I have a landlord teanant issue in the state of Georgia I have lived in this home for 5 yrs paid rent on time except for 3 times when was beyond my ability
For the last 8 months the front window of my home has been broken from a robbery while I was in the hospital there was a police report made by my roomates which the landlord didn't follow up on saying it would raise her insurance now 8 months later I'm being forced to make her fix it by social services so I messaged her and said she has to fix the window before she can receive her rent money that the worker says we have waited long enuff for her to fix it.

She wrote me back pissed threating my family with eviction and saying she is going to raise the rent can she do either of these things ?There is more to this if you need more info

Hello ms:

I assume you're on a month to month rental. Therefore, she can raise the rent with 30 days written notice or evict you with the same 30 day notice. Unless I'm wrong about your agreement, there's nothing more I need to know.

excon

My lease hasn't been renewed after the first year we been going on a month to month I guess since then I just texted her the request to fix the window this morning and her response back was to raise my rent to 600 and tell me I have to make my sis and her kids leave they been here 6 months with her permission

Sorry to tell you, but how long you have lived there has no bearing on this. Nor your past payment history. Without a current signed written lease in effect. They could raise your rent every month if they want until you can't pay and you get evicted and put out on the street by the sheriff's office.. They could also give you notice that they want you to move, according to the local laws, meaning you could be informed that you have 30 days to leave... and you have no choice.

As excon stated... this is how it is. You have the choice to accept and pay it, or give them your 30 day notice and find someplace else to live. Better start looking now and do it on your terms and your timeline than wait for the notice and have to rush into another agreement elsewhere.

Hello again, ms:

It's as I said above. On a month to month rental, the landlord can change ANYTHING with 30 days written notice.. That you had permission for your family BEFORE, makes no difference NOW. Apparently she isn't giving you WRITTEN notice, so you can probably string it along for a month or so based on that.. But, in the end, your rent is going up, and your relatives will have to leave.

excon

Sounds like you had a good deal --- cheap rent and you were allowed to have several extra people to live there... when I had cheap rent, I fixed my own broken window (just broken glass, and not the frame too).
I would see if you can do so now, and stay.

As noted you have to weigh the cost of fixing the window yourself with the cost of the new rent and other problems. But it may be too late for that. Your location is also working against you. While most states have laws against landlord retaliation GA does not.

I'm curious, however, about this comment:

I'm being forced to make her fix it by social services

What do you mean forced? Have you discussed the landlord's reaction with your social worker? Social Services may be able to do something to help so talk with your social worker. Whatever happens, I would start looking for a new place to live. This slumlord is not going to make it easy for you in the future.

I am disabled and so is my sister we both have workers who noticed the window and noticed it hasn't been fixed in 8 months they told me I have to tell her or they will report it as a code violation granted the length of time it hasn't been fixed has been on me cause I haven't put my foot down and I know she has been having problems but I figured she would get it fixed sooner then later by the way my rent is not cheap 600 for this neighborhood is above average but the utilites in this county are atrocious

So do you rent under Section 8? Many landlords avoid renting because of the strict rules. Then you are out on the street or in shelters until you can find public senior/disabled housing, usually a long wait.
That is why many people get a young person to replace glass or whatever - it doesn't cost much.
Maybe not fair, but look at it this way - you aren't supposed to have extra people in there under Section 8, are you? And it's a rare landlord that allows it anyway.

So I don't think you really understood the 'exchanges' we all make in life.

You have Roommates, yet you are on a Section 8 voucher... how exactly does that work. I thought that was not allowed under the rules. You report the landlord... he reports you for havign other people living there, you loose your voucher, landlord gets to find new tenants since they own the property. Don't see how you will not be on the losing end here.

No I am not on section 8 I pay market rent the social worker and nurses we are involved with are part of the senior and disabled program here in ga I was having problems with my rent because the worker put my older sis in a home till the plumbing got fixed here it wasn't safe for her so the landlord agreed to allow my younger sis to move in to help me pay the rent

OK... so section 8 isn't involved in any way. Thanks for clearing that part up.

But the fact remains... you are month to month without an unexpired lease... and the landlord can raise the rent high enough you can't pay it and you leave... or they can simply give you 30 day notice to vacate.

While I really do have sympathy for the difficult situation you and your sister are in (I've actually been worse off at one point so I do know what its like)... that really doesn't have any bearing on this situation. Property rental is a business, one that's meant to make money for the property owner, They have a lot of laws to follow, but they are also have the freedom to do a lot of things.

A window pane is cheap.. if push comes to shove... you are going to lose in the end. Yes we do understand what SHOULD happen... but without an unexpired lease contract... the landlord can say they no longer want to rent to you and there would be nothing you could do.

