Landlord Question and Answer Forum

hello we have rented a property in georgia for a year with no lease we put down a 2 month deposit . we really wanted to buy the place but the house only appraised for half what the landlord wanted. long story short he said he sold the house and wants us out in 2 weeks the home was vacant for 2 years proir and being 20 years old needed a lot of work doing. we think he is not going to return our deposit we have no problem moving but we need the deposit to put down on a new home. Should we stay and not pay rent , what are our rights if any , how long would it take to be evicted so we can save for a new place . thank you for any help

In most states a lease exists as soon as a rental obligation has been entered into. This means that you accepted the keys to a rental property in exchange for some type of monetary agreement. With that being said, in most states there is a minimum number of days required for a landlord to end such an agreement. Furthermore, after the landlord gives you notice to vacate and/or to end the lease, if you fail to vacate then he would have to provide another notice to begin eviction proceedings. NOW, if you should NOT pay rent and be evicted for such, that would go against your credit. Be aware....eviction times vary greatly from state to state and township to township and city to city. Some as short as 20 days and others as longs as several months.

Posted by Donna , NC on Thursday, July 28, 2011