Articles: House Or Apartment

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. When it was time to move out, there were a few carpet stains, but they were confined to one room.  I was charged $200 for an overall cleaning of the apartment, plus $1,000 to replace all the carpet in the apartment. Can the apartment complex do that?  When I spoke with them, they said that their carpet is five years old, and when they replace it, they replace all of it, but that I was given a break and charged a discounted rate.  This doesn’t sound right to me. What do you think?  

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?

Dear Consumer Ed:  My phone company has offered to give me a lower rate on my phone service if I switch to something called VOIP.  What in the world is that?  Will my phone work if the power goes out?