Jack's Septic System & Maint Fund

I own a house in Cumming, Georgia. I bought it in 2008, with the intention of living there more or less forever. In 2010, my company decided that I needed to move to Ohio, which is where I'm originally from. Since the house was by then worth considerably less than I'd paid for it, instead of selling it at a loss, I contracted with a local company to manage it as a rental. A little over two years ago, the company decided it was time to retire. No pension. I'd probably have moved back to Georgia, but my mother, who is now 92, lives not too far from me in Ohio and I wanted to stay nearby. My Social Security covered my rent, and the rent on the house covered the mortgage, though there wasn't much chance of building up an emergency fund. Rents, like housing prices in Cumming, have only recently started to work their up to where they were when I bought the house.

That's why I'm still in Ohio, paying rent and a mortgage, instead of back in my house in Georgia. Now comes the problem, and the reason I need help. In the last couple months there have been continuing plumbing problems. One of the toilets had to be replaced. The septic tank needed pumping. The pumping alleviated the problems for a while, but didn't provide a permanent fix. Meanwhile, the stove developed issues, adding to the bills. Now it appears that the septic tank drain field is hopelessly clogged up and needs to be replaced. The rental agent will front the repair costs, but this means I won't get a check until they're paid off. My January statement showed a $45 deficit. The septic work is expected to cost just under $3,000. So I didn't get paid this month, and likely won't get anything for the next three. The $4,000 I'm trying to raise would cover the mortgage until the rent starts coming in again. Anything extra could go toward paying off a few other bills (retired people with no pensions tend to have higher than wanted credit card bills), and toward a proper maintenance fund for the house. It's been eight years since it was last painted. I've been wanting to replace the exterior doors for quite some time, and some of the old railroad tie retaining walls on the lot are probably in pretty bad shape by now.  Extra might also go toward paying down the mortgage. I do still plan to move back there eventually.

I suppose I should also mention that my car is now 17-years-old, and has 175,000 miles on it. It seems fine, but it's obviously old enough that I worry a little.

Perhaps needless to say, I need help fairly quickly. There won't be enough to pay the mortgage this month.  I doubt the bank is going to be sympathetic. Any help you can give will certainly be appreciated.