Property Tax Relief for Seniors and Veterans with Disabilities
Georgia law provides property tax and school tax benefits to senior citizens and to veterans with disabilities. Please be aware that this web page gives only a general description of the Georgia tax benefits. Your situation may be different enough so that the general rules will not apply.
By: Elder Law Committee of State Bar of Georgia
Recognizing Foreclosure Rescue Scam in English and Spanish Recognizing Foreclosure Rescue Scam in English and Spanish
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
Repairs and Mechanics' Liens in Georgia
This document discusses repairs and the mechanics' liens that a someone repairing your auto or home can can levy on the property they repaired. The document is excerpted from An Introduction to Law in Georgia, Fourth Edition, published by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, 1998 (updated 2004).
By: Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Reverse Mortgages
(Separate Website)
A reverse mortgage is a loan against your home that you do not have to pay back for as long as you live in your home. With a reverse mortgage, you can turn the value of your home into cash and not have to make monthly repayments. The total loan must be paid back when the last surviving borrower dies, sells the home, or permanently moves away.
Reverse mortgages are quite a bit different from other types of debt. These loans can be complicated, and you have a lot at stake. So be sure to investigate reverse mortgages carefully before deciding if one makes sense for you.
By: AARP Legal Services Network
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
The Making Home Affordable Program
(Separate Website)
Find out if you qualify for the new Making Home Affordable Refinance and Modification options. The Making Home Affordable program will offer assistance to as many as 7 to 9 million homeowners making a good-faith effort to make their mortgage payments, while attempting to prevent the destructive impact of foreclosures on families and communities.
By: financialstability.gov
What You Should Know About Refinancing
(Separate Website)
Refinancing is a process in which you pay off one or more existing debts with a new home loan. If you have perfect credit, refinancing is sometimes a good way to obtain a lower interest rate or to convert a variable rate loan to a fixed rate. However, if you are in the midst of financial difficulties, if you have too much debt, or if you have bad credit, refinancing is loaded with pitfalls. We recommend that you be very careful when refinancing debts. Many refinancing loans hurt consumer. Here are twelve things to consider before refinancing.
By: National Consumer Law Center
Getting the Home you Deserve: Advice for Mobile Home Owners
This document provides information for mobile home owners (also known as manufactured homes) and discusses some of the common problems that mobile home owners face.
How to Buy a Manufactured Home
(Separate Website)
A Consumer's Guide to Today's Manufactured Home
By: Federal Trade Commission
Manufactured Homes Consumer Guide
(Separate Website)
By an act of Congress in 1974, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) was designated as the government agency to oversee the Federal Manufactured Housing Program. The area within HUD responsible for the oversight function is the Office of Regulatory Affairs and Manufactured Housing, Office of Manufactured Housing. Most States have a State Administrative Agency (SAA) that administers the HUD program in that State. A listing of the SAAs can be found in the homeowner's manual that is provided with each new home.
By: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Manufactured Housing and Standards
(Separate Website)
The Manufactured Housing Program is a national HUD program established to protect the health and safety of the owners of manufactured (mobile) homes. These web pages contain inforamtion for consumers and businesses.
By: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Home on Wheels: Helping Mobile Home Owners Stay Put
(Separate Website)
This website discusses the challenges and common problems that mobile home owners face.
By: National Consumer Law Center
How to File a Complaint About a Manufactured or Mobile Home This provides the paperwork and forms needed if you have any complaints about the performance of your manufactured home that have not been resolved by the retailer where you purchased the home or by the manufacturer that produced the home.
Mobile Homes (Answers to Common Questions)
This document contains common questions that people ask about your rights when your mobile home is sitting on property that you rent from a landlord.
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
Rental Property and Satellite Dishes and other Antennas
Federal law prohibits restrictions that keep you from installing, maintaining or using antennas to receive video programming. This rule applies to owned property and to rental property where the renter has exclusive use of the area in which the antenna is installed, such as a balcony or patio. The rule also applies to antennas that receive and transmit fixed wireless signals as long as the antennas meet size limitations on property that they own or rent.
