Editor’s Pick
In Georgia, a landlord cannot:
- change your locks, remove your belongings, or force you out without a court order
- shut off your utilities during an eviction case, and since July 2024 that includes air conditioning
- collect a security deposit larger than two months’ rent
- file an eviction over unpaid rent without first giving you three business days to pay
- retaliate against you for requesting repairs or reporting unsafe conditions
- discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, or disability
- rent out a home that is not fit for human habitation
Those are the headline answers to what a landlord cannot do in Georgia, and most of them are newer than people think. Georgia spent decades as one of the most landlord-friendly states in the country, and parts of that reputation still hold: there is no rent control and no entry-notice statute. But the Safe at Home Act rewrote the floor for leases signed or renewed on or after July 1, 2024. Every rule in this guide is checked against the current Official Code of Georgia. To see how Georgia compares with stricter states, start with our guide to landlord-tenant laws by state.
Can a Landlord Evict You Without a Court Order in Georgia?
No. “Self-help” evictions are illegal in Georgia. A landlord cannot change the locks, haul your belongings to the curb, or block you from the property without first winning a dispossessory action in court, and a landlord who tries can owe you damages (Learn About Eviction in Georgia, GeorgiaLegalAid.org).
The legal route now has more steps than it used to. For leases entered or renewed on or after July 1, 2024, a landlord pursuing unpaid rent must first deliver a written notice giving you three business days to pay or move out, posted in a sealed envelope on your door and sent by any other method your lease names (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-50, as amended by the Safe at Home Act). Pay everything owed within those three days and the landlord cannot file at all. If a case is filed anyway, you have seven days to answer the court summons, then a hearing, and only a writ of possession from the judge allows anyone to remove you. Georgia law hands you one more lifeline: paying all rent owed plus court costs within seven days of being served is a complete defense that ends the case, though a landlord only has to accept that late payment once in any 12-month period (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-52).
One boundary worth knowing: these protections belong to residents. Someone occupying a home with no lease and no permission falls under the 2024 Georgia Squatter Reform Act, which created a faster removal process and a criminal offense of unlawful squatting.
Formal filings are rarer than renters fear. Most rent problems raised early end in a payment plan instead of a courtroom.
Can a Landlord Shut Off Your Air Conditioning or Other Utilities in Georgia?
No. It is unlawful for a landlord to knowingly and willfully cut a resident’s utilities before an eviction case is finally decided, and violations carry a fine of up to $500 per offense (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-14.1). The Safe at Home Act quietly expanded what counts as a utility. For leases entered or renewed on or after July 1, 2024, the statute now reads cooling, heat, light, and water. In a Georgia August, adding that one word changed a lot: a landlord can no longer let the air conditioning die as a pressure tactic while a dispossessory case is pending.
How Much Can a Landlord Charge for a Security Deposit in Georgia?
No more than two months’ rent. This cap is new. Before July 1, 2024, Georgia set no limit at all, and older articles still say so. The Safe at Home Act created O.C.G.A. § 44-7-30.1, which applies to leases entered or renewed on or after that date, cannot be waived by agreement, and covers any refundable move-in charge no matter what the lease calls it. A “damage deposit” or “move-in fee” counts toward the same two-month ceiling.
The return rules are older and they have teeth. Under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-34, the landlord must return the deposit within one month of move-out, with a written itemized statement for anything withheld. Nothing may be deducted for ordinary wear and tear, only for damage beyond it, unpaid rent, or lease breaches. Our guide to normal wear and tear in a rental draws that line item by item. A landlord who withholds money in bad faith can owe three times the amount wrongfully withheld plus attorney fees (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-35).
Larger operations carry extra paperwork. Deposits must sit in an escrow account at a Georgia bank, or be covered by a surety bond, and the landlord must give you a written list of existing damage before taking your money (O.C.G.A. §§ 44-7-31 through 44-7-33). Individual landlords who own ten or fewer rental homes and manage them personally are exempt from those handling rules, but the two-month cap and the one-month return deadline apply to everyone. Most deposit disputes come down to documentation, so photograph the home on day one.
Can a Landlord Enter Your Home Without Notice in Georgia?
Here the lease is the whole rulebook. Georgia has no statute setting an entry-notice period, and plenty of articles wrongly claim a statewide 24-hour rule. There isn’t one. The state’s own Georgia Landlord-Tenant Handbook confirms that access rights come from the lease, which is why 24 hours’ written notice appears in most Georgia leases and is what courts treat as reasonable.
That does not make unannounced entry harmless. You still hold a right to quiet enjoyment of the home, and a pattern of surprise visits can amount to harassment or a breach of the lease. If your lease is silent, the working standard is reasonable notice, at reasonable times, for legitimate purposes such as repairs, inspections, or showings. True emergencies, a burst pipe or a gas leak, justify walking in immediately. Before you sign anywhere, read the entry clause closely. Our renters’ guide covers the other clauses worth checking in the same ten minutes.
Can a Landlord Raise the Rent as Much as They Want in Georgia?
On the amount, yes. Georgia has no cap on rent increases, and state law goes further by barring every city and county from regulating rents on private property (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-19). The limits are on timing and motive. A landlord cannot raise rent in the middle of a fixed-term lease unless the lease allows it, and cannot raise it for discriminatory or retaliatory reasons.
The often-quoted 60-day figure is real, but it comes from a different statute than people assume. No Georgia law names a rent-increase notice period. What the law does say is that ending a month-to-month tenancy takes 60 days’ notice from the landlord and 30 days’ notice from the resident (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-7). Since a rent increase on a month-to-month arrangement works by ending the old terms and offering new ones, the 60-day clock is the practical floor.
