With the high cost of living, purchasing a home or a house has become a tall order for many. Instead, they choose to rent a house or apartments depending on the number of family members one has in his or her family. The good news is that you can now rent a house closer to your workplace and enjoy more convenience. Here, you can live with your family as you plan to purchase a house in the near future. Although you may have a rosy relationship with your landlord in the first few months or years, there are instances when the landlord may want you to move out of his or her property. Whether it is the failure to pay rent in a timely manner or violation of the terms stipulated in the lease agreement, there are many reasons why your landlord may want to terminate your lease. Just like in any other state, landlords in Georgia need to give their tenants a notice before they can evict them. Since most tenant would like to know how much notice landlord give to move out in Georgia, we shall take a closer look at that, alongside other related ideas:
How Much Notice Does A Landlord Give A Tenant To Move Out In Georgia?
Compared to other states, Georgian landlords usually have a free rein when it comes to the issuance of notices to those tenants whose lease is about to get terminated. However, they are always encouraged to be empathetic to such issues as tenants are likely to get inconvenienced. Besides this, it might be costly for them to find a house immediately and rent it on the go.
Therefore, they have to give a notice to their tenants within a certain time period so that they can have adequate time to look for another house or apartment and so forth. Typically, the landlord have to give a 60 day notice regardless of the kind of lease agreement the tenant has assigned at the beginning of his or her tenancy.
Can The Landlord Terminate The Lease Early In Georgia?
Although the tenant residing in Georgia might have a good relationship with his or her landlord, there are certain circumstances that can prompt the landlord to terminate the lease earlier than the due date. Therefore, the landlord has the right to terminate the lease due to the following reasons:
1. Failure to pay rent on time
Once you rent a house or an apartment, you are expected to pay rent in time. The good news is that the timelines for paying rent are well spelt out in the lease agreement. For instance the lease agreement may state that the tenant ought to pay rent on the 5th of every month.
Paying rent on 10th or 15th of that month is deemed as late rent payment can prompt the landlord to terminate your lease. However, before the lease is terminated, you will be given a verbal or written notice to pay the rent. In case you violate the notice, be sure that you will be evicted in the long run.
2. Damage to the property
Besides not being able to pay rent on time, damaging the landlord’s property can prompt the owner to terminate the lease on the go. In most cases, a rented property is prone to the normal wear and tear. For instance, the paint may start peeling on its own. Other times, the walls of the kitchen may get stained as a result of cooking activities.
The good news is that such wear and tear damages can easily be catered for as they are relatively cheap to deal with. However, if you start drilling holes on the property or breaking the window glasses of the house, you may eventually get evicted. If you are found guilty of such offences, you may not get the much-needed security deposit as it will be used to cater for the damage caused on the property.
3. You are disturbing the neighbors
We all like living in a peaceful neighborhood. However, there are some neighbors who like loud music. Others, hold parties and bashes every now and then. Such activities can disrupt the much-needed peace of the neighborhood and can make the other tenants to complain.
Besides noise, if you are fond of littering the apartment the way you please, you can easily get evicted as you will be deemed to make the apartment inhabitable. To be on the safe side, you should refrain from such unbecoming behavior and be a responsible tenant.
4. Non-renewal of the lease after the rental period has elapsed
Once your rental agreement has come to an end and it is not about to get renewed, the landlord can issue a written notice to you. Like we mentioned above, the landlord will issue a 60-day notice for you to vacate. This is applicable to those who have a signed a month-to-month lease agreements. In case you had signed a fixed term lease agreement, the landlord might not issue a notice to you. Ideally, you are expected to move out at the end of the lease period.
5. Engaging in criminal activities
No landlord would like to have a tenant who engages in a series of crimes. From cybercrimes to robbery with violence, there are many crimes that can make a tenant’s lease to be terminated earlier than expected. This is because the landlord would not like his property to be marked as a crime scene and thus ruin chances of getting more tenants in the future.
6. Violating the lease agreement
Once you choose to rent a house or an apartment, there is a lease agreement document that you normally sign. Once you sign this document, you must adhere to the terms and conditions stipulated on it.
Failure to uphold or adhere to these terms can make the landlord to terminate your lease earlier than the due date. For instance, if you keep unwanted pets or you start smoking while in the property, chances of your lease being terminated are very high. Therefore, you have to read this document and the fine prints in it in order to avoid such eventualities.
How Long Can A Tenant Stay After The Lease Expires In Georgia?
Once your lease term has come to an end or has expired, you can continue staying in that property for as long as the landlord deems fit. However, you have to be orderly and pay your rent as usual. Remember that you will be a tenant-at-will. Unlike other kinds of lease agreement, this one is not written. Also, it does not specify the duration that the tenant will remain in the house or apartment.
If you opt to live under this kind of rental arrangement, be sure that your tenancy can be terminated at any time. In most cases, it is generally used as an interim or short term solution for occupation by people who may move out at any time and want to enjoy more flexibility.
Eviction Laws In Georgia And Eviction Laws In Georgia With No Lease
If you signed a lease agreement at the beginning of the tenancy, the landlord cannot just wake up and evict you. In case there is a compelling reason that can prompt him or her to take that drastic action, be sure that he will serve you with a 60 day notice. Once this period elapses and you have not cured the problem causing the landlord to terminate your lease, be sure that he can file a lawsuit against you.
On the other hand, if you are not under any lease agreement and you live in the landlord’s property, you are deemed to be a tenant at will. Under the Georgian law, your landlord ought to give you a notice of 60 days before evicting you. In case you remain in his or her property beyond 60 days, he can file an eviction lawsuit against you.
How Long Is The Eviction Process In Georgia?
The period in which the eviction process take place can vary due to a number of factors. A good example is the availability of the officials handling the matter in the courts as well as the speed at which they respond once the Writ of Possession is released. Typically, this process can take between 14 days and 80 days for the entire eviction process to be complete. Therefore, you should be a bit patient as the process can take long.
Can A Landlord Evict You For No Reason In Georgia?
Yes. If you are a tenant in Georgia, your landlord can evict you for no just cause. However, there are certain terms and conditions that both parties must adhere to. For instance, your lease must have lasted for 12 months and beyond.
Therefore, your landlord may not evict you if your lease term has not lasted for that long. Besides this, if you have been paying your rent in good time and has always adhered to the terms and conditions of your lease, be sure that you will be able to remain in that property up to the 12th month.
Can A Landlord Come In Without Notice Georgia?
Yes. If you are a tenant in Georgia, your landlord can enter the property you have leased without notice. This can be attributed to the fact that there is no Georgian law that prevents landlords from accessing their properties anytime they please. However, tenants have the freedom to enjoy their privacy while they are in their respective rented properties.
Although Georgian landlord can access their properties anytime they please, in most cases they do so whenever there is an emergency situation in those properties. For instance in the event of a fire or anything that may damage the property, the landlord can come to his property in order to avert such situations.
As a tenant, you have the right to forbid your landlord from access critical area such as your bedroom except in such limited circumstances. Besides fire, floods or any other natural disaster, your landlord can access your property without consent or permission if he has a valid reason to believe that you have abandoned the property for quite some time.
Final Words
From the article above, it is now clear that a Georgian landlord can terminate a lease due to one reason or another. Other times, he is at liberty to terminate the lease for good reason. Unlike other landlords in other countries, these ones enjoy a lot of free rein when it comes to the issuance of termination notices. However, they are always encouraged to issue these notices in good time so that the tenant can look for another house in good time. Typically, this period should be 60 days before they can evict the tenant. Consider these ideas today and you will have an easy time while terminating the lease terms of your tenants, regardless of where they are based in Georgia.