Willmar’s largest landlord sues city

The largest landlord in Willmar has filed a lawsuit against the city and its staff, accusing City Council members of being hostile to the company.

The property owner, Suite Liv’n, said the city had “schemed” to shut down its operations, said the suit, filed Nov. 5. The lawsuit says emails by City Council obtained via data requests show that City Council members had hoped to revoke the company’s rental license.

Leslie Valiant, city administrator for Willmar, declined to comment on the litigation, other than to say the matter has been referred to legal counsel and an insurer.

Dean Zuleger, chief operating officer of Suite Liv’n, has in the past threatened litigation against Willmar, accusing the city of bias and rental inspector Ryan Tillemans of working for another owner of rental units, in what it said was a conflict of interest, the West Central Tribune reported in 2023.

The company in Willmar has had a reputation of allowing properties to fall into disrepair; the West Central Tribune reported finding black mold and standing water in some buildings in 2022.

This was due to a “property management company that didn’t do their job,” Zuleger said in a recent interview with the Star Tribune, adding that Suite Liv’n now has on-site management.

In 2022, Suite Liv’n agreed to give refunds to 877 households after a settlement totaling approximately $50,000 to $60,000 with the Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office. The housing company had improperly imposed a utility surcharge, a statement by Ellison’s office said at the time.

Suite Liv’n is the city’s largest landlord, owning about 25% of multifamily housing units in Willmar, a city of 21,000 about 90 miles west of Minneapolis. The company on its website describes itself as Christian and evangelical-based.

Suite Liv’n was in the news recently due to the company’s opposition to a nightclub next to its 96-unit apartment complex near Willmar Lake.