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
Housing Development On-Line Resources and Tools
(Separate Website)
This website provides a comprehensive guide to affordable rental and homeownership housing development for nonprofit organizations.
By: The Enterprise Foundation
Multi Family Housing Finance and Development Programs
(Separate Website)
This web page provides information about affordable rental housing development financing programs operated by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. Programs descibed on this page include: the HOME Rental Housing Loan Program, Housing Tax Credit Program, HOME CHDO Predevelopment Loan Program, Permanent Supportive Housing Program, and the Rural Rental Housing Development Fund.
These DCA rental housing finance programs work with for-profit, nonprofit and government partners to build or rehabilitate rental housing in Georgia. Funding is available to private sector for profit and nonprofit developers through DCA?s Office of Affordable Housing.
By: Georgia Department of Community Affairs
Discrimination in Housing (Answers to Common Questions about Fair Housing Laws)
This website provides resources on how to find housing for people with disabilities.
By: DisabilityInfo.gov
Other Formats:
Separate Website
Fair Housing Law in Georgia Prohibits Discrimination in Housing
This document describes the basic fair housing laws that prohibit discrimination in housing in Georgia.
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
Federal Protections Against Discrimination Based on National Origin
(Separate Website)
This document explains federal laws prohibiting discrimination based on a person's national origin, race, gender, color, disability, religion, or familial status.
By: U.S. Department of Justice
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Georgia Fair Housing Law
(Separate Website)
This document discusses a Georgia Fair Housing Law that prohibits discrimination in housing and housing-related activities because of a person's race, color, national origin, sex, familial status (children under 18), and disability.
By: Georgia Department of Community Affairs
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
How to File a Housing Discrimination Complaint with HUD
(Separate Website)
This website provides instructions and forms on how to filing a housing discrimination complaint with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.
By: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Getting Uncle Sam to Enforce Your Civil Rights
(Separate Website)
This resource describes where and when to file your complaint if you believe that you have been discriminated against and want to file a complaint with the Federal Government.
By: U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Guide to Disability Rights Laws
(Separate Website)
This document explains each of the Federal civil rights laws protecting people with disabilities and provides resources for disability rights information.
By: U.S. Department of Justice
Housing Codes This document provides basic information on city and county housing codes that set the rules for basic upkeep and maintenance for decent housing.
By: Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Inc.
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Housing-Related Information for People with Disabilities
(Separate Website)
Find housing-related information for people with disabilities in this section of the DisabilityInfo.gov web site, including: Accessibility, Housing Options,
Links to Laws and Policy, and Your Housing Rights.
By: First Gov - Your First Click is the U.S. Government
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
Basic Standards for Farmworker Housing
This document is a guide for farmworkers who live in agricultural labor camps.
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
How to File a Complaint with the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties This website provides instructions on filing a discrimination complaint with The Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of the Department of Homeland Security.
By: U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
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
Eviction (Answers to Common Questions)
This document answers questions that many people have about eviction and the eviction process.
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
Housing Codes This document provides basic information on city and county housing codes that set the rules for basic upkeep and maintenance for decent housing.
By: Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Inc.
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
How To Answer A Dispossessory This document provides information on how to answer a dispossessory warrant.
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
How to Answer An Eviction Warrant This document provides information how to answer an eviction/dispossessory warrant.
By: Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Inc.
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
How to Appeal If You Lose a Magistrate Court Dispossessory This document describes the appeal process and its requirements if you lose a magistrate court dispossessory case.
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
Other Formats:
WPD File
How to Appeal From a Magistrate Court Dispossessory This document describes the appeal process and its requirements if you lose a magistrate court dispossessory case.
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
Other Formats:
WPD File
How to File a Dispossessory Answer This document provides information on how to file a dispossessory answer.
