So, yesterday I received another surprise ~ an eviction notice from my landlord.

UPDATE: I spoke with legal counsel over the phone today and it was very reassuring. He felt that the court date should be dropped now that I have a ZERO balance. I still haven't heard from my landlord!! But I'm still holding my breath until this is all over.... send prayers my way so that my Mom and I can stay put and comfortable :-)

I agree with GardenArtist. Finding free legal advice is very important. Some legl clinics may charge on a sliding scale or pro bono (free).Make sure you have all your documentation, including notes about your correspondence witb the landlord. Yes, there are probably special services associated with seniors. Whatever you do find advice/assistance with your eviction. Eviction can be a tricky process. Hope thimgs work out.

Babalou; My one brother that is causing all the trouble, I think wants to lock her up and throw away the key and then also prevent me from ever seeing her! I'm not sure he's educated himself on the expense. A memory care unit in SW MI will run between $5,000 to $6,000 a month ~ I don't believe he has thought that through.
My intent is not to not allow them to see her. The one and only time they asked to come by was when all three of them were together. I told them they could come and see her individually but not all together because all three of them was too much for her and they always left her in tears. Absolutely they can see her, but since Sept. 1st none of them have attempted to visit or call. They can come over and I will leave them alone with Mom to talk to her by just going in another room.
JazzyFox61; I am at the point of having to get someone involved. I have my contact at Adult Protective Services but he just gives me advice. I am going to look for a lawyer for my mom, and have to get one for myself for the eviction notice. It's wearing me down.
Cat; Hopefully I can get to the bottom of this instant and 'out of the blue' eviction notice; it is so not like them. No, I did not notify them that she is there but my lease indicates that no more than 2 people can live in this house so I should be OK. Plus, until I go to court with my brother over guardianship I don't know where she will be. If that is settled that she can be with me there; then I will let them know. Oh, and I live in southwest MI and am hoping there are some senior laws that will help me. My mom has mid-stage Alzheimer's that is progressing.
GardenArtist; Love all of your help and suggestions. I have to get a hold of them all today as my eviction date is this Friday, 9/25. And I want to get a lawyer for my mom to support her rights in the guardianship case. He is also trying to become her conservator but Mom always had her brother listed for that. This brother is so dead to me now - causing all this stress and making me jump through so many hoops. I intend to get her lock changed on her apartment, just haven't had the time to contact the company and get permission for their maintenance guy to do it. Mom was home when he took the key and some of her paperwork. She kept an extra key in a pitcher and bowl set in her spare bedroom for when her brother from CA visited so he could come and go and that is the one he took. She was living in her own apartment until 8/31 when we turned a corner with her disease and I took her to my place and enrolled her in adult day care. They are more than welcome to visit, but not sure they want to anymore. They didn't visit her hardly at all when she lived in her own place and have not contacted me to say they were coming over. It's up to them and I get the idea they are going to try to use this in court; but they have not asked to come see her either. I'm going to check out all your links now and get the ball rolling. Thank you!
freqflyer; Yes, mom has Alzheimer's/Dementia and has had it for a couple of years, but we finally turned the corner where she needed 24/7 care. I have her on a wait list at an Assisted Living facility so I'm hoping to be able to take care of her until then. And yes, it is very hard. Mom and I are trying to split expenses and did pretty good this past weekend. Like; I bought the shampoo, she bought the conditioner (both same price), etc. Your right about what worked in the past, may not work now; I'm hoping to be able to overcome this! I don't think my mom's care is the issue with the landlord; but I do find the timing and the extreme of eviction suspicious. Two of my brothers used to work at the company and I have a gut instinct that this brother had a hand in this, he is evil and filled with hate for some reason and just wants me to suffer! I know that sounds rough and unbelievable, but I just have a feeling.
I really love all the helpful advice since I have no-one to turn to and feel like things are spinning out of control right now ~ thanks for listening :-)

Deborah7, I've read your profile and was glad to read that you have your Mom in adult day care so you can go to work. I see from your post above that you had moved your Mom in with you where prior she was living in Independent Living. May I ask why you moved your Mom to your place? Was it due to her Alzheimer's/Dementia? That is a lot to carry on your plate.

Is your Mom helping you out with the added expenses, such as help pay for groceries, etc. from her social security? Eating a lot of hot dogs and soup isn't good for anyone. That just proves that you need to find something more affordable.

When corporations own rental buildings, they either do their own property management or they hire out to a sub-contractor to collect the rent and do the maintenance. What worked in the past for you might not work for you today. Even being one day late in rent can throw a speed bump for the landlord.

Again, no landlord/corporation is going to pay any attention to your brother and whatever issues he might have regarding your Mom's care.

Deborah, Cat's post gave me some ideas I hadn't thought of before.

1. The Elder Law of Michigan is an agency that offers guidance and sometimes direct assistance to seniors in need. Call them first thing Monday about both issues (a) the eviction and (b) the attempt by your brother to obtain guardianship.

http://www.elderlawofmi.org/

They provide a free legal advice service for income qualified seniors. Be prepared to (a) provide a brief summary description of the issues on which you seek help, and (b) your mother's monthly SS income. An intake person will gather information, locate appropriate attorneys and someone will call you back in a few day or so.

