St. Paul, MN (KROC-AM News) - The former owner of a mobile home park community in Stewartville has agreed to settle allegations that it broke state law by evicting several residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced the settlement with Sun Communities on Thursday. His office says the company violated the Minnesota False Claims Act by submitting false and fraudulent claims to the Minnesota Housing and Finance Agency.
The complaint involved payments received through the RentHelpMN program between 2021 and 2022. A news release says the state program was established "to prevent evictions by paying rent and utility expenses for families struggling financially."
The statement indicates that participating property owners were required to certify that they would not evict residents during the time period covered by the RentHelpMN payments. Property owners were also required to certify that they would not start a new eviction process against a resident within 30 days of receiving a payment from the state program for that tenant.
According to the State Attorney General’s Office, Sun Communities pursued the eviction of tenants after receiving assistance through the program, in violation of state law. It was also alleged that Sun Communities violated state law by charging excessive pet and late fees. The news release notes that the company changed its late fee policies in 2023.
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