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
Other Formats:
WPD File
Learn about Eviction in Georgia
(Separate Website)
This presentation was developed as part of the Law and Government Education Project in the Institute of Government at the University of Georgia. In partnership with the Law School and the Center for Teaching and Learning at UGA and the Law School at Mercer University, the Institute develops resources on basic areas of Georgia and federal law. These resources are then distributed across the state in a variety of ways including the State Bar of Georgia?s Pro Bono Project website. We hope you will find this presentation to be useful and informative. Please be advised, however, that this presentation is designed to provide general information only and does not substitute for legal advice. At the conclusion of the presentation you will find a list of organizations which may be able to provide assistance to those who have legal issues relevant to the topic of this presentation. We encourage viewers to contact these organizations for help. Also, please consult the Pro Bono Project website for a list of other presentations available for viewing.
By: Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Mortgage and Foreclosure Relief: Answers for Reservists, Guardsmen and Other Military Personnel
(Separate Website)
Information for service men and women about how the Soldiers and Sailors Relief Act helps with mortgage relief, lease termination and eviction issues.
By: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
New Protections For Tenants After A Foreclosure On May 20, 2009, President Obama signed a new federal law protecting tenants when the property they rent is sold at a foreclosure sale. The Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act is a federal law but it applies to state court eviction proceedings. The new owner must give the tenant the required notice before filing to evict. The law expires on December 31, 2012.
Protections for Tenants
When property is purchased at a foreclosure sale, this law requires that the new owner accept and follow any existing leases. The tenant?s lease does not end when the property is sold at foreclosure. For example, if a tenant living in the foreclosed property has a lease with nine months remaining, the new owner cannot evict the tenant until the lease expires and proper notice is given the tenant. There are three exceptions to the rule that the new owner cannot terminate the existing lease:
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
Rental Housing: Mobile or Manufactured Housing Evictions
question and answer
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
Tenants at Foreclosure Act Know your rights as a renter of a foreclosed property under the new federal law
By: Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Inc.
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
Common Questions about Home Loans, Mortgages and Predatory Lending
This document answers common questions about loans, mortgages, and how to protect your home from predatory lenders.
By: Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Inc.
High-Cost Home Loans: Don't Be a Target
(Separate Website)
This document warns of abusive lenders trying to sell home owners a loan with payments that are too high which could result in losing your home at a foreclosure sale or spending all of your spare cash paying off a loan you didn't need or want.
By: National Consumer Law Center
Read this in:
Chinese / 中文
,
Spanish / Español
History of Predatory Lending
This is testimony of Atlanta Legal Aid's Bill Brennan, as one of the nation's experts on predatory lending, testifying at the Senate Special Committee outlining the problems of predatory lending and equity theft, how victims are targeted, and some historical perspective.
By: Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Inc.
Predatory Mortgage Lending Abuses
This document describes the different ways that mortgage lenders can trick homeowners into giving up their homes.
By: Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Inc.
Protect Your Investment - Don't Let Predatory Lenders Take Your Home
(Separate Website)
Senior citizens are an attractive target for unscrupulous mortgage lenders because they have a lot of equity in their homes after years of diligently paying off their mortgages, and they use that equity to finance home repairs, medical care and other needs. While these lenders may encourage seniors to use their hard-earned home equity to secure new loans - they will not tell seniors about the high fees, hidden payments or other disadvantageous loan terms that could lead to the loss of their homes.
By: National Consumer Law Center
Schemes to Cheat the Unwary Homeowner If you are like most homeowners, your house is your most valuable investment. As a homeowner you have to be very careful to protect your investment or you may become the victim of schemes to steal your money, your equity, or even your house. This brochure will help you recognize equity theft and title conversion scams and avoid them.
By: Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Inc.
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
Putting Your Home on the Loan Line is Risky Business
(Separate Website)
More and more lenders are offering home equity lines of credit. By using the equity in your home, you may qualify for a sizable amount of credit, available for use when and how you please, at an interest rate that is relatively low. Before making a decision, you should weigh carefully the costs of a home equity line against the benefits. Shop for the credit terms that best meet your borrowing needs without posing undue financial risk. And remember, failure to repay the amounts you've borrowed, plus interest, could mean the loss of your home.
