I moved into this property on June 30, 2011, the moment I got out of the truck a neighbor came to me and said "this house has been deemed to be in a flood zone, every time we get a hard rain water will come inside the house, if you have anything on value, do not put it in the garage or the basement". I informed the Landlord of what I was told, he said to me "that man is crazy, he's mad because he wanted to buy the house, and I would not sale". The funny part about that is the neighbor who told me was not the one who wanted to buy the house. About an hour later 2more neighbors neighbors came and told me the exact same thing, I again confronted the Landlord he then admitted that yes the house does flood but had not flooded since 2009, which I found out was a lie. The house actually flooded when we hard a hard rain back in April. Each time I confront him, it's always the neighbors are lying, and I should not listen to them, so I did some research. The Landlord bought the house in 2004, in 2005 the house flooded in 10ft of water, the entire downstairs was demolished. Because he has flood insurance the insurance company paid the claim. Each time it rained, water found its way into the garage and the downstairs area. In 2009, the house again flooded, a claim was filed and he repaired it, in the meantime, he keeps renting it out but not informing the tenants that the house floods. He was initially putting For Rent signs in the yard, but the neighbors started stopping potential tenants to inform them of the flooding, so he moved on to posting the house on Craigslist, which is how I found him. Now when I came to view the property, I was not informed of any issues with they house, I was concerned because there was trash all over the yard, the grass was not cut, the carpet that they replaced(keywords carpet, replaced) was still in the garage along with trash, he(the landlord) informed me that all of those things we be taken care of prior to my moving in and of course, they were NOT! I move in and I have my 74 yr old mother with me, who is scared to death to sleep downstairs because of the flooding, so she is sleeping in my bed, well this bothers me because my mother deserves better, I call the landlord to say that we are moving because I feel like he fruadlant rented me the home without disclosing the issues of the house, he told he that I was jumping the gun, that he had spoken to the city about building a retainer wall and I should just wait and see what happens, r u kidding me!! I cannot have my mother in this house on a hope and a If, If it rains I hope the house doesn't flood. I took it upon myself to speak with someone from the city in engineering and they informed me that yes the house was indeed in a flood zone, but not they would not build a retainer wall because there is a power line directly behind the house and they did not want anything near those wires, so what he told me could not have been true, when I informed him that I was moving because the house was unsafe, he informed me that if my mother was afraid of being downstairs bring her upstairs, WHAT!! I pay rent for the whole house, not half! He then says I will let you out of your lease, but you will not get your money back, remind you now I just moved in on June 30, It is now July 1st, what do you mean I can't get my deposit back? This is what Georgia Law says about a Landlord renting Property: 44-7-20.
When the owner of real property, either directly or through an agent, seeks to lease or rent that property for residential occupancy, prior to entering a written agreement for the leasehold of that property, the owner shall, either directly or through an agent, notify the prospective tenant in writing of the property´s propensity of flooding if flooding has damaged any portion of the living space covered by the lease or attachments thereto to which the tenant or the tenant´s resident relative has sole and exclusive use under the written agreement at least three times during the five-year period immediately preceding the date of the lease. An owner failing to give such notice shall be liable in tort to the tenant and the tenant´s family residing on the leased premises for damages to the personal property of the lessee or a resident relative of the lessee which is proximately caused by flooding which occurs during the term of the lease. For purposes of this Code section, flooding is defined as the inundation of a portion of the living space covered by the lease which was caused by an increased water level in an established water source such as a river, stream, or drainage ditch or as a ponding of water at or near the point where heavy or excessive rain fell. This Code section shall apply only to leaseholds entered into on or after July 1, 1995. I asked him why didn't he inform me that the house floods, his reply was I told you to get Renters insurance...WHAT!! what does renters insurance has to do with you telling me that this house floods and renters insurance doesn't cover water damage. The bottom line is this man is a fraud, he has had 7 tenants in this house since 2009 who he did not inform of the flooding, they had to move out because of flooding, he did not give anyone there money back every time a tenant moves in they are paying this man $2000 up front, all I am asking for is my deposit back so I can find a safe environment for my family. Today is July 9, 2011, It rained for about 20mins and in 20mins the yard was covered in standing water that went to my ankles, If it does that with a little rain, can you imagine what happen when there is a Thunderstorm!