The Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation will hold a special clinic in Harrisburg Thursday for storm damage victims.
Mike Fiello with Land of Lincoln, says the clinic will provide a wide range of information about the legal rights of disaster victims. He says one of the most important things for people with storm damage is to be alert to home repair scams. Fiello says it's best to work with a local contractor or with someone who has done work in the area before. He says to always get a written estimate and references. If a contractor does not want to give you references, Fiello says to be very careful of entering into any kind of agreement.
Fiello says another important area is mortgage or rent responsibility for damaged or uninhabitable property. He says most of the time you are still responsible for making your monthly payments. He says it's entirely possible for a mortgage holder to foreclose because of lapsed payments. He says it's important to contact your mortgage company or landlord and try and work out an agreement.
Fiello says most legal documents, such as birth certificates and car titles are fairly easy to replace... but some documents such as wills or other advanced directives require the original and may need to be redone.
The clinic takes place on Thursday at the Harris-Pruett Building on East Church Street in Harrisburg. Session are scheduled for 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm. The clinic is free and open to the public.
