--- title: HB 687. Property; landlord and tenant; security deposits; provisions collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb687 cite_as: HB 687, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb687 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb687.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb687/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71022 date: 2025-03-04 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-09-12 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb686.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb688.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 129 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb687.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 687 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-02-28 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - Omari Crawford - Mary Oliver - Inga Willis - Saira Draper - Spencer Frye text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB687/2025 upstream_id: 1989309 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - landlord-tenant law - security deposits - rental housing - lease fees --- # HB 687. Property; landlord and tenant; security deposits; provisions ## Text House Bill 687 By: Representatives Crawford of the 89th, Oliver of the 84th, Willis of the 55th, Draper of the 90th, and Frye of the 122nd A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Article 2 of Chapter 7 of Title 44 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to security deposits, so as to provide that prior to tendering a security deposit, the tenant shall be presented with a comprehensive list of any existing damage to the premises and shall include an itemization of all fees associated with such tenant's lease; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA: SECTION 1. Article 2 of Chapter 7 of Title 44 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to security deposits, is amended by revising subsection (a) of Code Section 44-7-33, relating to lists of existing defects and of damages during tenancy, inspection of premises by landlord upon termination of lease and vacation or surrender of premises, right of tenant to inspect and dissent, and action to recover security deposit, as follows: "(a) Prior to tendering a security deposit, the tenant shall be presented with a comprehensive list of any existing damage to the premises and shall include an itemization of all fees associated with such tenant's lease, which shall be for the tenant's permanent retention. The tenant shall have the right to inspect the premises to ascertain the accuracy of such list prior to taking occupancy. The landlord and the tenant shall sign the list, and this shall be conclusive evidence of the accuracy of the list but shall not be conclusive as to latent defects. If the tenant refuses to sign the list, the tenant shall state specifically in writing the items on such list to which he or she dissents and shall sign such statement of dissent." SECTION 2. All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House bill would require landlords to give tenants a full list of existing property damage and an itemized list of lease fees before collecting a security deposit. ### Plain-language summary Under current Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-33), landlords must give tenants a list of existing damage to a rental unit that the tenant can inspect and sign before move-in. This bill adds a new requirement: before a landlord can accept a security deposit, the tenant must be given a comprehensive list of any existing damage to the premises and an itemization of all fees tied to the lease. The rest of the existing process stays in place. The tenant can inspect the premises to check the list's accuracy before moving in, and both landlord and tenant sign it. A signed list is treated as conclusive proof of accuracy, though not for hidden (latent) defects. If a tenant disagrees with any item, they must write out their specific objections and sign that statement of dissent. The bill repeals any conflicting laws but does not state a separate effective date beyond standard enactment. ### What it does - Requires landlords to present tenants with a full list of any existing damage to the rental unit before the tenant hands over a security deposit. - Requires that list to also include an itemization of all fees connected to the tenant's lease. - Keeps the tenant's existing right to inspect the premises and check the list's accuracy before taking occupancy. - Preserves the rule that a signed damage list is conclusive evidence of accuracy except for hidden defects discovered later. - Keeps the requirement that a tenant who disagrees with the list must state objections in writing and sign a dissent statement. ### Who it affects The bill affects residential and other landlords covered by Georgia's security deposit law and their tenants, since it changes what documentation must be provided before a tenant pays a security deposit. ### Why it matters Tenants would get written information about property condition and lease fees before paying a deposit, which could help them dispute unfair damage claims or hidden fees later. Landlords would need to prepare this itemized list and fee breakdown before collecting deposits. ### Key provisions - Section 1 revises subsection (a) of O.C.G.A. § 44-7-33 to require a comprehensive existing-damage list and an itemization of all lease-related fees before a security deposit is tendered. - Section 1 retains the tenant's right to inspect the premises before occupancy to verify the list's accuracy. - Section 1 keeps the rule that a signed list is conclusive evidence of accuracy but not conclusive as to latent (hidden) defects. - Section 1 keeps the requirement that a tenant who refuses to sign must specify in writing the items they dispute and sign that dissent statement. - Section 2 repeals all laws and parts of laws that conflict with the Act. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-02-28) - Last action: House Second Readers (2025-03-04) - Sponsors: Omari Crawford, Mary Oliver, Inga Willis, Saira Draper, Spencer Frye - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71022 > The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb687.md?full=1