By: Federal Reserve Board
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
New Protections For Tenants After A Foreclosure On May 20, 2009, President Obama signed a new federal law protecting tenants when the property they rent is sold at a foreclosure sale. The Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act is a federal law but it applies to state court eviction proceedings. The new owner must give the tenant the required notice before filing to evict. The law expires on December 31, 2012.
Protections for Tenants
When property is purchased at a foreclosure sale, this law requires that the new owner accept and follow any existing leases. The tenant?s lease does not end when the property is sold at foreclosure. For example, if a tenant living in the foreclosed property has a lease with nine months remaining, the new owner cannot evict the tenant until the lease expires and proper notice is given the tenant. There are three exceptions to the rule that the new owner cannot terminate the existing lease:
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
Saving Your Home From Foreclosure
(Separate Website)
Unemployment, divorce, death and abusive
lending practices put many homeowners at
risk of losing their home. If you are facing
foreclosure, you may be tempted to give up
and walk away from your home. Don?t give
up! There may be an option available that
allows you to keep your home or sell or transfer
your home quickly before a foreclosure
sale. Here are some guidelines.
By: National Consumer Law Center
Mortgage and Foreclosure Relief: Answers for Reservists, Guardsmen and Other Military Personnel
(Separate Website)
Information for service men and women about how the Soldiers and Sailors Relief Act helps with mortgage relief, lease termination and eviction issues.
By: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Steps That Advocates Can Take To Help Prevent Foreclosure
(Separate Website)
Older homeowners fall behind on their mortgages for many reasons: sudden decreases in income due to the loss of a spouse; poor financial management which contributes to nonpayment of utility bills, service shutoffs and liens against the property; failure to perform necessary repairs and maintenance which make the property uninhabitable; second mortgage scams which make impossible demands on the homeowner's limited resources.
All of these contributing factors can be addressed by skilled advocates -- if homeowners turn to them in time. This issue of Consumer Concerns for Older Americans examines some of the measures that legal and non-legal advocates for the elderly can take to defend homeowners at risk of foreclosure.
By: National Consumer Law Center
Foreclosure Rescue Scams
(Separate Website)
This website discusses foreclosure scams that disproportionately targets older Americans.
By: National Consumer Law Center
Avoid Foreclosure Scams Con artists know that people facing foreclosure are often looking for help to keep their home. Here are tips on how to protect yourself from foreclosure scams!
Other Formats:
WPD File
Brochure on the Foreclosure Process This brochure discusses the basic steps involved in the foreclosure process in Georgia and what to expect.
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
Other Formats:
WPD File
How to Avoid Foreclosure and Keep Your Home This document provides ten (10) important steps to take if you have fallen behind in your home mortgage payments.
Your Home: Money Matters From the Federal Trade Commission
(Separate Website)
This FTC website offers videos, brochures and options for homeowners facing foreclosure.
By: Federal Trade Commission
Adobe Acrobat Reader required. (If you are using a screen reader that does not support PDF format, copy the PDF link, and use the Access Adobe online form to convert this file to HMTL text.)
This material is copyrighted by the authoring organization or individual. Legal information can change rapidly. Provided links are kept updated, permission is given to link to this material from a nonprofit, court or government website. Website material may be printed, copied and distributed only in its original format for non-commercial, informational purposes. The material may not be altered from its original format. Reproducing the material to promote a commercial purpose is expressly prohibited. Commercial enterprises are expressly forbidden from linking to our material or using our material in other ways. Legal Aid and GLSP are not liable for the distribution of out-of-date material or links. To inquire about appropriate use of this material, please contact 404-524-5811.
Information Not Legal Advice
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.
LegalAid-GA is a project of the Atlanta Legal Aid Society, the Georgia Legal Services Program and the Pro Bono Project of the State Bar of Georgia. This website was produced with funding from the Legal Services Corporation.
Home Page
Intake Workers
Choose Another Location 
Arabic / العربية
