Georgia Landlord Tenant Info.

06/14/2026

If you decide to sue your landlord for more than $15,000, you have to do it in State or Superior Court. The Defendant may move it to federal court under certain circumstances. Regardless, once it is moved to "Big Girls' Court", you can't just sit back and let the attorney do all the work. Some of the work will be yours exclusively. Even the optional information gathering may cost you in the end of you just sit back and do nothing.

After the answer and before trial, the landlord is likely to send written questions, document requests, and requests for admissions. For the written questions, many are personal questions that the lawyer cannot answer because they relate to things like social media accounts, prior cases, education, etc. It may take you hours or even a day or two to answer these questions and collect documents.

If you claim medicals or income loss, you will have to provide a history of both. There is no getting around most of these invasive questions and document requests if you make these claims. However, it is easier and cheaper for you to obtain this yourself. If your lawyer has to subpoena the documents and pay for copies, that will take away from the amount of money you will receive at the end.

Moreover, if you decide to procrastinate or just not do it, your case may be dismissed or your attorney may get fed up and withdraw from your case. This will occur even if your case is great.

06/11/2026

Funny in civil and criminal matters.

In civil matters, clients can sabotage their cases by demanding amounts that have no semblance to reality or failing to provide the necessary information that could be the basis for a great settlement or judgment.

A win is a win? 👇👇

06/02/2026

Be careful who you get advice from when you have a dispute with your landlord. Tonight, I saw a Georgia lawyer's website where he advised a tenant can withhold rent when a landlord fails to repair. He wasn't referencing repair and deduct because that was a separate option on the list. At the beginning of all eviction hearings, magistrate court judges advise tenants they cannot withhold rent when a landlord fails to repair.

If you have to hire a firm, look where landlord-tenant law falls on its list of practice areas. Of course, this assumes the areas aren't in alphabetical order. If it's the third or fourth practice area, you may want to look further for legal advice because some of the advice you receive might be wrong.

05/23/2026

As we approach the end of the month, remember landlords don't have to wait 30 or 60 days to give you a pay or quit notice for failure to pay rent.

It's 3 business days for leases entered into after 7/1/24 or whatever the lease says, if it's longer than 3 days or if it was entered into before 6/30/24.

05/16/2026

Doing Your Own Research.

Every now and then, I receive a call from a prospective client who tells me the case shouldn't cost that much because they did all the research. It's fine if you want to do research before you hire a lawyer. Save the documents so you can turn it over to the lawyer. However, as a professional, an attorney still needs to read the research, see if it applies to your facts and Georgia law, see if it's still good law, and see if there are better cases out there.

Additionally, don't rely on a general essay you pull off the internet that is not Georgia specific. It may or may not apply to this state.
The only exceptions I work with are for housing discrimination, credit reporting, and other areas that are controlled by federal law.

05/13/2026

Yesterday, I stopped in at Henry County Magistrate Court to file a civil matter while the "eviction" court was in session. I did not see any tenants with a lawyer. The speed in which negotiations occurred because there wasn't a lawyer on the other side was shameful.

Even if you can't afford a lawyer for the full matter, take the time to talk with an experienced tenant lawyer.

05/12/2026

A few minutes ago, I was on a tenant rental site. One anonymous person asked a question about the steps for an eviction.

There is nothing wrong with these national sites, but include your state in the question.

States have different procedures, timelines, and substantive statutes. Many Georgia transplants find this out the hard way. Georgia has one of the fastest eviction processes in the country. If you assume you have the same rights as your old state, you may miss deadlines or assume you have more rights than what you have in this state.

I offer a 5-10 minute screening consultation. That's the perfect timeframe to discuss your basic rights.

05/09/2026

Don't forget, I still have a blog where I post every 3-6 months.

mcgilllaw.blogspot.com

01/31/2026

This is why I support mass deportations. The more deportations, the greater number of units that open up for Americans and legal immigrants, and the lower the rents will be.
It's basic economics of supply and demand.