---
title: HB 708. Renters' Bill of Rights Act; enact
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb708
cite_as: HB 708, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb708
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb708.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb708/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71076
date: 2025-03-06
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.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb708.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 708
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-03-03
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
- Solomon Adesanya
- Terry Cummings
- Marvin Lim
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB708/2025
upstream_id: 1990387
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- renters' rights
- landlord-tenant law
- eviction process
- rental repairs
- housing law
---
# HB 708. Renters' Bill of Rights Act; enact
## Text
House Bill 708
By: Representatives Adesanya of the 43rd, Cummings of the 39th, and Lim of the 98th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 7 of Title 44 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
landlord and tenant, so as to provide for the deduction of the costs of certain repairs from
rental payments; to revise the time required for answers; to revise provisions concerning the
effectiveness of writs of possession; to provide for a short title; to provide for applicability;
to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "Renters' Bill of Rights Act."
SECTION 2.
Chapter 7 of Title 44 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to landlord and
tenant, is amended by adding a new subsection to Code Section 44-7-13, relating to
landlord's duties as to repairs and improvements, to read as follows:
"(c) If a landlord does not adequately respond to a tenant's request for repairs within five
days of receiving such request and such repairs are the responsibility of the landlord
pursuant to this Code section, the tenant may complete such repairs through a preapproved
licensed professional, who shall be named in the lease agreement or identified by the
landlord at the time the premises is rented, or through any licensed professional if no such
professional is preapproved by the landlord. After the work is completed, the tenant may
deduct the cost of such repairs from the next rental installment due; provided, however, that
the amount of such deduction shall not exceed 50 percent of such installment and the tenant
shall submit receipts of the work completed to the landlord to qualify for such rent
deduction. If such repair costs exceed 50 percent of the rental installment, the tenant may
deduct such costs from subsequent rental installments until such costs are recovered,
provided that no deduction exceeds 50 percent of any rental installment."
SECTION 3.
Said chapter is further amended in Code Section 44-7-51, relating to issuance of summons,
service, time for answer, and defenses and counterclaims, by revising subsection (b) as
follows:
"(b) The summons served on the defendant pursuant to subsection (a) of this Code section
shall command and require the tenant to answer either orally or in writing within seven
14 days from the date of the actual service unless the seventh fourteenth day is a Saturday,
a Sunday, or a legal holiday, in which case the answer may be made on the next day which
is not a Saturday, a Sunday, or a legal holiday. If the answer is oral, the substance thereof
shall be endorsed on the dispossessory affidavit. The answer may contain any legal or
equitable defense or counterclaim. The landlord need not appear on the date of the tenant's
response. The last possible date to answer shall be stated on the summons."
SECTION 4.
Said chapter is further amended in Code Section 44-7-52, relating to when tender of payment
by tenant serves as a complete defense, by revising subsection (a) as follows:
"(a) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this Code section, in an action for nonpayment
of rent, the tenant shall be allowed to tender to the landlord, within seven 14 days of the
day the tenant was served with the summons pursuant to Code Section 44-7-51, all rents
allegedly owed plus the cost of the dispossessory warrant. Such a tender shall be a
complete defense to the action; provided, however, that a landlord is required to accept
such a tender from any individual tenant after the issuance of a dispossessory summons
only once in any 12 month period."
SECTION 5.
Said chapter is further amended in Code Section 44-7-55, relating to judgement, writ of
possession, landlord's liability for wrongful conduct, distribution of funds paid into court, and
personal property, by revising subsection (a) as follows:
"(a) If, on the trial of the case, the judgment is against the tenant, judgment shall be entered
against the tenant for all rents due and for any other claim relating to the dispute. The court
shall issue a writ of possession, both of execution for the judgment amount and a writ to
be effective at the expiration of seven 14 days after the date such judgment was entered,
except as otherwise provided in Code Section 44-7-56."
SECTION 6.
This Act shall apply to residential lease agreements that are entered into or renewed on or
after July 1, 2025.
SECTION 7.
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.
House Bill 708 would let renters deduct repair costs from rent if landlords don't fix problems in time, and would give tenants more time to respond to eviction filings.
### Plain-language summary
Georgia's landlord-tenant law currently gives landlords a duty to make certain repairs but does not let tenants act on their own if repairs are ignored, and gives tenants only seven days to answer an eviction (dispossessory) summons or pay overdue rent. House Bill 708, called the 'Renters' Bill of Rights Act,' would change both.
If a landlord fails to respond adequately to a repair request within five days, the tenant could hire a licensed professional (one named in the lease or, if none is named, any licensed professional) to do the work and deduct the cost from rent, capped at 50 percent of any single rental installment, with receipts required. The bill also doubles from seven to 14 days the time tenants have to answer an eviction summons, to tender back rent as a defense, and before a writ of possession takes effect. These changes would apply to residential leases entered into or renewed on or after July 1, 2025.
### What it does
- Lets a tenant hire a licensed professional to make landlord-responsibility repairs if the landlord does not adequately respond within five days, and deduct the cost from rent.
- Caps the rent deduction for self-arranged repairs at 50 percent of a rental installment per month, carrying over unrecovered costs to future installments under the same cap.
- Requires tenants to submit repair receipts to the landlord to qualify for the rent deduction.
- Extends the deadline for a tenant to answer an eviction (dispossessory) summons from 7 to 14 days.
- Extends from 7 to 14 days the window for a tenant to pay all owed rent plus court costs as a complete defense to an eviction case.
- Extends from 7 to 14 days the waiting period after judgment before a writ of possession (the order allowing removal of a tenant) takes effect.
### Who it affects
Residential tenants and landlords across Georgia, since the bill amends the state's core landlord-tenant law (O.C.G.A. Chapter 7 of Title 44) governing repairs and eviction procedures for leases signed or renewed on or after July 1, 2025.
### Why it matters
Tenants facing unaddressed repairs would gain a concrete way to get problems fixed without suing, while landlords would see rent withheld to cover those costs. Longer response windows in eviction cases would give tenants more time to raise defenses or pay back rent before losing housing.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 names the act the 'Renters' Bill of Rights Act.'
- Section 2 adds a new subsection (c) to O.C.G.A. § 44-7-13 allowing tenants to arrange repairs and deduct costs from rent if the landlord does not adequately respond within five days.
- Section 3 amends O.C.G.A. § 44-7-51 to extend the time to answer a dispossessory summons from 7 to 14 days.
- Section 4 amends O.C.G.A. § 44-7-52 to extend the tender-of-payment defense window from 7 to 14 days, while keeping the once-per-12-months limit on landlords having to accept late tender.
- Section 5 amends O.C.G.A. § 44-7-55 to extend the delay before a writ of possession takes effect from 7 to 14 days after judgment.
- Section 6 makes the act apply to residential leases entered into or renewed on or after July 1, 2025.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2025-03-03)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2025-03-06)
- Sponsors: Solomon Adesanya, Terry Cummings, Marvin Lim
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71076
> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb708.md?full=1