Georgia Habitability and Repair Standards

O.C.G.A. § 44-7-13 requires the landlord to keep the premises in repair, and the 2024 Safe at Home Act (HB 404, effective July 1, 2024) amended it to expressly require that premises be maintained 'fit for human habitation'. Georgia's first statutory warranty of habitability. Section 44-7-14 makes a landlord who has fully parted with possession liable for damages from defective construction or failure to repair, and HB 404 also expanded 'utilities' in § 44-7-14.1 to include cooling. Georgia courts treat the repair duty as non-waivable after notice of a defect. There is still no repair-and-deduct or rent-withholding statute; a tenant's primary remedy remains a damages suit or, in extreme cases, constructive eviction.

No specific statutory penalty. A landlord who fails to repair after notice may be sued under § 44-7-13 and § 44-7-14 for damages, including for personal injury or property loss caused by the disrepair; a tenant may not lawfully withhold or deduct rent, as Georgia has no statute authorizing it.