Advice needed Urgently on barnyard chickens.

[Champ2475]

I am a grandmother raising 3 grandson. I take care of my husband with anoxic brain trauma. This requires full care above and beyond the scope of caregiver duties that a spouse has to do unpaid. In a nutshell, My husband of 40 years and I worked and paid self employment taxes for over 30 years. We were left in care of 3 grandsons from birth. Upon his illness I had to seek assistance. This alone is a miracle from all the different policies to not get you eligle. After 13 year and with the growning need of my grandsons and the need to have to buy medical supplies etc. it has been a struggle. I finally got awarded child support but the state is making the grandparents forfiet to pay the state back for tanf we collected for the grandsons. This left of with a residual check of $75. This lowerd our food stamps to $300. I was having issues with my landlord to repair the plumbing. In the first two weeks the house was stopped up. This was july 2018. I had paid 2 weeks of rent early so I can move in at my pace and schedule the ambulance to move my husband to our new house. We were fighting to get a bigger house since my husband is on life support and other medical equipment. Basically, he has tried to find ways to keep the money saying its a holding fee, insurance fee, pest countrol etc. All along I am having the plumbing issues. Since he has sent several plumbers to fix it. But it kept happening. This caused us great hardships in not having bathroom, showers etc. Kids missed school, bouts of constipation and dirareaha etc. I finally had enough of the back and forth and felt the plumbing problem should have been fixed. It is hard to move and I pay my rent every month. My husbands nurse suggested I get chicken to help with food because she iis aware of the appetite of my 3 grandsons. The city ordinance allowed the chickens and doesnt consider them pets. We have a double fence that I had been complaining is above the lease and I feel only responsible for up the fence. You have to get on your knees and go down the fence line busting knuckles and hurting hands to clear weeds. The chickens were my answer to the fence line, eggs, chicken and teach my grandson awareness of where there food comes from and caring for them. In all these plumbing repairs and issues they know I had chickens. It wasnt an issue until I gave them a letter on the 18 month in plumbing etc. One of the chickens turned into a rooster at 6 month. The animal control came and and left a card to remove rooster. I promply did and my nurse took the chickens since she lost some of hers. Next thing I know I got served eviction papers. He is doing it to retailiate from all the plumbing complaint and money he is trying to keep. He charging me a $500 dollars in extra rent and fees. He came to the house unannounced and I tried to reason with him again even though I had already given the chickens away. He still filed for the eviction. He never sent a letter or allow me to address the issue even though I had already got rid of them. He came back a few days later to say I could stay if I let him keep the money I had paid to move in for rent and the fines, I could stay. I said you are just harrasing me and if we dont address it at the eviction he will find some other way to evict me. Come to find out the previous tennant came by for mail and he left for the same plumbing and leaking issues. They went through the same hardships and loss of propert from the leaks. I am a contractor and know the stale smell of flooring and sheetrock that needs to be replaced. He knowingly has been doing this to avoid the cost of repluming the house and other repairs. I just wanted a comfortable home for my husband to live out the last of his days and it seems I have a target on my back for so many barriers. It will be so hard to move and pay deposits because Im sure he is not going to give it back or the extra rent I paid. I am so stressed we loved those chickens and had to give them up to avoid any issues but still got eviction papers. I him $1500.00 a month faithfully with a limited income and dont know how I am going to manage moving. We were at our previous residence 8 years and was hoping to stay longer at a house. I have no family but our kids and neither does my husband. Our families have all passed so any advice or input would be great. I cant afford a lawyer and legal aid never answers phone to apply for assistance. Thank you

 

[Rose Quartz]

Having been in similar housing situations, I'd say relocate. But it's a lot harder to do in your situation.

I dont know that there is anything else you can do. Unfortunately Landlords tend to be like that.

 

[Criticalicious]

I would try calling a few attorneys who offer free initial consultations and who handle landlord/eviction matters. Instead of legal aid, you can call the local bar association and ask for a free referral. Don't give them the long story - get to the point quickly. Just say you're on limited income and you need a referral for an attorney who handles these kinds of cases. They'll give you some names to call, maybe ask if the attorneys take pro bono cases.

Document EVERYTHING on paper. Phone calls and personal interactions included, with dates and times and a description of what was said or done. Get all the paperwork you have, together in one place and organized. Take pictures or videos of the house. If the landlord says he sent plumbers, ask him for names and receipts or invoices (i.e., proof) of the work that was done. Tell him you are getting a lawyer involved. I assume you have a signed written lease and if the landlord isn't upholding his end, he may be in breach of contract.

