§ 47-18-5402. Marketing of foreclosure-related rescue services -- Agreements and cancellation rights.

TN Code § 47-18-5402 (2019) (N/A)
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(a) In the course of offering or providing foreclosure-related rescue services, no foreclosure-rescue consultant shall:

(1) Engage in any unfair, misleading, or deceptive acts or practices during the course of advertising, marketing, offering, selling or contracting for foreclosure-related services;

(2) Engage in or initiate foreclosure-related rescue services without first executing a written agreement with the homeowner for foreclosure-related rescue services;

(3) Solicit, charge, receive or attempt to collect or secure payment, directly or indirectly, for foreclosure-related rescue services before completing or performing all services contained in the agreement for foreclosure-related rescue services;

(4) Induce or attempt to induce any consumer to enter into a contract or agreement that does not fully comply in all respects with this part; or

(5) Fail to accept and honor a consumer's request to cancel and provide any related refunds within ten (10) business days.

(b) The written agreement for foreclosure-related rescue services required by subdivision (a)(1) shall be printed in at least 12-point uppercase type and shall be signed by both parties. The agreement shall include the name, physical address, telephone number and electronic mail address of the person providing foreclosure-related rescue services, the exact nature and specific detail of each service to be provided, the total amount and terms of charges to be paid by the homeowner for the services and the date of the agreement. The date of the agreement shall not be earlier than the date the homeowner signed the agreement. The foreclosure-rescue consultant shall give the homeowner a copy of the agreement to review not less than one (1) business day before the homeowner is to sign the agreement.

(c) The homeowner has the right to cancel the written agreement without any penalty or obligation if the homeowner cancels the agreement within three (3) business days after signing the written agreement. The right to cancel may not be waived by the homeowner or limited in any manner by the foreclosure-rescue consultant. If the homeowner cancels the agreement, any payments that have been given to the foreclosure-rescue consultant shall be returned to the homeowner within ten (10) business days after receipt of the notice of cancellation.

(d) An agreement for foreclosure-related rescue services shall contain, immediately above the signature line, a statement in at least 12-point uppercase type that substantially complies with the following:

(e) The inclusion of the statement in subsection (d) does not prohibit the foreclosure-rescue consultant from giving the homeowner more time in which to cancel the agreement than is set forth in the statement; provided, that all other requirements of this section are met.

(f) The foreclosure-rescue consultant shall give the homeowner a copy of the signed agreement within three (3) hours after the homeowner signs the agreement.

(g) Any contract or agreement for foreclosure-related services that does not contain the provisions set forth in this section shall be void and unenforceable as a matter of law and public policy.