You can also ask about other programs for which your mother might qualify, including eviction protection. An elderly statute addressing a variety of issues was passed, I think in the last few years. There may be a provision which prevents eviction of a senior citizen.

And be sure to get information on your brother's attempt to obtain guardianship and how you should address this.

2. If your electrical service is provided by DTE, they have senior programs which equal out the anticipated monthly costs so that you pay a flat rate every month. That avoids summer and spikes in electrical usage. I believe Consumers Energy has a similar program for heat. That might help with the high heating costs.

3. The Michigan State Bar has a listing of pro bono services. This is the list for Berrien County, Michigan:

http://www.michbar.org/public_resources/legalaid

Someone might be able to even provide 1 free court appearance for the guardianship hearing.

4. Ask the landlord to change the lock for your mother's apartment. I'm also wondering how he was able to steal the key? Was your mother at home then?

That raises another question, though. Is your mother living with you now, but when the key was stolen she was living in a separate apartment?

5. In the meantime, work out a program by which the brothers can visit individually, and plan to be there at those times.

You can buy time to find a new place to live, but ultimately you will need to find one. What state are you in, is your mother on the rental agreement or did you notify hem when she moved in and became a tenant? Get all of your information together along with proof of payment for the # years you rented from them and start searching for an advocate - usually through a housing agency, or city progran to help you negotiate a compromise with the corporation / your landlord. Keep the issue of your brother separate from the issue of seeing safe affordable housing for you both. Depending on what state you are in housing programs vary. You did not mention what is wrong with your mother and why she needs care - let us know what the living situation is, how much you can reasonably pay for a place and what your mom's special needs are. Reach out to your local area agency on aging and look for senior housing where you may be more secure as you care for your mom. Hang in there and share - I know many on this site will have resources depending on which state you are in. As far as your brother goes - compartmentalize your issues with him and what he wants to do. Stress will reduce you to inaction and you cannot afford to lose your housing. Seniors and disabled have rights, most states have laws that will afford you some level of protection.

Is it possible to get a third party involved here? Family Services or Social Services? It sounds as if you could use some help.

Do your brother's feel that mom belongs in a facility with 3 shifts of professional caregivers?

Not allowing you brothers to see your mom at all COULD be construed as abuse. I'm sorry you're having such a rough time. But can you work full time and provide adequate care for your mom?

msdiva; yes I was by less than one month, which I took care of yesterday.
freqflyer; I do pay every month. He set it up so I could pay (for the month) twice a month so as not to deplete all my money at once. I also recognize that they have bills too. A corporation owns at least 12+ homes in my area and I have rented from them for 14 years now. He has always worked with me before; this came out of the blue!
Babalou; I know about upsetting my mom and she is more sensitive to my feelings now. I had a good cry while she was in the shower and couldn't hear or see me. It WAS my brother who called APS, he also called the police to do a welfare check, and he is taking me to court for guardianship of her. So suspecting that he has had a hand in this is not speculation. He is mean and hateful and getting more so all the time. He told my mom's brother that he did all of these things, and he stole a key to my mom's place and was seen exiting her apartment by the neighbor there. My place is not that unaffordable; I am frugal, shop at Aldi's (eat a lot of hotdogs & soup) and have not bought clothes or shoes in at least 5 years. Up until recently I worked three part time jobs. What is difficult is the heat in the winter and I've tried to get help with that and can't or don't qualify.
GardenArtist; Thank you. I am forced to come up with a solution now. Not sure if I would qualify for section 8, but have Mom living with me too! You are right about working on what I CAN control. It's just that every time I think we are on a roll and can work on day by day issues another surprise comes my way. In the past three weeks I have had too much; I'm breaking down; loosing sleep, and getting sick ~ which does no-one good.
Thanks everyone; please don't judge me too harshly ~ this caring for my mom is all new and I'm learning, plus end up spending a lot of my money on stuff for her ~ we're getting it worked out and learning together!

I agree with FF and Babalou. Spend your time figuring out a way to address the solution rather than suspecting the brothers are involved. There's enough to worry about without injecting speculation into the mix.

I can't imagine any landlord taking management advice from someone's family.

I think it's also appropriate to start some long range planning to ensure that you don't fall behind on your rent again. What resources do you have to maintain that apartment? If the rent is too much of a challenge, it might be appropriate to consider something lower, perhaps Section 8 or subsidized housing.

I think you'll find that once you start working on the problem, the concern about what the brothers might be doing behind the scenes will lessen and you can focus more on the issues at hand.

Good luck; I hope you feel better quickly.

Deborah; Yes, I think you need to find someplace that is more affordable. Second, you need not to get upset and cry in front of your mom; I know that is easier said than done, but getting someone with dementia upset is not good for them, as you well know. Third, I think you should lay off thinking that your brother is doing you dirt all the time. Probably not him who called APS, probably not him who had Anything to do with the landlord. Talk to the landlord. Find out if you can buy a month's time.

Deborah, Landlords wants to have limited vacancies in their buildings so I really doubt your brother would have any influence over your Landlord.

This sounds like a case where you have been late on your rent too many times and the Landlord wants a tenant who pays on time. Don't forget, the Landlord has bills, too... mortgage payments, insurance, property taxes, water/sewer bills, maintenance costs, etc.

It might be time to look for a more affordable place to live where you can pay on time.

Are u behind on ur rent or something what is the reason why they are evicting you