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Lease Amended mid-term - Smoking policy

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BoltZzz

Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Maine

I live in senior/disabled housing in the state of maine.
Under pressure from a special interest group, not state law, the
housing authority amended everyones lease (no matter where they were in the term)
Stating that there is to be no smoking in the units and first offense is
an immediate eviction. They started the policy by handing out a form
to all tenants that needed to be signed. On this form, it was
stated that a failure to sign the form would result in the tenant
having to move within thirty days. no one was grandfathered.

They stated the main goal was to protect us from ourselves, yet
the very handicapped and elderly population they aimed at
are the same ones that now, in wheelchairs, walkers, and using canes,
have to limp out onto the sidewalk in the winter to smoke.

On further investigation they actually did it because they were handed tax breaks
and insurance premium adjustments.

Was this done in the right way? I thought the purpose of a lease was
to protect the LL, AND the Tenant.

Is there any counter-measures that can be taken, including court?

My main fear, is now that they have succesfully dictated the way
we will live in our private home, what is coming down the pike next?

Seems the only reason they got away with it so easily is because
the population is subsidized and depend on the housing authority.
 


xylene

Senior Member
The time to contest this would be at the time they asked you to sign.

I also suspect the provision for agreeing to immediate eviction is not fully legal under your states landlord tenant law.
 

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