Georgia Landlord-Tenant Handbook - A Landlord-Tenant Guide to the State’s Rental Laws - Revised February 2021

Sep 1, 2026

Upload by Paura

Georgia Landlord-Tenant Handbook provides an overview of Georgia residential landlord-tenant law and answers common questions, covering general terms that may not fit every specific situation. The handbook distinguishes residential from commercial/business leases, explains that disputes often require court action since no state agency can force party compliance, and emphasizes that the guide is not a substitute for professional legal advice. It also summarizes relevant topics such as entering into leases, tenancy issues, evictions, and related subjects including discrimination protections and disabled tenant rights.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLetters

FormatDOCX

Pages29

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Relevant Law

Discrimination prohibited and protected classes

Rights of disabled tenants

Entering into a Lease and Other Tenancy Issues

Submitting a rental application

Reviewing and signing a lease

Problems during a lease

Subletting

Early termination

End of the lease

Evictions

Miscellaneous

Military service members as tenants

Lead based paint disclosures

Foreclosure

Roommates

Manufactured and mobile homes

Eviction Q&A

Index

GEORGIA LANDLORD TENANT HANDBOOK A Landlord-Tenant Guide to the State’s Rental Laws Revised February 2021 Introduction This Handbook provides an overview and answers XE "Answer to Dispossessory Affidavit" common questions about Georgia residential landlord-tenant law. The information in this Handbook does not apply to commercial or business leases. The best solution for each case depends on the facts. Because facts in each case are different, this Handbook covers general terms and answers, and those answers may not apply to your specific problem. While this publication may be helpful to both landlords and tenants, it is not a substitute for professional legal advice. This Handbook has information on Georgia landlord-tenant law as of the last revision date and may not be up to date on the law. Before relying on this Handbook, you should independently research and analyze the relevant law based on your specific problem, location, and facts. In Georgia, there is not a government agency that can intervene in a landlord-tenant dispute or force the landlord or tenant to behave a particular way. Landlords or tenants who cannot resolve a dispute need to use the courts, either directly or through a lawyer, to enforce their legal rights. The Handbook is available on the internet or in print (by request) from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs ( HYPERLINK "http://www.dca.ga.gov" www.dca.ga.gov). Table of Contents TOC \o "2-2" \f \h \z \t "Heading one,1" HYPERLINK "file:///C:\\Users\\barne\\Dropbox\\GSU_UGA_DCA%20LL-T%20Handbook\\Handbook_with%20Statutes%20for%20DCA%20Clean%20File%20w%20new%20revision%20date%20fixing%20TOC.docx" \l "_Toc64225716" Relevant Law PAGEREF _Toc64225716 \h 3 HYPERLINK "file:///C:\\Users\\barne\\Dropbox\\GSU_UGA_DCA%20LL-T%20Handbook\\Handbook_with%20Statutes%20for%20DCA%20Clean%20File%20w%20new%20revision%20date%20fixing%20TOC.docx" \l "_Toc64225717" Entering into a Lease and Other Tenancy Issues PAGEREF _Toc64225717 \h 5 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc64225718" 1. Submitting a Rental Application PAGEREF _Toc64225718 \h 5 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc64225719" 2. Reviewing and Signing a Lease PAGEREF _Toc64225719 \h 5 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc64225720" 3. Problems During a Lease: PAGEREF _Toc64225720 \h 10 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc64225721" 4. Subletting: PAGEREF _Toc64225721 \h 13 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc64225722" 5. Early Termination: PAGEREF _Toc64225722 \h 13 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc64225723" 6. End of the Lease: PAGEREF _Toc64225723 \h 13 HYPERLINK "file:///C:\\Users\\barne\\Dropbox\\GSU_UGA_DCA%20LL-T%20Handbook\\Handbook_with%20Statutes%20for%20DCA%20Clean%20File%20w%20new%20revision%20date%20fixing%20TOC.docx" \l "_Toc64225724" Evictions PAGEREF _Toc64225724 \h 15 HYPERLINK "file:///C:\\Users\\barne\\Dropbox\\GSU_UGA_DCA%20LL-T%20Handbook\\Handbook_with%20Statutes%20for%20DCA%20Clean%20File%20w%20new%20revision%20date%20fixing%20TOC.docx" \l "_Toc64225725" Miscellaneous PAGEREF _Toc64225725 \h 19 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc64225726" 1. Military Service Members as Tenants. PAGEREF _Toc64225726 \h 19 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc64225727" 2. Lead Based Paint Disclosures. PAGEREF _Toc64225727 \h 20 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc64225728" 3. Foreclosure. PAGEREF _Toc64225728 \h 20 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc64225729" 5. Roommates. PAGEREF _Toc64225729 \h 20 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc64225730" 6. Manufactured and Mobile Homes PAGEREF _Toc64225730 \h 21 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc64225731" Eviction Q&A PAGEREF _Toc64225731 \h 22 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc64225732" INDEX PAGEREF _Toc64225732 \h 29 Relevant Law If a tenant or applicant has a disability that requires accommodation, someone must request that the landlord make the necessary accommodations. The person with the disability, a family member, or someone else acting on the individual’s behalf, can request the accommodation. DISCRIMINATION PROHIBITED. Landlords cannot discriminate XE "Discrimination" based

FAQs

Does the handbook apply to commercial or business leases in Georgia?

No. The handbook focuses on Georgia residential landlord-tenant law and does not apply to commercial or business leases.

What should landlords and tenants do if they cannot resolve a dispute?

Georgia has no government agency that can intervene in a landlord-tenant dispute or force a party’s conduct. The parties must use the courts, directly or through a lawyer, to enforce legal rights.

What types of actions can count as housing discrimination in Georgia?

Discrimination includes refusal to rent, discouragement, different treatment, steering to certain units, exclusion from advertising, concealment of availability, or preference statements based on protected class. It can also be indirect when a neutral rule is applied in a way that harms a protected group without a legitimate business justification.

Sep 1, 2026

Upload by Paura