Rental Housing Licensing Program

City promotes safety with program to license rental housing

The City of Albert Lea has adopted the Albert Lea Minimum Housing Code to promote safe housing in rental property:

The program goal is to be proactive in reducing life safety hazards in rental property.
The ordinances benefit both landlords and tenants by providing an effective program to eliminate problems with rental property. The ordinances provide a tool for the City of Albert Lea to effectively resolve issues with rental property.

A red and white “For Rent” sign hangs on a white post in front of a suburban house with a green lawn and blurred trees in the background.

For landlords

All rental property as defined in the ordinance needs to be licensed effective Feb. 1, 2009. Applications for a license are available online and at the Inspection Department on the bottom floor of City Hall, 221 E. Clark St.

Rental property owners need to complete a Rental License Application and pay a license fee at the Inspection Department. At that time you will schedule an appointment for your inspection. Albert Lea Fire Rescue personnel conduct the inspections and all follow-up inspections.

If unable to make your inspection appointment, you must call the Inspection Department to cancel and reschedule. Cancellations received 24 hours before the inspection will not be required to pay a reinspection fee when a new date is scheduled.

To schedule an inspection or to cancel an appointment, please call Cierra Maras at the Inspection Department at 507-377-4340 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on weekdays.

Inspection guidelines:

Notify your tenants prior to the inspection to receive permission to enter all units on the scheduled inspection day. Be sure to follow all applicable state regulations.
You may pick up a copy of the inspection check-off form prior to the inspection to assist you in identifying and fixing problems prior to the inspection.
If the inspector finds violations with your property, you will be provided with a report by email and mail with a reasonable amount of time to make any needed improvements. After correcting the problems, schedule a time for the property to be re-inspected. If you have any questions or concerns about the inspection or correcting a problem, please feel free to contact the inspector for assistance.

Any license that is allowed to lapse for more than 30 days will be cancelled. Owners of these properties will lose all grandfathering rights. To have your license reinstated, you would need to apply for a license and bring your building up to current codes.