Every state's laws are different though, and only an attorney can help advise you on your options. Maybe if you add your location to your profile, we can help you find more resources.

 

[Champ2475]

I am getting all the information together. I got served on the 30th. My court date for the eviction is febuary 10. So I have been trying to get on legal aid, asked lawyers for advice but no one in my area in nueces county corpus christi tx will help and make a move without paying money etc. Its the time to get all these things arranged that is the problem. Then when i go to court it is not going to matter nor are they going to want to hear all the circumstances that lead up to the eviction because they are only going to address the unauthorized pets and fees that the landlord is using to evict me. My defense is that in our county chickens and livestock are not considered pets. Your allowed 7 chickens. The problems from the house repairs and the other money he is trying to keep I don't think they are going to address. They are going to say I have to file a small claims suit to present that case. The judges are mean down here which I don't get. There is a dillusion that you can just go up to a court be honest and say what happened. In my experience I get judges for instance, to pay a ticket, I have limitied funds and what I said previously. So I ask to get a payment plan or assistance of some sort and the judge gave me one. But he scolded me in court by saying I'm telling you I come first, I don't care if you don't eat, i dont care if you have no electricity, i dont care if you get evicted, if you miss paying me I will send a warrant for you arrest. Because it wont matter if you in jail cuz all that stuff wont get paid anyway. So I dont trust in the system, they treat you like dog ****, Embarass and belittle you because you ask for instance. Another time I went to court thinking I am going to take him the safety course certificate and and take care of whatever. The judge said No im not going to take that and your not getting credit for that. I really thought he was joking and said really are you kidding? Oh boy he screamed at me and said, Did I order you to do this, unless I order it someone like you with your record doesnt deserve any credits. I was in shock and embarraseed. I started flipping through the computer as if I had 10 dwi's. I really pushed his button when I said I did think my record is so bad I know so many with way worse. I had 5 tickets from the same day and 4 more from another year no more than 10 tickets or so. I tell him this and they were for speeding just no inspection, no insurance, no tags, expired liscence etc. He says its still breaking the law. I said I understand but your not listening to why i could pay, my father shot my husband, the day my daughter was born we were a new couple, he was a promoted to forement, I had been with heb for 4 years. etc The car was impounded because of the incident my husband was severely injured with my step mom and her brother because my dad had a pyhcotic breakdown. I literally took ten day off and had to go back to work my husband was replaced and i had to walk to work everyday for my husband and child to recouperate etc. Then to have someone scream and yell at me spitting and everything as if I was Charles Manson. I m so sorry, I dont get to vent sometimes I don't know why i wake up somedays. But it is my kids and grandkids that make me go on. Even if I have a target on my back from everyone. I hope and pray it works out for me and I dont get evicted but I have had many worse challanges. I find solace in all these barriers knowing Im not the only one to go through these things and pray for the one that has a bigger fight. I appreciate you comment it is helpful to hear from an outside opinion. My husband and I don't have relatives to consult but a few distanct aunt, cousins. All have passed and are in heaven.

 

[aart]

My husbands nurse suggested I get chicken to help with food because she iis aware of the appetite of my 3 grandsons.

Sorry for your plethora of troubles.
Keeping chickens is not less expensive than buying eggs and chicken meat.

 

[Champ2475]

Sorry for your plethora of troubles.
Keeping chickens is not less expensive than buying eggs and chicken meat.

I would get eggs from the egg company for 25.00 a case and they lasted us almost a month. The chickens really helped the boys learn to be responsible and caring. They learned where there food comes from and that even chickens have personalities. The eggs where so much better tasting. We did a science project at home and compared the difference. We eat a lot of breakfast and the most I got out of it was they kept the weeds down on the fence line which saved me pain and suffering from that back breaking work. I only have to mow 1 or 2 times a month and not spray yard and putting weed killer. That is my favorite part. It gaves us a lot of family time and fun times watching them chase them around. That part is priceless.

 

[Criticalicious]

It sounds like perhaps you've already reached out to these sources? https://statelaws.findlaw.com/texas-law/free-legal-aid-in-corpus-christi.html
I'm sorry you're in Texas. It shouldn't be this way, but judges in general tend to be more respectful if you're represented by an attorney. An attorney can make deals and threaten further legal action to protect your rights.