For Somali Muslim families in Minnesota, a contract for deed seems like an easier path to homeownership. But predatory practices and poor regulation can make it a financial trap rather than a good deal.
Two days after 5 INVESTIGATES began asking questions about the property, the city filed a criminal complaint charging Shahidullah with renting without a license — a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
The threat of eviction hangs constantly over Dean Zoller, a crisis counselor and single father of three teenagers. At the onset of COVID-19 last spring, he moved into a remodeled rental house in north Minneapolis, he said, when his relationship ended and he had to scramble to find a new place after more than a decade of homeownership. But then the hidden fees began to heap. There was a $10 .