Georgia landlord and tenant laws differ, depending on whether you are part of a federal housing agreement, or if you are simply renting a property privately. If you find yourself in a court procedure, then you will see that Georgia landlord-tenant laws are very much specific to each particular arrangement and the judge who is presiding over your case will create a case law for you.
The main role of a landlord is to keep their properties in the best possible condition for their tenants. This means that the property must be safe to live in, both structurally and electrically. If you need to make any repairs, then these should be carried out in an appropriate amount of time. If you need to get a contractor to do the job, then you have the time frame to contact the contractor for a quote and allow them time to complete the job. If the repair needs to be done to ensure the safety of your tenant, then you should make the repair a priority. Such things as structural issues, electrical faults that could be a danger and leaking plumbing are all things that may be regarded as being a priority repair. If you are unsure about what you should be doing for your tenant, then you can visit your local library that will have various books where you can read in-depth laws and regulations for landlords. You can also ask the help of a legal professional too. If you wish to evict a tenant, you will need to give the necessary notice as per your agreements and unless you have a very good reason, you will not be able to evict in a shorter time frame than this. If you do, then the tenant can take you to court and you will have to prove that you have a good reason for the eviction.
For those who are renting a property from a landlord, you need to know what kind of agreement you have. You may be a tenant, or a boarder. A border is someone who is paying a homeowner to stay in a room in a property and use communal facilities. You will not have a tenancy agreement in this situation. A tenant pays money to a landlord, and their property is self-contained with no communal facilities. Boarders can be very temporary, for only a week or two at times, whilst tenants are bound into an agreement to stay at a property for a certain amount of time.
If you are a tenant in Georgia, then you will need to abide by some rules. You should report repairs as soon as you are aware of them to your landlord. You may be able to decorate the property for yourself, but you must always ask the permission of the landlord before you do any permanent decoration. Some landlords do not like you to put pictures up or use wall-hung objects as this can damage the finish of the walls. Your tenancy agreement will outline the time that you are required to stay in the property for. If you wish to leave at any time, you will need to give the agreed amount of notice in writing to your landlord. You will be expected to leave the property in the state that you began renting it in. If there is any damage or repairs that you have not resolved, then you will usually need to pay for these yourself, and this will result in a partial or full reduction of the returned value of your initial deposit when you do leave.