All 50 states

Georgia landlord-tenant law.

Updated August 2026. No statewide or local rent control; state law bars counties and cities from regulating rent on privately owned residential property (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-19).

Deposit limit

No statutory cap on the amount (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-30 et seq.).

Deposit return

Landlord must return the deposit, or an itemized written statement of damages plus any balance, within 30 days after regaining possession; missing that deadline forfeits the right to withhold, and bad faith withholding carries triple damages plus attorney's fees (O.C.G.A. §§ 44-7-34, 44-7-35).

Notice to pay

No fixed statutory notice period before filing; the landlord need only make a demand for possession, which can be oral, before filing the dispossessory affidavit, and once filed and served the tenant has 7 days to answer (O.C.G.A. §§ 44-7-50, 44-7-51). Any specific pre-filing notice period comes from the lease itself, not the statute.

Landlord entry

Not addressed by statute; Georgia has no statutory advance notice period or list of permitted purposes for landlord entry, so practice is governed by the lease terms and general case law on quiet enjoyment.

Security deposits

Deposit limit. No statutory cap on the amount (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-30 et seq.).

Getting it back. Landlord must return the deposit, or an itemized written statement of damages plus any balance, within 30 days after regaining possession; missing that deadline forfeits the right to withhold, and bad faith withholding carries triple damages plus attorney's fees (O.C.G.A. §§ 44-7-34, 44-7-35).

Late fees and rent

No statutory cap or required grace period; Title 44 Chapter 7 does not mention late fees, so reasonableness under general contract law controls.

Ending a tenancy

Nonpayment of rent. No fixed statutory notice period before filing; the landlord need only make a demand for possession, which can be oral, before filing the dispossessory affidavit, and once filed and served the tenant has 7 days to answer (O.C.G.A. §§ 44-7-50, 44-7-51). Any specific pre-filing notice period comes from the lease itself, not the statute.

Month-to-month termination. 60 days' notice from the landlord, 30 days' notice from the tenant, to end a tenancy at will (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-7).

Landlord entry

Not addressed by statute; Georgia has no statutory advance notice period or list of permitted purposes for landlord entry, so practice is governed by the lease terms and general case law on quiet enjoyment.

Required disclosures

  • Federal lead-based paint disclosure for housing built before 1978 (42 U.S.C. § 4852d, 24 CFR Part 35)
  • Written, pre-payment comprehensive list of existing damage to the unit, with the tenant's right to inspect and contest it, for landlords not exempt from Article 2 (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-33)
  • Written disclosure of the escrow account or surety bond holding the deposit, for the same non-exempt landlords (O.C.G.A. §§ 44-7-31, 44-7-32)

Lease clauses that do not hold up

  • Any residential lease clause waiving the tenant protections in O.C.G.A. Title 44 Chapter 7, including repair duties, landlord liability, deposit rules, and dispossessory procedure (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-2(b))
  • A clause requiring the tenant to pay the landlord's attorney's fees on default unless the lease equally requires the landlord to pay the tenant's attorney's fees on the landlord's default (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-2(b))

Notes for landlords

The Article 2 deposit rules (escrow or surety bond, itemized damage lists, 30 day return, triple damages penalty) do not apply to a natural person landlord who, with spouse and minor children, owns 10 or fewer units and self-manages them; hiring a third party property manager for a fee removes that exemption regardless of portfolio size (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-36), so most professionally managed landlords remain fully covered. Georgia's statutory notice framework for both nonpayment eviction and landlord entry is unusually thin compared to other states and should be filled in by the lease.

Sources

This guide is general legal information for landlords, not legal advice. Statutes change and local ordinances can add stricter rules on top of state law. Confirm any requirement with the current statute or a licensed attorney in your state before acting on it.

Run your Georgia rentals on Sahab Key.

Collect rent and track leases for two dollars a unit a month, with a fifty dollar monthly minimum.

Get started Try the live demo

Other states