>In her State there are very few renters rights.He can enter without
>notice, anytime.
 
Not true -- according to the State of TN website:
http://www.state.tn.us/consumer/question.html#landlordtenant
 
Q: Can my landlord enter my home whenever he/she wants?
 
A: No.  However, the Landlord and Tenant law states that the tenant
cannot unreasonably deny the landlord permission to enter their home in
order to inspect the premises, make repairs, etc.  In case of emergency,
the landlord can enter the tenants home without their permission.
 
 > ... He may harm them
 
As a general legal principle, if pets are not mentioned in the lease,
then he can't come along after the fact and say they're not allowed
(though if it is a month-to-month lease, he can change the lease
conditions with one month's notice).  Pets are considered personal
property, and it is just as illegal to harm them as it is for him to go
in and trash your furniture.  (WE know there's a huge difference between
pets/family and pets/possessions, but it's not reflected in the law).
But if she feels they are being threatened, she can get an injunction
against him harming them.
 
If I were her, I'd want to get out of there, but it shouldn't be in a
panic.  Here is the webpage for the legal aid society of Tennesee, run
by the Tennessee Bar Association, listing the Memphis office.
 
http://www.tba.org/LawBytes/T1_1002.html#Anchor-Memphis-32974
 
And here is the Renter's resource center for Tennesee:
http://directory.tenantsunion.org/tennessee.html
 
Hope this helps.
 
Disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer (but I've done paralegal work).  This is not
legal advice, merely an indication of where legal advice is available for
low or no fees.
 
Claire
<and Sam Frankie and Missy, who definitely aren't lawyers).
[Posted in FML issue 4116]