If your water heater died...water pipes burst....furnace died...that's a very different thing.

In fact a broken window....they can charge you for out of the security deposit. Its not considered normal wear and tear, but damage.

I once had to replace the front door lock assembly on an apartment I was renting because it got broken when someone broke in. Didn't like it, but I had to pay to replace it.

Do you have renter's insurance? That should have covered it. But as smoothy has said it is all immaterial. Since you are on a month to month lease you have little leverage.

You didn't answer whether you have told your social worker what the landlord's reaction was.

I have had many rental houses in Georgia, and guess what, the owners insurance has nothing to do with this. You as a renter, are suppose to have "renters insurance" and if you have any losses, you claim it on your insurance. Normally the landlord only has some basic fire and liability coverage, and has no coverage on contents.

As for a broken window, you do not know how many times my renters would break a window and try to claim someone else did it. ( I know it happens, but a landlord hears so many lies, they don't really care any more)

I have always made my renters pay for broken windows, and almost every landlord I know, makes the renters pay for them.

So you should have just fixed the windows, with the help of the people living there, and went on with life.

By forcing the landlord to do it, (not sure how you did, you could have never forced me) you made them mad. So welcome to the world of payback.

First off as I said it was a robbery secondly when it happened I was in the hospital there was a police report made and guy was caught 3rd I offered after I got out to pay half the cost of the window seeing as I knew both she the landlord and I were in finicial binds that's why I waited so long to even force the issue and probably still wouldn't have if the social worker hadn't forced it you sound as if I should be grateful that I have this broken down home at 600 a month when I only get 733 a month with me and my sister we barely make the 1400 rent and utilities renters insurance is a luxery I cant afford I'm barely keeping the roof over my head
I don't mind paying for something I broke or even one of the kids broke but we didn't break it by the way thanks for all the info everyone I talked to the landlord today as she was fixing the window since my sis has been paying she is giving her the 60 days notice it would take to change the lease or ask her and I to leave I'm too damn old to be moving around I had hoped this would have been my permenent resting spot

You know what I want to retract what I said in my last message I am grateful for my rundown home as run down as it may be it still provides a roof over my head there are others less fortunate then I like I said before thank you for the info I guess I will just handle everything one day at a time thanks again

I apologize for sounding like this was all on you. I thought you were paying 600 for the whole place for 2 women and how many kids... now you say it's 1400??? Not clear!

What Chuck is saying is that regardless of WHY the window was broken, Damage like that is often the responsibility of the tenant. It should have been covered by your renter's insurance (renter's insurance is relatively cheap, have you checked the cost of policies?). If you do not pay for insurance, then you have to be able to cover things like this. Did she give your sis 60 days in writing? Everything needs to be in writing! Any notice is not official until its put into writing.

I'm just curious what were you paying before she decided to raise it to $600?

The rent is 600 the utilities in this county are averaging 2 to 400 for gas and eletric which I have been paying in full I pay home first as I do not ever want to be on the streets again like I said I had no problem pitchin in on half of the window being fixed as it was a robbery damn thing only cost 40 bucks she said my problem was with the raise in rent and the kicking out of my sis and her kids after they been helping me pay rent I guess I just got in my emotions when it came to my family no it wasn't written notice but I will get that I do have anthoer question though she wants me to renew a lease but I'm not sure I can obligate to any lease right now with my older sis health declineing and the younger one leaving in 60 days I don't want to be bound by a lease I rely on their income to keep this home if if one or the other were to leave or be placed back in a nursing home I would be up creek is there a remedy to the lease I can suggest to her the landlord

Scotttgem the lease started at 600 but had lawn care which we are responsible for I wasn't able to do the care so she lowered it to 560 to use the 40 to get lawn care done which was cool if you can find someone to do this park size yard for 40 bucks a month in the end I paid 560 rent and got my first barter roomy with her permission room in exchange for lawn work it worked out for that summer till that summer storms hit trees fell and he didn't want the job anymore

OK, so it doesn't appear to be an onerous raise.

As for the lease issue, a lease protects both of you. But if you fear not being able to afford the house, ask for an early termination clause or a clause that requires 60 day notice to vacate. That would protect her if you have to move earlier, byt giving her time to find a new tenant and protect you, by allowing you to move without obligating you for the balance of the lease.

Cool OK I will do that

Hello again, m:

The considerations you have for NOT extending, and/or rewriting the lease with your present landlord, are going to be the SAME when you're looking for a new place. It sounds like your landlord has softened a bit on her stance.. If you can negotiate at all, I'd certainly try here.

excon