Tenants win with new set of agreements

After over two years of tenants organizing together, the Minneapolis City Council passed a comprehensive list of agreements entered into by Progress Residential, the manager for Front Yard Residential and previously known as HavenBrook Homes LLC. The agreements speak to the requests that tenants have made. They include but are not limited to timely repairs, clear and consistent communication, a yard maintenance plan, and no retaliation. The agreements will set the stage for other cities to respond to out-of-state private equity corporate rental companies like Progress Residential, the largest single-family rental company in the U.S.
At a press conference on Jan. 12, 2023, Sunnie Mills, a Progress Residential tenant, shared, “I had water damages, mold, being told to put up plastic around my windows because it was so cold. They brought a little bitty space heater, so we had to stay in certain rooms to stay warm. We had to start using the stove.”
“We have worked so hard calling 311. We also worked with city inspectors coming to our homes. So many of us have been through these hard and rigorous processes. We’ve even put our rent into rent escrow and had many press conferences like this,” said Shanika Henderson, a Progress Residential tenant.
Samantha Pree-Stinson read the testimony of Margaret Little, a Progress Residential tenant. Said Ms. Little, “That is why we are continuing to show up so Progress Residential and Front Yard Residential make sure that all of the items in the agreements are followed very closely.” Added Sunnie Mills, “I just ask that they be held accountable for not only the city of Minneapolis but for all of their rental properties across the portfolio.”