Georgia Rent Increase Notice
In Georgia a landlord must give at least 60 days written notice to raise the rent on a month-to-month (at-will) tenancy under O.C.G.A. 44-7-7. Georgia has no statewide rent cap and prohibits local rent control, so the landlord may set the new amount. Attorney review available.
Introduction
Georgia splits the notice clock in two. To raise the rent on a month-to-month tenancy, which Georgia law calls a tenancy at will, a landlord needs sixty days notice, while a tenant who wants out owes only thirty, and both figures sit in the same sentence of O.C.G.A. 44-7-7. Georgia has no separate rent-increase statute, so a landlord raises the rent by giving the 60-day notice that changes or ends a tenancy at will, and the increase takes effect only once those 60 days run. A rent increase notice is that written notice applied to a new rent, stating the new monthly amount and its effective date. On the amount, Georgia leaves the landlord free: there is no statewide rent cap, and no county or city may regulate the rent charged for privately owned residential property (O.C.G.A. 44-7-19), so no local ordinance limits the figure. A fixed-term lease is a different matter, because the rent written into it controls until the term ends or the lease itself allows a change; the notice reaches a month-to-month tenancy or takes hold at renewal. Georgia sets no statutory way to deliver this notice, so put it in writing, serve it so the 60 days can be counted, and keep proof of how and when it went out. DocDraft builds your Georgia rent increase notice from your facts, with attorney review available before you serve it. These points rest on a Tier-2 republication of the Georgia Code, so have a licensed attorney confirm the day-count against the primary statute before you rely on it.
0/5000
Key Things to Know
- 1
A Georgia rent increase notice is a written notice from landlord to tenant raising the rent on a residential tenancy, naming the new monthly rent and the date the increase takes effect.
- 2
Georgia has no dedicated rent-increase statute, so on a month-to-month tenancy, which the state calls a tenancy at will, the increase follows the landlord notice O.C.G.A. 44-7-7 requires: at least 60 days, and it takes effect only after that period runs.
- 3
The same statute gives a tenant only 30 days to end a tenancy at will, but that shorter figure is the tenant side; the number that governs a landlord raising the rent is 60 days (O.C.G.A. 44-7-7).
- 4
Georgia sets no statewide rent cap, so the landlord may name the new amount, subject to the rental agreement and the 60-day notice on a month-to-month tenancy.
- 5
Local rent control is barred as well: no county or municipal corporation may enact or enforce an ordinance regulating the rent charged for privately owned residential property (O.C.G.A. 44-7-19), so no local ordinance caps a Georgia increase.
- 6
During a fixed-term lease the rent in the lease controls and cannot be raised mid-term unless the lease allows it; the notice applies to a month-to-month tenancy or takes effect when a fixed-term lease renews.
- 7
Georgia prescribes no statutory delivery method, so give the notice in writing, count 60 days so the effective date leaves the tenant at least that long, and a notice short of the required time does not take effect until a proper 60-day period runs.
Key decisions before you file
Before you file a Rent Increase Notice in Georgia, a few decisions shape the document: which option to choose and what each one means. The Rent Increase Notice guide walks through them.
Open the Rent Increase Notice guideCustomize your Rent Increase Notice Template with DocDraft
Georgia Requirements for Rent Increase Notice
60-Day Landlord Notice
On a month-to-month tenancy, which Georgia calls a tenancy at will, the landlord must give at least 60 days written notice before a rent increase takes effect. Under O.C.G.A. 44-7-7, sixty days notice from the landlord is necessary to change or end a tenancy at will; a tenant, by contrast, owes only 30 days. The effective date must give the tenant at least the full 60 days. This is grounded in a Tier-2 republication of the Georgia Code; confirm the figure against the primary statute.
No Statewide Rent Cap
Georgia sets no statewide rent cap. A landlord may set the new rent amount, subject to the rental agreement and to the 60-day notice on a month-to-month tenancy. The amount is a matter of the rental agreement, not a statutory limit, so the notice does not need to show the increase falls within a cap.
No Mid-Lease Increase on a Fixed Term
During a fixed-term lease the rent stated in the lease controls, and the landlord cannot raise it in the middle of the term unless the lease specifically allows it. A rent increase notice applies to a month-to-month tenancy or takes effect when a fixed-term lease renews.
Delivering the Notice in Writing
Georgia does not set a statutory method for delivering a rent increase notice on a tenancy at will, so give the notice in writing and deliver it in a way that lets the 60-day period be counted, such as personal delivery or mail. Keep proof of how and when the notice was served in case the increase is later disputed.
Counting the 60-Day Effective Date
Count at least 60 days from when the tenant receives the notice, and set the effective date on or after the first day past that period (O.C.G.A. 44-7-7). Because Georgia does not add statutory mailing days for this notice, allow enough delivery time so the tenant still receives the full 60 days before the increase takes effect.
What the Notice Must State
The notice should identify the landlord and tenant, give the rental address, state the current monthly rent and the new monthly rent, and state the effective date, confirming it gives at least the 60 days a landlord owes on a tenancy at will under O.C.G.A. 44-7-7. Because Georgia has no statewide or local rent cap, the notice does not need to show the increase falls within a cap.
No Local Rent Control in Georgia
Georgia prohibits local rent control. Under O.C.G.A. 44-7-19, no county or municipal corporation may enact, maintain, or enforce any ordinance or resolution regulating the amount of rent charged for privately owned residential rental property, with a narrow exception for property a local government owns. No Georgia city ordinance caps the amount of a rent increase.
A Short Notice Is Not Yet Effective
A rent increase served with less time than the law requires does not take effect on the stated date. Under O.C.G.A. 44-7-7 the increase is effective only after a full 60-day period runs, so a tenant may treat a short or improper notice as not yet effective and continue paying the prior rent until a proper 60-day notice period passes.