Details: A lease is a lease... except when it’s not.  While rent-to-own agreements, leases with option to purchase, and contracts for deed provide an alternative path to homeownership, these contracts also have high potential for predatory and illegal terms that can seriously harm our clients.  Trainees will learn to differentiate between each kind of contract and learn key federal and state consumer protections along the way, including our new state laws governing contracts for deed.  This knowledge is particularly useful for the housing practitioner defending evictions – part of the training will include workshopping a “lease” that is really an installment contract in disguise!

Presenter: Mary Kaczorek, Staff Attorney, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid. Mary practices consumer law with Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid (MMLA) in Minneapolis. She has also worked for Legal Aid as a supervising attorney with Legal Services State Support in St. Paul. Prior to coming to Legal Aid, Mary served as an unemployment law judge with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.  Mary received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Minnesota Law School.

CLE: 1 hour of CLE Credit to be applied for.

This training is free.