When “Angela” fell behind in her rent, she was served with a “Notice to Terminate Tenancy” based on the rent arrearage. Desperate to be able to remain in her apartment, Angela turned to the Windham County Legal Assistance Project for help.
With funding from the Vermont Bar Foundation, the Project pays lawyers a substantially reduced fee to assist low-income Vermonters in certain categories of cases, including landlord-tenant disputes.
An attorney from the Project met with Angela to gather information about her case. Angela acknowledged that she owed the back rent, and was willing to pay what she owed. The problem was that she couldn’t afford to pay it back all at once.
Working with Angela and her landlord, the attorney was able to negotiate a payment plan that satisfied the landlord and enabled Angela to remain in her home.
The support of the Vermont Bar Foundation and the skill of an attorney for the Windham County Legal Assistance Project helped turn a potentially adversarial situation into a “win-win.”
