The Atlanta Lawyer February 2018

shake and provide a safe space for tenants to tell their story. Some lost their job and are struggling to catch up with their bills. Others live in unimaginable living condi- tions and decided to withhold rent to get their landlord’s attention. Regardless of the circumstance, HCAC volunteers lend an ear, help tenants file their answers, and pro- vide limited assistance with case preparation. Tenants with viable defenses or counterclaims often arrive at the HCAC with a sense that something unfair is happening, but without the legal knowledge to identify it as a defense or counterclaim. For example, they might describe how they have been trying to reach their landlord for months about a bug infestation but have not re- ceived a response until the rent was late. Or they wonder why they were served with an eviction no- tice when they made a payment arrangement with the manager at the rental office. Fifteen minutes with a volunteer attorney can help tenants recognize that their con- cerns are, in fact, a viable defense or counterclaim that should be raised in their answer. In October 2017, just after the HCAC re-opened, an elderly couple arrived looking for assis- tance with a dispossessory claim filed against them. The couple lost their home in a flood, then lost the last of their surviving possessions when their storage facility became infested with bedbugs. They were living in a boarding house until they landed on their feet, and they just couldn’t take another setback. They were under the impression that they had to leave the day their dispossessory answer was due, and came to the HCAC prepared for the worst. After a brief meeting with an HCAC volunteer, the couple learned that they had options– and had enough time to prepare should the worst-case scenario arise. They filed an answer and a hearing was scheduled fifteen days A disability can happen to any one of us. That’s why we’ve used the strength of membership to bring you disability coverage. Now Atlanta Bar Association members can apply for competitive group rates on disability insurance A disability can happen to anyone – but only 22% of Americans say they have enough savings to pay for six months of expenses. 1 That’s why it’s so important to help protect your paycheck with disability insurance – especially since we have competitive group rates. • Available to members age 59 and under • Apply for up to $12,000 per month Don’t miss out on competitive group rates. Log on to https://startprotectingyourfuture.com/ML_61365-site/dis_standard.aspx?logo=aba Or call 1-888-474-1959 1 http://www.bankrate.com/finance/consumer-index/americans-still-lack-savings-despite-wage-growth.aspx Like most insurance policies, insurance policies offered by MetLife and its affiliates contain certain exclusions, exceptions, waiting periods, reductions, limitations, and terms for keeping them in force. Please contact MetLife or your plan administrator for complete details. Insurance underwritten by Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. ADF# DI1636.17 16 February 2018 © 2018 Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, New York, NY 200 Park Avenue New York, NY L0617496469[exp0618][All States][DC,GU,MP,PR,VI]

The Atlanta Lawyer February 2018 | Page 16