Renter's Rights in Foreclosure

The Minnesota Home Ownership Center is actively involved in all aspects of Foreclosure Prevention and Foreclosure recovery in Minnesota.

As we've mentioned before (here and here) some of the people hardest hit by foreclosure in Minnesota are TENANTS / RENTERS who find themselves in a situation that is out of their control.

Minnesota has been on the forefront of defending and improving tenant’s rights in a foreclosure.

Larry McDonough, Managing Attorney for the Housing Unit of the Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis has had an article published in the March-April “Clearinghouse Review” (Journal of Poverty Law and Policy – Volume 42) that carefully outlines the work that has been done in Minnesota. (Subscription required to view article). For additional information about the article, contact Larry McDonough at Legal aid.

If you are a TENANT and your LANDLORD is facing foreclosure… there are helps and assistance available to you. For more information, click here.

Resources for Renters in Foreclosure

Yesterday, MPR ran a story on a number of investor owned properties that have fallen in to foreclosure on the North side of Minneapolis.

These properties that have gone into foreclosure highlight another group of people affected by foreclosure through no fault of their own: renters.

The Minnesota Home Ownership Center's network of foreclosure prevention specialists can ONLY assist homeowners whose primary residence (no investment or second properties) is in foreclosure. But that doesn't mean that renters in a foreclosure situation are left to fend for themselves... There is a network of organizations that can assist!

Here's some important contact information if you are renting a property - and your landlord is unable to make the mortgage payments:

If you live in the city of Minneapolis, Contact:
Legal Aid of Minneapolis . . . . . 612-334-5970

If you live in Ramsey, Washington, Dakota, Scott or Carver Counties, Contact:
Southern MN Regional Legal Services. . . . . 651-222-4731

If you live in Southern Minnesota, Including Albert Lee, Mankato & Rochester, Contact:
Southern MN Regional Legal Services. . . . . 888-575-2954

If you live elsewhere in the State of Minnesota, Contact:
HomeLINE. . . . . 866-866-3546


Here are some additional resources you may find helpful:

The Family Housing Fund has published a brochure to help renters whose landlords are in foreclosure: Tenants and Foreclosure: Know Your Next Move

HousingLink has created a page with information for renters in a foreclosure situation, as well as a number of helpful links to additional services: http://www.housinglink.org/Renter_Foreclosure.htm

Another document, produced by the Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis, gives an overview of renter's rights and responsibilities during a foreclosure: When Your Landlord Loses the Building: Mortgage Foreclosure