If you have a criminal record, potential landlords or property owners may not want to let you rent from them. They can find information about your criminal history through public records. It can be especially difficult if you are a registered sex offender. Your criminal history may also make it a lot harder to get help from public housing benefits, depending on the crime and how long ago it took place.

This page has ideas that can help you get housing even if you had problems in the past.

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Expungement: Remove Things from Your Public Record

"Expungement" or "sealing" is a process that you may be able to use to prevent companies, employers, landlords, or agencies from viewing some or all of your criminal record. Only some criminal records can be expunged, such as drug possession, theft, and damage to property. Some violent offenses cannot be expunged. The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office has a good set of frequently asked questions about expungement and the Minnesota Courts website also has expungement resources.

Some records related to cannabis were automatically expunged on August 1, 2023, under the Adult-Use Cannabis Act. Starting January 1, 2025, other records are also being expunged under the Clean Slate Act. This means that some things may have been expunged from your record without you even requesting it.

The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office hosts clinics around the state where they can help you see if you qualify for free expungement through the Clean Slate Act. Sign up for a clinic. You can also apply for free expungement online.

To see if there are other things that can be expunged, check your criminal history. Then, to get help with expungement, talk to a lawyer. For low-cost or free help, try your local legal aid office or the Volunteer Lawyers Network.

Second Chance/Reentry Organizations

A “second chance” or “reentry” organization is one that helps people who have committed crimes in the past reenter their communities. These programs can be run by state and local governments, universities and colleges, nonprofit organizations, faith-based groups, and others.

The National Reentry Resource Center has lists of programs in each state that get federal funding through the Second Chance Act. Here are some of those programs:

• The Minnesota Department of Corrections has resources related to reentry for work, housing, and the transition back to the community.
• EMERGE’s reentry program helps with financial aid, housing resources, career coaching, job training, and more.
• The Central Minnesota Reentry Project helps with housing and other services around St. Cloud.
• The Minnesota State Law Library lists various reentry programs in Minnesota.

Download the National Reentry Resource Center’s complete list of Minnesota programs.

Smaller Landlords

Landlords and property managers who have large apartment buildings or manage many different buildings may automatically disqualify an applicant who has had problems in the past. They may be looking at many applications and not have the time or the ability to change their rules for one application.

If you are getting rejected by large landlords, try looking for smaller landlords who may be more flexible. People who own just a small number of apartments or homes and manage them themselves may be more willing to make an exception to their rules. They may be more open to listening to you when you explain why you would be a good tenant. When you search for an apartment online, you may be able to tell if an apartment is owned by a small landlord; their listings may look less formal and they may have a less formal application process too.

Sometimes, writing a letter can help convince a landlord to accept you as their tenant. The HB101 Vault’s Write a Letter path can help you figure out if a letter would help and can help you write your letter: You just put in some information about yourself and then it creates a complete letter that you can copy into an email message or print out and give to the landlord or property owner.

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Write a Letter

Get help writing a letter to solve specific types of problems related to housing.

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There are three different types of letters that these tools can help you write, depending on your situation:

• Reasonable Accommodation Letters: A reasonable accommodation allows a person with a disability to live in and enjoy their place. A letter is one way to tell a property manager, landlord, or housing agency that you need a reasonable accommodation. The reasonable accommodation might be a change to the housing to make it more accessible or it can be a change to your housing application, possibly even to the tenant selection criteria that landlords use to make decisions, if that change is related to your disability.
• Appeal Letters: An appeal letter may help if a property manager or landlord has made a decision that is a problem for you and it isn’t related to your disability. Appeal letters can help in different types of situations, like if your housing application was denied or you were sent an eviction notice.
• Explanation Letters: An explanation letter may help if you have a problem related to your housing situation, but a property manager or landlord hasn’t done anything about it yet. Explanation letters can be useful if you’ve fallen behind on your rent, had a disagreement with a neighbor, or broke a rule in the lease. Your letter helps you tell your landlord what happened and why it won’t likely happen in the future.