Articles: House Or Apartment

Dear Consumer Ed:  Our apartment lease is up at the end of this month, but our landlord is requiring that we leave the utilities on for five days after our lease expires for the move-out inspection. Can they require us to pay for utilities almost a week beyond the end of our lease?

Dear Consumer Ed:  I told my mortgage lender that I would prefer to pay my property taxes in full each year instead of having a portion rolled into my monthly mortgage payments and held in escrow. Are they allowed to charge me a fee if I do that?

Dear Consumer Ed:  By law, is it the landlord’s responsibility to provide a fire extinguisher and smoke detectors in the apartment? 

Dear Consumer Ed:  I am having difficulty getting a price list for all services and fees from my cable company. When I ask for this information they just try to sell me packages that include phone service I don’t want and equipment I don’t need.

Dear Consumer Ed:  I just received a certified letter stating that my family and I need to move out of our rented home in 60 days. The landlord wants to sell the home, but I have a signed lease that doesn’t expire for another six months.

Dear Consumer Ed:  I moved into an apartment and paid a pet fee since I have a small dog.

Dear Consumer Ed:  I received an insurance solicitation in the mail saying that the water pipes on my property are my responsibility and not the responsibility of the county. The letter contained an offer to purchase insurance on the water pipes in case they ever burst or got damaged.

Dear Consumer Ed:  I hired a company to repair my roof after it sustained some damage.  They did some of the work, but never finished the job.  It’s been three weeks now.  I have tried calling them and they won’t return my calls.  What can I do now?

Dear Consumer Ed:  I own a timeshare in Mexico. A company in Georgia said they could help me sell it for a fee. I’m a little leery about this. How do I know it’s not a scam?  

Dear Consumer Ed:  In the state of Georgia how much time do landlords have to inspect and give you an itemized list of damages after you move out of an apartment?  To refund the security deposit?  Are there treble damages in Georgia if they break the rules?