Georgia Landlord Compliance Kit: Deposit, Notice and Eviction Checklists with an Excel Tracker

Who it is for

Landlords and property managers with rentals in Georgia, and tenants who want the same record, from move-in through move-out or a court case.

Not the right fit if

Your rental is outside Georgia: get that state's kit. Not legal advice, not a lawyer's review of a lease, notice or court case, and not a set of legal notice forms; city and county rules aren't covered.

Why it is different

• Built only from our Georgia data files, checked November 2026 against 7 official pages, among them Georgia House Budget and Research Office: 2024 homeowner and housing legislation brief (HB 404); Georgia Governor's Office: HB 404 (2024) as signed, adding O.C.G.A. 44-7-30.1; Georgia Department of Community Affairs: Georgia Landlord Tenant Handbook (revised August 29, 2024); Georgia Office of the Attorney General, Consumer Protection Division: Ask Ed, notice before increasing rent (December 15, 2020); Council of Magistrate Court Judges: MAG 30-01 Dispossessory Affidavit and Summons; Judicial Council of Georgia (georgiacourts.gov): Georgia Eviction Policy, A Comparative Analysis of Southern States (May 2024).
• 8 items the official pages didn't state are marked "not confirmed" with the page to check, never guessed.
• The workbook recalculates with zero formula errors and works out Georgia notice and deposit dates for you.

What is inside

• Start here. How to use the kit, the 15 confirmed Georgia rules at a glance and the 8 items to confirm: interest on the deposit, entry notice, late fee limits, filing fee, hearing after filing, judgment to writ, writ to lockout, right to counsel (statewide), each with the official page to check.
• Georgia landlord rules checklist. Deposits, notice periods, the eviction case and the small claims limit, each confirmed rule with its source link and check date. What it confirms: deposit limit: No more than the equivalent of two months' rent (O.C.G.A. 44-7-30.1, added by HB 404 for leases entered into or renewed on or after July 1, 2024); return deadline: Within 30 days after the lease ends or the tenant leaves, whichever is later, for all landlords regardless of the number of units; any amount withheld for damage is explained in a notice sent within those 30 days (DCA handbook, 2024); itemized list of deductions: A notice identifying the damage, with the estimated dollar amount, and any refund of the difference; where the deposit is held: For a landlord with more than ten units or a management agent: a bank escrow account (or a bond with the superior court clerk), with written notice to the tenant of where it's held; penalty the law states: For a landlord with more than ten units or a management agent: up to three times the amount withheld, plus attorney fees, unless the withholding was a good-faith mistake; ending month-to-month (landlord): Tenancy at will: the landlord gives 60 days' notice; ending month-to-month (tenant): Tenancy at will: the tenant gives 30 days' notice; rent increase notice: Tenant at will: at least 60 days' notice before any change to the rental agreement, including a rent increase.
• Move-in and move-out deposit checklist. A room-by-room condition checklist for both visits and the steps after move-out, with Georgia's return deadline (within 30 days).
• Notice calendar. When each notice must go out: the lead time for every notice the state's text confirms, with a 2027 month-by-month serve-by table worked out with our notice date calculator's rules.
• Eviction timeline sheet. The Georgia case in order from notice to lockout, with each confirmed stage, an example dated from a sample filing day where the rules give periods, and blanks for your own case dates.
• Georgia landlord workbook (Excel). A tenant notice log that dates each notice from the Georgia rules, a deposit tracker that works out the return date for each move-out, and a rent ledger with a running balance.