Georgia Tenant Rights & Lease Help
Georgia has historically been landlord-friendly, but the 2024 Safe at Home Act added the state's first deposit cap and a habitability duty. Here's what Georgia law now provides — deposits, the eviction process, and rent rules.
Georgia Tenancy Law Overview
Georgia residential tenancies are governed by Title 44, Chapter 7 of the Georgia Code, now updated by the Safe at Home Act (HB 404, 2024) — which, for the first time, caps security deposits and imposes a statutory duty to keep rentals habitable.
Georgia still has no rent control and a landlord-friendly eviction framework, but the new deposit and habitability rules give tenants more protection than before.
Key Georgia Tenant Protections
- The 2024 Safe at Home Act (HB 404) caps security deposits at two months' rent, effective July 1, 2024 — Georgia's first statutory deposit limit.
- Deposits must be returned within 30 days of move-out, with an itemized written statement of any deductions.
- HB 404 also added a statutory duty of habitability — landlords must keep units fit for human habitation.
- No rent control: state law preempts any Georgia city or county from capping rent.
- Eviction is a court process (a 'dispossessory' action). A landlord must demand possession before filing, and only a court order can remove a tenant.
- No statutory notice period is fixed for routine landlord entry — the lease governs.
- For a month-to-month tenancy, a landlord must give 60 days' notice to terminate; a tenant must give 30 days.
Georgia Cities
Atlanta
Largest Georgia rental market; state law and the Safe at Home Act apply
Savannah
Growing coastal market under Georgia state law
Augusta
Standard Georgia landlord-tenant rules apply
City-specific guides for Atlanta and Savannah coming soon.