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5 Things You Can Do To Protect Your Rights As A Tenant | #KCPublicWorks - YouTube
Channel: Flatland
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- My name is Gina Chiala.
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I'm an attorney with
the Heartland Center
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for Jobs and Freedom.
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And today we're gonna talk about
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five things you can
do to protect your
rights as a tennant.
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Tip number one,
get it in writing.
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If you go look at
a place to rent,
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and the landlord tells you,
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"Don't worry; this is
gonna be all fixed up
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by the time you move in,"
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just make sure you
get that in writing.
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Just grab a piece of paper,
write down all of the things
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that the landlord should fix,
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have the landlord
sign it, you sign it,
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also, include the date that
the repairs should be done by,
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and keep a copy for yourself.
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If the landlord is reluctant
to sign that piece of paper,
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proceed with caution.
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If it were me, I
wouldn't sign the lease,
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and I wouldn't move in.
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Tip number two, once
move in to your home,
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make sure that you make
requests for repairs in writing,
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and keep a copy.
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You have a right to safe
and livable housing.
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So, in the winter
there should be heat,
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and in the summer there
should be ventilation.
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The plumbing should work,
the electrical should work,
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and there shouldn't be
infestations of rodents or bugs.
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So, if you're home
doesn't pass the test,
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make a request for
repairs in writing.
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You can send it by email,
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and keep a copy of
your sent email,
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or send a letter
by certified letter
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return receipt requested.
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And if the landlord fails
to make those repairs
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in a reasonable amount of time,
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get legal help before
the situation escalates.
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Tip number three, know
what a landlord can do
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and can't do under the law.
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A landlord can't force
you out of your house
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without a judgment
from the court.
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So, that means before a
landlord can force you out,
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the landlord has to go to court,
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serve you with a
lawsuit, win the case,
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and get a judgment
from the court.
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And even then, only the sheriff
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can physically remove you and
your belongings from the home,
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and that doesn't happen
until ten days or more,
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after your landlord
wins the case.
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So, that means, a landlord
can't change the locks
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without a court order,
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the landlord can't
disconnect your utilities
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without a court order,
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and your landlord can't
take your belongings
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and throw them out, without
permission from the court.
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If this is happening to
you, seek legal assistance.
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Tip number four, don't
ignore eviction lawsuits.
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If you come home,
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and you find an evictioin
lawsuit on your door,
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or someone comes
and hands a lawsuit
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to someone in your
household, don't ignore it.
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You may be able to prevent
a judgement from happening
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by negotiating
with your landlord,
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catching up with the rent,
or asserting a legal defense.
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But if you ignore the lawsuit,
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then you will lose the suit,
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and a judgment for eviction
will be issued against you,
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and having that on your
record is not good.
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It may make it impossible
for you to rent again,
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in the future.
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So, if you get sued, get
legal assistance right away.
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Tip number five, get
your deposit back.
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In Missouri, a landlord has
30 days to return your deposit
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to your last known address.
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So, you wanna make sure
that the landlord knows
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where to send that deposit,
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or you can have your mail
forwarded to a new address.
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A landlord in Missouri, has
to follow two procedures
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before he or she can
withhold your deposit.
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First of all, a landlord has to
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give you notice of walkthrough.
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Second of all, a
landlord has to give you
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an accurate accounting
explaining why
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all or part of your
deposit was withheld.
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If a landlord fails to do
either of these things,
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you may be entitled
to double the amount
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that was wrongfully
withheld back.
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So, get legal assistance
if you're having trouble
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getting your deposit back.
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The Heartland Center
for Jobs and Freedom
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provides free legal
help to low age workers
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in the areas of
landlord/tenant law,
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consumer law, and
employment law.
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If you need help
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call (816) 278- 1344.
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And if you have a housing issue,
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and you're permanently
unemployed or disabled,
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contact legal aid
at (816) 474-6750.
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