Bed bug infestations in Atlanta rental housing are treated as habitability defects under Atlanta Code Chapter 54 and Georgia landlord-tenant law, requiring landlord-paid professional treatment when not tenant-caused.
Atlanta does not have a stand-alone bed bug ordinance, but Chapter 54 of the city code requires landlords to keep dwellings free of insects and vermin, and Georgia OCGA Title 44 Chapter 7 imposes a habitability duty. Tenants must give written notice of suspected bed bugs; the landlord then arranges inspection and, if confirmed and not introduced solely by the tenant, professional treatment of the affected unit and adjacent units at the landlord's expense. Tenants must cooperate by preparing the unit for treatment, and the lease cannot waive these baseline duties.
Landlords who refuse to treat confirmed infestations face Code Enforcement citations under Chapter 54, possible rent abatement claims in magistrate court, and damages under OCGA Title 44 Chapter 7 for breach of habitability.
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