ST. PAUL, MN – The impending foreclosure and sheriff’s sale of the Lowry Building at 345 Wabasha St. in downtown St. Paul on August 22nd has brought to light a critical issue: the complete disregard for the rights of building tenants. Despite clear state law mandating notification in such cases, residents of the 11-story building remain entirely unaware of the situation that will drastically impact their lives.
“Several of my constituents and residents of Saint Paul’s downtown community, who are tenants in properties owned by Madison Equities and now under foreclosure, have contacted my office in the past month regarding a lack of management and safety concerns in the buildings where they live,” said Rep. María Isa Pérez-Vega (DFL – St. Paul), a member of the House’s Housing Finance and Policy Committee. “From rodent infestations to blocked access to mailboxes, lack of maintenance, condemned units, and recurring malfunctioning elevators trapping disabled residents, these conditions are unacceptable.”
This failure to provide adequate notice constitutes a direct violation of human rights. The lack of communication from property management has denied tenants the opportunity to plan for their housing security, seek alternative accommodations, or advocate for their interests in this process.
Rep. Pérez-Vega shares her next steps,
“I call on city and county leadership in my district to prioritize providing resources to assist and address this situation immediately. It is troubling that my office was the first to respond to tenants’ concerns when the building up for foreclosure – housing many of the tenants who attended and organized a meeting yesterday – is directly across the street from City Hall.
“As the House author of the tenants’ right to organize law, I support my constituents who are exercising their rights. In the case of a foreclosure, all tenants should have been notified, not left to discover the news in a newspaper headline. My office will be in conversation with the Attorney General’s office to explore additional protections for tenants and to hold negligent landlords and property owners accountable. We will work diligently to ensure that tenants have recourse, and that landlords and property owners are held responsible for their actions, including in cases of foreclosure and mismanagement.”
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