Duluth voters approve ‘Right to Repair’

Voters in Duluth have overwhelmingly passed a ballot initiative dubbed “Right to Repair,” a first-of-its-kind law in Minnesota that allows tenants to make simple repairs to their rental units, and then deduct the cost of those repairs from their next rent payment — up to $500 or half a month's rent, whichever is greater.

Voters approved the referendum by a 69 to 31 percent margin, with all of the city’s 34 precincts voting in favor of it.

Advocates say it’s a common-sense approach that gives frustrated renters another tool to get basic repairs done in a timely manner — from a broken window or doorknob to a leaky faucet or clogged drain.

About 40 percent of Duluth residents are renters. The city’s housing stock is some of the oldest in the state, much of it built prior to 1940.

A tenant