HB 1007: Essential Services for Renters Act; enact

Under current Georgia law, landlords must keep rental properties in repair, but tenants have limited options if a landlord ignores a needed fix. House Bill 1007, called the Essential Services for Renters Act, amends the landlord and tenant law (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-13) to define 'essential services' such as plumbing, electrical, gas, heating and air conditioning, and hot and cold water, and 'necessary repairs' needed to keep those services working or required under a lease. If a landlord does not fix a necessary repair within 14 days of written notice, the tenant may hire a licensed professional (a preapproved one if named in the lease, or any licensed professional otherwise) to make the repair and then subtract the reasonable cost from future rent payments, as long as receipts are provided. If the landlord still has not made the repair after 60 days, the tenant may give 30 days' notice and terminate the lease. These rights do not apply if the tenant caused the problem. The changes would apply to leases entered into, renewed, modified, or extended on or after July 1, 2026.

• Defines 'essential service' to include plumbing, sewer, electrical, gas heating and cooking, HVAC, and hot and cold running water in a rental unit.
• Lets a tenant hire a licensed professional to fix a necessary repair if the landlord fails to do so within 14 days of written notice, and deduct the cost from future rent.
• Requires tenants to submit repair receipts to the landlord and caps rent deductions at the reasonable cost of the repair.
• Allows a tenant to terminate the lease, after giving 30 days' notice, if the landlord fails to complete a necessary repair within 60 days of notice.
• Excludes repairs caused by the tenant's own intentional or negligent actions from these new rights.
• Requires tenants making shared-facility repairs to notify other affected tenants and minimize inconvenience to them.

Residential tenants and landlords across Georgia are directly affected, along with licensed repair professionals such as plumbers and electricians who may be hired under the new self-repair option. The changes apply to leases signed, renewed, or extended on or after July 1, 2026.

Tenants facing broken heat, plumbing, or hot water could get faster fixes without waiting on an unresponsive landlord, and could recover repair costs through lower rent instead of paying out of pocket. Landlords would face new deadlines and the risk of lease termination or rent deductions if repairs are not made.

• Section 2 adds definitions for 'essential service,' 'necessary repair,' 'premises,' and 'residential unit' to O.C.G.A. § 44-7-13.
• Section 2 keeps the existing rule that landlords must keep premises in repair and are liable for improvements they consent to.
• Section 2 creates a self-repair and rent-offset process: tenants can hire a licensed professional after 14 days of unaddressed written notice and deduct the reasonable repair cost from rent.
• Section 2 allows lease termination with 30 days' notice if the landlord has not completed a necessary repair within 60 days of notice, unless the tenant already used the self-repair option.
• Section 2 excludes repairs caused by a tenant's own intentional or negligent acts or omissions from these tenant remedies.
• Section 3 makes the Act apply only to rental agreements entered into, renewed, modified, or extended on or after July 1, 2026.
• Section 4 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2026-01-28House Second Readers (House)
2. 2026-01-27House First Readers (House)
3. 2026-01-16House Hopper (House)

• Bryce Berry (D, HD-056)Primary sponsor
• Spencer Frye (D, HD-122)
• Jordan Ridley (R, HD-022)
• Gabriel Sanchez (D, HD-042)
• Eric Bell (D, HD-075)
• Shea Roberts (D, HD-052)

• landlord-tenant law
• rental repairs
• renters rights
• housing conditions
• lease termination