I would call the Conservation Fund this is a big part of what they do. There will definitely be someone there that can give you an idea on this. Good luck. Link below

Winnowing - you don't really want to leave your cozy home where your kitty is so happy and you have your independence, do you? Having been a frequent apartment renter and now, finally, a house owner, I can tell you that there is no comparison. I am also now a landlord, having inherited my mother's home in another state, which is managed for me by professionals. I echo what others have said about your light problem. Try going to your landlord and asking him if he would be willing to repaint the interior of your house. If not, then ask him if you may do it yourself. Paint it a light but warm cream/ivory color throughout, after showing him the intended color. The heck with the loud, fashionable colors - nothing opens up a house like light walls. Paint the ceilings slightly lighter than the walls. This will lift and enlarge the rooms. Then hang some mirrors opposite various windows. You'll be amazed at how they also enlarge the room. If possible, have a lamp next to or in front of the mirror; this will almost double the reflected light. Light bulbs don't use lots of electricity, so you can leave some lamps on during the day when you're home. I don't know what your budget is, but also consider your window treatments. They should also be fairly light in color. The Country Curtains catalog has a very large selection of inexpensive window treatments. Other than plain light curtains, etc., you could consider light-toned florals and/or ticking stripes, which look very sharp, but also light in tone and attitude at the same time! Now - doesn't that sound better than uncertain neighbors with noisy kids and barking dogs?

An Application to rent is a pre-qualifying measure, a screening tool. That's the phase where references and credit are typically checked and verified, etc. Some places charge an Application fee, others don't. A Lease is an entirely different document. That's the legally binding contract that spells out the terms and conditions for renting a specific location for a specific period of time in exchange for a specified amount of money. If the apartment complex charged an Application fee and you agreed to pay that fee then you could be held responsible for it. (Honestly, tho, sending an App Fee to collections seems like a lot of trouble to go through, because collection agencies charge for their services. But some places are sticklers about things like that.) If it's a nominal amount (e.g. $50) it would cost more to get a lawyer to fight it than to just pay it. If that's the case, talk to the collection agency a.s.a.p. Just because something has gone to a collection agency does not mean it's hit your credit report (yet). If you make arrangements to pay, and take care of it, then you have an opportunity to keep it off your credit report. If you don't pay, odds are good it will land on your credit report. (You can check and see the status of your credit for free by going to annualcreditreport.com. No gimmicks, it's a site endorsed by the federal government. Federal law allows consumers one free credit report per year from each of the 3 credit bureaus.) If, however, they are trying to charge you rent, but you never signed an actual Lease, that's definitely worth seeking legal advice.

Trust me on this--this is a 'bat your head against the wall' situation. You CANNOT change your parents. You CANNOT change your brother. All you can do right now is step back, see the situation for what it is and realize that your parents are going to give this deadbeat whatever he wants, for the rest of his life, and there will be nothing for you, ever. If you speak to professionals in the field, they'll tell you it's common for parents to over and over again put the 'needs' of a deadbeat child over the good of their other children and even ahead of what's good for them (the parents). Parents will often let one child bleed them dry. And oh yes, they will from time to time go to one of their other children, complaining about the drain on their finances--BUT they rarely really want any help. And if you do attmept to push them to do the right thing--guess who will be wrong and will be on the outs with the family? You. Not only have I seen many other families go through this same scenario, but let me tell you about DH's family. His one sister has always been a taker. She's got all sorts of explanations as to why she needs money--mind you, her husband has a very high position with the government and has made 6 figures for years. Anyway, this deadbeat, over the years, has gotten her parents to pay for: her kids' braces, her cars, her appliances, new roof for her house, and dozens of other stuff. FIL and MIL used to go to DH, complaining about the drain on their finances. DH would get all upset, worried for them, and make good suggestions. They didn't want to hear anything reasonable. Eventually, that SIL finagled and got control over their finances. the stress she put FIL under killed him way too early. Then she STOLE over a quarter of a million $$$ from MIL (who by that time had Alzheimer's). Cost us $20,000 so far in forensic accounting and legal fees to stop the hemmorage of $$$$. It's been 7 years, and the case still hasn't been completely resolved. And honestly? There's no money left in the estate for the rest of the children to inherit. I don't care if I NEVER get any money from someone else's death--that's not really how I choose to make $$$, but darn it, it's grossly unfair for one child to steal the estate from the others. If I knew in my eary 20's what I understand now about these family relationships, we would NOT have allowed ourselves to be victimized the way we were. We would have walked away years ago. I know that sounds cold, but we batted our heads against the wall for 35 years, always doing the right thing, never taking a penny from anyone that wasn't ours, and none of it was appreciated. ever. I know this isn't the advice you want to hear, but truly, the best thing you can do for yourself, is to handle your own fiances responsibly. To protect them from others, and to make up your mind that if your parents choose to give away their money now, to a child who should be able to pay his own way, they ARE NOT your responsibility in the future, when they are down and out because of it. Do not feel guilty if they come to you for help later in life and you feel you need to turn them down. They made their choices, it's not up to you to pay the consequences for others mistakes, truly.