Unlike other places in the United States of America, the state of Georgia has a very strict residential lease and rent law. A Georgia lease agreement is a legal document used between the owner and the tenant.
Therefore the latter can use the property in exchange for a monetary sum. It is mandatory that the Georgia residential lease agreement be fulfilled in case of any renting within the state's borders.
Once both parties agree to the terms and conditions, the Georgia rental agreement would be signed.
What is the Georgia Residential Lease Agreement?
Georgia lease agreement or Georgia residential lease agreement is the legal agreement done between the landlord and the tenant where the lease of the subject property shall be renewed on a yearly basis.
Every year both parties can review the terms and conditions and agree to continue with the same contract or terminate the contract. The landlord would charge a fee as a security deposit which could be a month's rent as well.
The law of the state of Georgia is very strict in this matter. In case the owner withholds any of the security deposit without proper reason, they may be liable to pay three times the deposit amount to the tenant.
However, the landlord should verify the tenant's financial background to assess whether the tenant would be able to clear monthly rents. The rental agreement in GA insists that in case of termination of the rental agreement of Georgia both parties are liable by law to give written notice of 30 days with the intention to terminate the contract.
The notice could be given at any time without considering the date of commencement.
How to Write a Lease Agreement in GA?
Once both landlord and tenant agree to a Georgia residential lease agreement, a legal document shall be signed by both. In the lease agreement of GA, the type of agreement must be mentioned.
Also at the same time, the landlord can issue certain terms and conditions the tenant has to obey. One can avail of the GA lease agreement through an online software CocoDoc. It's a powerful software that offers you a free download of lease template GA and many other official documents; all are for free!
Both the landlord and the tenant must sign the rental agreement GA to make a binding contract for the subject property. In the case of an unfulfilled contract, the same can be furnished in a court of law for legal closure.
What are the Things to Include in a Lease Agreement of GA?
To make the lease agreement legal for a Georgia rental agreement below information needs to be mentioned.
- Name of the Owner and the Tenant (Tenant might have to mention the names of all adult members of the family or acquaintances who will be staying in the property)
- Description of the property
- Monthly rent & due dates (Late payment charges & cut off day could be mentioned too if applicable)
- Modes of rent payment available
- Security deposit amount (The same should be refunded without interest once the lease is terminated)
- Amenities and facilities available on the property
- Rules & Regulations
- Maintenance Cost
- Refund Clause
Apart from the above, both parties can include other information as well per their discretion. In the case of a contract violation, this document is very important and will be scrutinised thoroughly.
Conclusion
Since the state of Georgia has a very strict policy towards tenant law including Georgia residential lease agreement, the owners need to be very careful while drafting the lease agreement of GA.
Since the owners are liable to refund the deposits, the owners should be a bit careful and do proper background checks before agreeing to a Georgia residential lease agreement.
It will help in case any legal course of action is required.
