Georgia stands out as an outlier when it comes to housing legislation, lacking basic guarantees that rental properties are suitable for human habitation and leading to unsafe living conditions for thousands of Georgia families.
HB 404, the Safe at Home Act, would require landlords to ensure that their properties are suitable for human habitation before renting to tenants. Furthermore, security deposits would be limited and landlords given three business days right to cure for nonpayment of rent before filing an eviction action against them.
Water and Sewer
Georgia was long known to lag behind other states when it comes to providing basic tenant protections. Georgia remains the only one without what’s known as a “warranty of habitability,” which provides tenants legal recourse when landlords fail to make necessary repairs.
The bill, set to take effect July 1st 2024, requires landlords to ensure rental properties are fit for human habitation upon the signing of lease agreements and throughout the duration. Furthermore, it prohibits them from shutting off essential services like air conditioning before initiating eviction proceedings to force renters out.
Landlords must give adequate notice before entering any unit for inspection or repairs, except in cases of emergencies. Furthermore, according to law, landlords may charge reasonable late fees if rent is paid late – the maximum late fee allowed cannot exceed 15% of monthly payment amount.
Georgia ACT’s tireless advocacy efforts included busing constituents to Atlanta so they could share their stories directly with legislators. Georgians now enjoy new protections under state policymaking laws regarding reproductive healthcare access.
Heating and Cooling
Georgia is one of only three states without a warranty of habitability, leaving renters without legal recourse when faced with unsafe living conditions. A recently passed bill could help put this right.
House Bill 404, or the Safe at Home Act, would require landlords to ensure rental properties are suitable for human habitation when signing leases with tenants and also maintain them throughout their lease term. In addition, this law would include a three-day grace period before landlords file an eviction action and limit security deposits to two months rent.
This bill contains additional provisions designed to bolster tenant protections. These changes would further define “fit for habitation” through health and safety codes and enable tenants to assert breach of warranty of habitability claims against landlords. Moreover, these amendments would limit landlords’ ability to turn off cooling prior to commencing eviction proceedings as an essential utility and limit landlords from cutting them off during this time.
State Representative Kasey Carpenter of north Georgia sponsored House Bill 404 as his legislation is designed to ensure all Georgia renters have suitable living conditions. Carpenter has seen firsthand how hard it can be for families to afford decent homes; therefore HB 404 serves as an essential step towards this end.
Electrical
Landlords in Georgia must keep their rental properties suitable for human habitation by providing functional plumbing, heating, electricity and cooling. Landlords also must protect tenants from hazards like leaky roofs, pest infestations or unsafe living conditions – Tenants who experience any issues may find legal relief by reporting problems to authorities and alleging breaches in implied warranty of habitability by their landlords.
Georgia’s outdated housing laws have left hundreds of thousands of families vulnerable to living in unsafe environments, making the state one of the worst states for renters in America. But Georgia is seeking to address these problems with the Safe at Home Act which would for the first time require landlords to maintain properties in a livable condition and prevent tenants from facing expulsion for falling behind on rent by capping security deposits at two months’ rent, providing a three-day window for paying unpaid amounts and posting notice before filing an eviction case.
Additionally, the new law would limit late fees for nonpayment of rent and allow tenants to request a court hearing to contest a warrant for possession. Furthermore, air conditioning would be recognized as an essential utility and no landlord could shut it off prior to completion of an eviction proceeding.
Plumbing
One of the primary challenges Georgia renters face is living in unsafe and unsanitary environments. At least 582,000 Georgia households, or 15% of all homes, experience severe housing habitability problems such as lack of plumbing and kitchen facilities that threaten health and safety as well as prevent their children from reaching school-age success. Furthermore, such living conditions contribute to high eviction rates for low-income families living here.
Lawmakers made strides this year to improve Georgia rental homes with House Bill 404, known as the Safe at Home Act. It requires landlords to ensure their properties are fit for human habitation prior to signing leases with tenants, providing functional plumbing, safe electrical systems and adequate heating/cooling as well as free from hazards like pest infestations or leaky roofs – thus improving renters lives across Georgia. Furthermore, security deposits will now only cover two months’ rent with three days grace for late payments before landlords file an eviction notice with them before landlords file an eviction notice against them by landlords before filing an eviction notice against them from landlords!
However, due to ambiguities in the new law’s wording and interpretation issues that remain unclear. While waiting for courts to interpret and define exactly what makes an environment habitable for human habitation. People like Daniel Newman hope the law will hold landlords accountable – since moving into his apartment he’s documented issues like an air conditioner breakdown, door frames that need replacement, mold in the bathroom etc.
