Tenant Selection Plan Guidelines
Minnesota Housing is committed to creating equitable, affordable, and accessible housing for all Minnesotans. Tenant Selection Plans and tenant screening criteria that reduce barriers to access are critical to these efforts.
The Tenant Selection Plan (TSP) Guidelines are a requirement for all projects that are selected for an applicable program and funding source as a result of a funding application submitted to Minnesota Housing after March 31, 2021.
For current properties with applicable program and funding sources, the considerations in the General Considerations section are requirements, and the items in the Tenant Screening Criteria section are recommended best practices.
Applicable Funding Sources: This table outlines funding source requirements for TSP guidelines.
TSP Guidelines Overview: This training walks through the content of Minnesota Housing's Tenant Selection Plan Guidelines.
Resources
Success in Housing: How Much Does Criminal Background Matter?
Implementing Housing First in Supportive Housing Fact Sheet - Source: The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH)
Checklist and Help Text
To increase transparency of TSP review and help make sure TSP guidelines are being followed, Minnesota Housing has developed a review checklist for TSPs that will be submitted as part of due diligence. This checklist will serve as a guide for projects to verify the TSP includes the necessary components based on state and federal guidelines. It will also serve as a guide for projects whose funding sources require TSPs and for which Minnesota Housing is responsible for monitoring. Help text accompanies the TSP checklist to provide additional context for the requirements and expectations outlined in Agency guidelines, as well as other federal funding streams that Minnesota Housing monitors.
Beginning with projects selected from the 2020 Consolidated Request for Proposals (RFP), external partners will upload the completed TSP checklist along with the draft TSP to the Multifamily Customer Portal in the pre-construction due diligence item “Tenant Selection Plan and Screening Criteria.” Minnesota Housing staff reviewing draft TSPs will then use the completed checklist to inform their review of the TSP.
The TSP checklist and help text, as well as the recorded training outline this new due diligence component and include details related to implementation. Minnesota Housing staff will be available to help external partners transition to this new process.
Reference Materials
- Tenant Selection Plan (TSP) Guidelines
- Tenant Selection Plan Checklist (updated September 2023)
- Tenant Selection Plan Checklist: Help Text (updated September 2023)
- Tenant Selection Plan Checklist and Help Text recorded training
- Tenant Selection Plan Checklist and Help Text PDF of recorded training slides and script
Questions
If you are an owner, developer or management agent, and have questions about the Tenant Selection Plans, please reach out to your assigned Minnesota Housing Officer.
If you're looking for help finding housing, review the Find Housing Help resources page.
