In this dispossessory action, tenant Radio Sandy Springs, Inc. “RSS”, appeals from the trial court’s order granting summary judgment to landlord Allen Road Joint Venture “Allen Road”; awarding a money judgment to Allen Road;1 and denying RSS’s motion for summary judgment. The trial court’ s order was entered on April 29, 2010; RSS filed its notice of appeal on May 27, 2010. In its brief, Allen Road argues that this Court lacks jurisdiction to hear the appeal because RSS failed to follow the requirement of OCGA § 44-7-56 that an appeal in a dispossessory proceeding be filed within seven days of the entry of judgment. We agree and dismiss the appeal. Although Allen Road has not filed a motion to dismiss the appeal in this Court, it is nevertheless the duty of this Court on its own motion to inquire into its jurisdiction.2 Further, “if this Court finds that it has no jurisdiction over an appeal, it has the authority to dismiss the appeal on its own motion.”3
Under OCGA § 44-7-56, governing appeals in dispossessory proceedings, “any judgment by the trial court shall be appealable pursuant to Chapters 2, 3, 6, and 7 of Title 5, provided that any such appeal shall be filed within seven days of the date such judgment was entered.” The record reflects that Allen Road filed a dispossessory proceeding against RSS in the State Court of Fulton County on December 16, 2008. On January 16, 2009, RSS transferred possession of the premises to Allen Road. Thus, the issue of possession was resolved and the trial court did not issue a writ of possession in its order. Nonetheless, as explained in Ray M. Wright, Inc. v. Jones ,4 it is the underlying subject matter of the litigation, rather than the relief granted, which controls in determining the proper appellate procedure to follow.5 Here, as in Wright , the action began and continued as a dispossessory action.6 Further, as this Court pointed out in Wright , OCGA § 44-7-56 “is not limited in scope to a particular type of judgment. It simply provides that ‘any judgment’ must be appealed within seven days.”7
