Georgia Gov. Kemp signs landmark tenant protections bill into law

ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law Monday a bill providing some standards for people living in neglected rental homes.

Kemp’s signature represents a hard-fought victory for lawmakers, policymakers and housing advocates who pushed for House Bill 404 after it stalled in the Senate in 2023. But after the Senate approved the measure towards the end of the legislative session in March, the Georgia House rubber-stamped it shortly after, passing it 168-1.

The law creates a habitability standard, a three-day grace period so tenants can catch up with their rent before landlords file for eviction, and places limits on security deposits to the equivalent of two months’ rent.

Rep. Kasey Carpenter, a Dalton Republican and lead sponsor, proposed the bill on the back of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s 2022 investigation, “Dangerous Dwellings.” The six-part series exposed dangerous conditions — including rats, mold, raw sewage, roaches and violent crime — at hundreds of Atlanta-area housing complexes.

The bill mandates that rental properties should be “fit for human habitation” without making clear what habitable or uninhabitable means, or what penalties landlords would face if they fail to comply.

Still, Carpenter said before the bill passed that the legislation would help protect renters from landlords and management companies who let their properties fall into disrepair or harass and mistreat tenants.

The Peach State has some of the weakest tenant protections in the country, according to housing advocates. They roundly supported the bill, while highlighting some of its shortcomings — some wanted stricter limits on security deposits; others called for a longer grace period before landlords could move to evict tenants.