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
Buying a Mobile Home
(Separate Website)
This presentation, available in both Spanish and English, provides information on how to buy a mobile home.
By: Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Information about Public Housing Authorities and their Programs and Apartments
(Separate Website)
HUD's web page for Housing Authority Profiles provides up-to-date general information about Housing Authorities (HAs) in the U.S. , including information about what kinds of housing programs the HAs have, the number of apartments that are for rent, and address and contact information for individual public housing agencies. The information displayed in HA Profiles is maintained/updated by each of the individual public housing agencies. Once you select HA Profiles, select "Georgia" on the pull-down menu to get a list of the public housing authorities in Georgia.
By: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Public Housing Authorities in Georgia
(Separate Website)
This web page contains a list of all of the Public Housing Authorities in Georgia, and includes their telephone and fax numbers, street addresses, web sites and other contact information.
By: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and Public Housing
This document answers common questions about Temporary Assistance to Needy Families and the way the benefits affect a family's rights in Public Housing.
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
Work and Public Housing and TANF Benefits
Information on public housing policies which encourage tenants to work.
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
Grievance Procedure for Public Housing Tenant
This document provides information about the kinds of problems that tenants in public housing deal can address in a grievance procedure and how the procedure works.
By: Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Inc.
Minimum Rent in Public Housing and Housing Accepting Section 8 Vouchers
This document describes the minimum rent requirements in Public Housing and in apartment complexes that accept Section 8 vouchers.
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
Pet Ownership for the Elderly and Disabled in Public Housing
This brochure discusses the pet rules that apply to residents who live in public housing designated for use by the elderly or those with disabilities. A different set of rules apply to residents of general public housing project. These rules do not apply if you are a person with a disability.
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
The Community Service Requirement in Public Housing
Unless exempt, each public housing resident is required to perform 8 hours per month of community service OR participate in economic self-sufficiency activities OR some 8 hour combination of the two. Community service is defined as the performance of voluntary work or duties that are a public benefit, and that serve to improve the quality of life, enhance resident self-sufficiency, or increase resident self-responsibility in the community. Read more about the Community Service Requirement in this document.
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
Basics of Public Housing
This document contains a basic explanation of who is eligible for public housing and what kinds of rights public housing tenants have.
By: Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Inc.
Public Housing Fact Sheet
(Separate Website)
This document answers common questions about public housing, including who is eligible to rent an apartment in public housing, how to apply, how the application process works, and what are the responsibilities of the housing authorities that own and manage the public housing.
By: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Government Subsidized Housing
This document discusses subsidized housing and the rights, duties, and protections as a subsidized housing "tenant."
By: Elder Law Committee of State Bar of Georgia
Read this in:
Korean / 한국어
Brochure on Community Service Requirement in Public Housing This brochure gives information on the new community service requirement for public housing residents.
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
Other Formats:
WPD File
Brochure on Fair Housing Laws The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing based on race or color, national origin, religion, sex , familial status (including children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians; pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18), and handicap (disability).
Other Formats:
WPD File
Differences Between Public Housing and the Voucher Program This document discusses the differences between the Housing Voucher Program and Public Housing.
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
Other Formats:
WPD File
Grandparents with Grandchildren in Public Housing This brochure answers some questions relating to grandparents living in public housing who care for their grandchildren.
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
Other Formats:
WPD File
Minimum Rent In Public Housing: Does it Apply To You? Tenants in public housing or tenants using a section 8 voucher are required to pay a minimum rent which the housing authority can set between $0 and $50. Some PHA?s charge a minimum rent of $0 and some charge a $50 minimum rent. In Section 8 project-based units the minimum rent is rent $25. Each tenant must pay at least the minimum rent, even if they have no income. Effective March 2000, a tenant may request not to pay the minimum rent if they are unable to pay it due to long-term financial hardship
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
Other Formats:
WPD File
Public Housing Tenants Can Keep More of What They Earn Using the Earned Income Disregard In some situations a Public Housing Authority cannot increase a public housing family's rent for a period of 12 months if the increase in income results from some types of earned income
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
Other Formats:
WPD File
Tenants' Rights As a tenant, you have rights, but you also have responsibilities. For your own protection, there are some things you need to do before you even sign the lease, while you are renting and when you move out. There are also things you need to know if your landlord tries to evict you.
