Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Georgia

I own a piece of property, 9 acres plus a 1200 sq ft house, that has been in my family for 30 years. As a favor, I have allowed my sister & nephew (35 years old) to live there rent free for the last 20+ years. I have not seen the house in several years. I had been planning to sell it but hadn't taken steps to do that yet. She recently lost her job & they both moved in with other family. I saw the house today for the first time in years.It is a nightmare. The front door was standing open & it is infested with fleas. it is filthy & falling in. They left trash in and outside. Clothes, mattresses all over the floor, spoiled food in fridge, old cars & other trash in the yard. It will cost a lot to clean it up inside and out and the house will probably be condemned if I call the county. I will be forced to sell as raw land. I want to sell the property and get out from under this burden. I know I will have to get a permit through the county before I can do anything in the way of destruction of the house. I don't know what the state or county laws are regarding this type of situation. I am afraid when I get the county involved, I am going to be fined for the condition of the place. As for as legal responsible for the mess, will I be fined, or what is the worst that can happen to me. I am retired & I really can't afford to sink any money into this. My sister is actually expecting to receive a portion of the proceeds from the sell of the property! I don't even know where to start with this mess. Advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated.


Asked on 8/08/09, 9:50 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Scott Riddle Law Office of Scott B. Riddle, LLC

No one here can guess what an unknown county inspector will do, about a house no one here can see. You mainly describe problems that can be cleaned, removed or repaired. We don't know what "falling in" means. You can call the county office to see how much a permit costs. We can't tell you to demolish, or clean and repair - those are not legal issues. YOU need to take the steps to see what to do and make a decision. Many of these could have probably been avoided by regularly inspecting the property, as all landlord/owners should do.

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Answered on 8/14/09, 6:33 am


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