3 Things You Should Know About Renters' Rights In GA

Before you sign a lease on a rental property, it is wise to familiarize yourself with your rights as a renter. Far too often, renters end up in homes that are unfit to be habitable or with landlords who abuse their power. The best way to avoid a bad situation as a renter is to cover all your bases before you enter into any new lease agreements.

If you are about to sign a lease on a new home in Georgia and you are curious about , you've come to the right place. This DoNotPay guide will help you understand renter's rights specific to Georgia and offer you the next steps if you have found yourself in a position where your rights are being violated.

What Are Georgia Renter’s Rights?

exist to ensure that you as a tenant are protected from unsafe properties and unlawful landlords. Before you sign a lease on a new property, you should always:

Fully inspect the property to ensure it is in good condition.
Make a list of anything broken or malfunctioning so you can request repairs if necessary and so the landlord can't blame you for any damage. Have the landlord sign off on this list and make a record for both of you.
Read the lease in its entirety, taking note of anything questionable or seemingly unlawful. Make sure you agree on everything detailed in the lease before you sign it.
Understand where your security deposit is going and confirm that it will be returned to you if you adhere to the lease agreement

Once you are officially a tenant in a rental property, it is your responsibility to pay rent on time and take care of the home. However, even though you are occupying someone else's property, they are legally obligated to give you privacy and make the necessary repairs any time something breaks or needs maintenance. While you are renting, be sure to:

Notify the landlord of any repairs that need to happen as soon as possible. You may be held liable if you hold back information from your landlord for too long.
Appropriately communicate with your landlord. This rule applies to the landlord as well. If your landlord does not give you at least 24 hours notice before coming onto the property, they may well be violating their lease terms.

What if My Renter’s Rights Are Violated?

Although you have many responsibilities and rules that must be adhered to as a tenant, you still have rights that must be respected by your landlord. Your landlord may violate these rights if they:

Refuse to make necessary repairs to the property.
Harass or abuse you in any way.
Discriminate against you because of your race, religion, gender, or any other reason.
Try to raise your rent if you have already signed a lease agreement.
Try to illegally evict you without proper notice by changing the locks or otherwise blocking your entrance into the property.
Remove any of your private property from the premises, unless they have legally evicted you and are lawfully removing it.
Unlawfully withholding your security deposit after your lease ends.

How Do I Report a Landlord in Georgia

If you believe your landlord violates your renter's rights, you may have the right to report them, sue them in court for damages, or terminate your lease early. There are several ways for you to file a complaint against or report your landlord. They include:

Filing a complaint with the Fair Housing Department if you believe your landlord has been discriminatory towards you.
Open a case with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs if you participate in state or funded housing programs and you believe your landlord violates their guidelines.
Contact your city or county housing code inspector if you believe the rental property does not meet health and safety codes.
Call Consumer Complaints at 1-404-651-8600 to report a landlord that you believe has violated your renter's rights.

Though there are multiple ways to get started on resolving matters involving violations of your Georgia renter's rights, you may feel unsure which option best applies to you. You can save yourself the hassle by using DoNotPay's Landlord Protection product to help better understand your situation and take the necessary steps to move forward with a complaint or a lease termination.

DoNotPay Can Help

DoNotPay can help you with many issues involving Georgia renter's rights. Our Landlord Protection product can help you:

Get your security deposit back.
Understand eviction laws in your area.
Demand repairs from your landlord.
Resolve disputes with roommates.
Terminate your lease.

If you believe your Georgia renter's rights have been violated and you would like to take steps to report your landlord, sue your landlord, or terminate your lease, simply follow these steps:

Search for and open the Landlord Protection product on DoNotPay.
Select which issue applies to you.
Answer a simple set of questions so our chatbot can collect the necessary information to create your demand letter.
Choose whether you want DoNotPay to send the demand letter to your landlord or roommate on your behalf. If you already tried sending a demand letter and it didn't work, we can help you start the small claims court process.

What Else Can DoNotPayDo?

DoNotPay is in the business of making our clients' lives easier. In addition to helping you through landlord-tenant law issues, our products can also help you:

Sign up for DoNotPay and put our services to work for you today!