does not apply if the landlord can offer an accessible unit in the same complex within two months. Neither right can be waived. (Minn. Stat. §§ 504B.265, 504B.266)
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.