What Counts as Illegal Housing Discrimination in Georgia?
A Georgia landlord cannot refuse to rent, quote different terms, advertise a preference, or steer applicants based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, or disability. Those seven classes are protected twice over, by the federal Fair Housing Act and by Georgia’s own Fair Housing Law (O.C.G.A. § 8-3-200 et seq.). Landlords must also grant reasonable accommodations for residents with disabilities, which includes accepting an assistance animal even under a no-pets policy.
Georgia adds no other protected classes statewide, so source of income, age, and sexual orientation are not covered by state statute, though some local governments extend protections further. If you believe you were turned away for who you are, file with the Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity within one year. A complaint filed there is automatically dual-filed with HUD, and you can instead sue directly in superior court within two years.
What Repairs Does a Georgia Landlord Have to Make?
As of July 1, 2024, every Georgia lease, written or oral, carries an express warranty that the home is fit for human habitation, and neither side can sign it away (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-13(b)). That sits on top of the landlord’s longstanding duty to keep the premises in repair. The statute leaves “fit for human habitation” undefined, so courts look to housing codes: structural soundness, working plumbing and electrical systems, sanitation, ventilation, and freedom from pest infestation are the recurring benchmarks.
If something serious breaks, put the request in writing and keep a copy. That paper trail matters: complaining to the landlord or to code enforcement about unsafe conditions is retaliation-protected, and habitability problems can be raised as a defense if the landlord later files a dispossessory case. One caution: no Georgia statute lets you simply stop paying rent while you wait. Withholding rent invites an eviction filing, so talk to a lawyer or legal aid before touching the payment.
Can a Landlord Retaliate Against You for Complaining in Georgia?
No. Since 2019, O.C.G.A. § 44-7-24 has protected residents who, in good faith, complain about unsafe conditions to the landlord, a government agency, or code enforcement, request repairs, or organize with other residents. If the landlord files an eviction, terminates the lease, cuts services, or hikes the rent within three months of a protected action, that timing supports a retaliation claim. A court that finds retaliation must dismiss the eviction, and the resident can recover one month’s rent plus $500, with court costs and attorney fees on top where the conduct was willful. The landlord can defeat the claim by proving a lawful reason, such as genuinely unpaid rent or a lease violation unrelated to the complaint.
What Fees Can a Georgia Landlord Not Charge?
A landlord cannot collect a late fee that is not written into the lease, and cannot invent new charges mid-tenancy. No Georgia statute caps late fees or requires a grace period, so the lease controls both, and courts enforce fees that are reasonable rather than punitive (Georgia Landlord-Tenant Handbook). Two traps are worth flagging. Any refundable move-in charge counts toward the two-month deposit cap regardless of its label, and for homes built before 1978, federal law requires a lead-based paint disclosure before the lease is signed.
How Do Georgia Landlords Stay on the Right Side of These Rules?
The 2024 and 2025 sessions changed day-to-day practice more than any stretch in decades, so start by assuming your pre-2024 lease template is out of date. The essentials:
- Update the lease for the Safe at Home Act. Deposit amounts over two months’ rent and habitability waivers are now void, and cooling is a required utility you cannot interrupt.
- Serve the three-business-day notice correctly. Sealed envelope posted on the door, plus every delivery method the lease names. A defective notice can sink an otherwise valid filing.
- Calendar the one-month deposit deadline. Pair it with dated move-in and move-out photos and a signed condition report.
- Screen every applicant against the same written criteria. Consistency is the practical defense against fair housing complaints.
- Never touch locks or utilities. However bad the situation, the dispossessory process is the only process.
One more change if you live outside Georgia: House Bill 399, effective July 1, 2025, requires out-of-state owners of single-family and duplex rentals to place them with a Georgia-licensed real estate broker for management, so self-managing from another state is no longer an option for those properties. Our guide to managing a rental property walks through what good management looks like day to day, and our Atlanta property management team handles these rules on the ground.
FAQ
Can a landlord lock you out for unpaid rent in Georgia?
No, never. Lockouts are illegal self-help evictions. Even for unpaid rent, the landlord must give a written three-business-day notice to pay or vacate, win a dispossessory judgment in court, and obtain a writ of possession before anyone can remove you. A resident who is locked out can sue for damages.
Is air conditioning a required utility in Georgia rentals?
Yes, for leases entered or renewed on or after July 1, 2024. The Safe at Home Act added cooling to Georgia’s utility statute alongside heat, light, and water, and a landlord may not knowingly cut any of them before an eviction case is finally decided.
How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Georgia?
No more than two months’ rent for leases entered or renewed on or after July 1, 2024, under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-30.1. The cap applies to any refundable move-in charge no matter what the lease calls it, and it cannot be waived by agreement.
How much notice does a landlord need to raise rent in Georgia?
No statute sets a rent-increase notice period, and rent amounts are uncapped. Mid-lease increases are barred unless the lease allows them. On a month-to-month tenancy, an increase works by changing the terms, which requires the landlord’s 60-day termination notice under O.C.G.A. § 44-7-7.
How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in Georgia?
One month from move-out, with a written itemized statement for any deductions. Ordinary wear and tear cannot be deducted, and a landlord who withholds money in bad faith can owe three times the amount wrongfully withheld plus attorney fees.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Laws change, and every situation is different. For guidance on a specific situation, talk to a Georgia-licensed attorney.