By: Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Inc.
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Compare Utility Rates
(Separate Website)
This web site contains information to help you choose the best utility companies in your area. The web site also provides a complaint form if you are having trouble with a company that provides utilities.
By: Georgia Public Service Commission
Consumer Corner for Georgia Utilities (Gas, Electricity, Telephone)
(Separate Website)
This web site contains information about your basic utilities services, including (1) disconnection of gas, electricity and telephone services, (2) how to select utility services providers, (3) how to avoid scams, and (4) consumer savings programs.
By: Georgia Public Service Commission
Fast Facts on Consumer Rights
(Separate Website)
This document provides some quick tips on your rights in certain consumer issues.
By: Barnes Law Group
Telephone Services
(Separate Website)
This web site contains information about telephone services and fraudulent scams for you to avoid.
By: Federal Trade Commission
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Water and Electric Service in Rental Property
This document answers common questions about utilities charges and services in connection with rented property.
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
Georgia Relay - Phone Services for Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Speech-Impaired Georgians
(Separate Website)
The website is for Georgia Relay, a public service that is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to keep Georgians in touch by phone easily and often with their business associates, friends and families. To make a Georgia Relay call, just dial 7-1-1.
By: Georgia Relay 7-1-1
EarnBenefits Online
(Separate Website)
Help with utilities and food stamps
By: Seedco
How To Help Older Americans Avoid Loss Of Utility Services
(Separate Website)
This website provides key sources for assistance, strategies for becoming current on utility bills, and fighting a termination of services.
By: National Consumer Law Center
H.E.A.T. - Heating Energy Assistance Team - Helping Low Income Georgians Meet Their Energy Needs
(Separate Website)
This website discusses the application requirements for receiving H.E.A.T funds and provides helpful conservation tips that explain what you can do today to help lower your energy bills year-round.
By: H.E.A.T. - Heating Energy Assistance Team
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
(Separate Website)
LIHEAP is a federally-funded program to help eligible low income households meet their home heating and/or cooling needs.
By: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Dealing with Utility Companies Regarding Disputed Bills and Utility Deposits
(Separate Website)
This web page will give you some suggestions about how to handle your disputes with your public utility companies about bills and utility deposits.
By: National Consumer Law Center
What to do When Utility Service is Disconnected
(Separate Website)
Loss of utility service is a particularly serious problem for older Americans, who can face serious illness or death from extreme weather conditions. The most frequent reason utility service is disconnected is for nonpayment of the bill. However, because utility service is such a practical necessity of modern life, there are often limits and procedural requirements placed on the ability of a utility to disconnect a customer. This web page examines some measures that advocates for the elderly can take when an client is facing disconnection of utility service.
By: National Consumer Law Center
Utilities Issues
I am considering apartments. What should I consider besides rent in determining how much I can afford?
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
Utilities Issues
When renting an apartment who is responsible for setting up electric, natural gas, telephone, and water service. Who is responsible for the monthly charges?
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
Utilities Issues
I am renting an apartment and am setting up utilities. How much should I budget for security deposits and connection costs?
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
Utilities Issues
Utilities are included in my rent. Is that legal?
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
Utilities Issues
What is master metering and how does it work?
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
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LegalAid-GA.org provides general information only. This is not legal advice and cannot replace legal advice. You can get legal advice only from a lawyer. Deadlines are extremely important in most legal matters. You may lose important legal rights if you do not hire an attorney immediately to advise you. Viewing this web site or sending an e-mail message through this web site does NOT create an attorney-client relationship.
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