Rental Contracts in Georgia: Deposits, Notice and the Clause That Renews Your Lease Automatically

Renting in Georgia is governed by the Civil Code of 1997, Articles 531-575, and the framework is firmly pro-landlord. There are few mandatory tenant protections, deposits are not regulated by statute at all, and a rental contract is valid in writing without notarisation. The practical consequence is simple and worth stating plainly: your rights are whatever the written contract says they are. Everything below is about getting that document right.

Does a rental contract have to be notarised in Georgia?

No. A written agreement is legally valid without a notary. Notarisation is optional and adds evidential weight if a dispute ever reaches a court, which is why many landlords and tenants use it for longer or higher-value leases. It is not a substitute for a well-drafted contract — a notarised bad agreement is still a bad agreement.

How are deposits regulated?

They are not. No statute sets a maximum deposit, a deadline for returning it, or the grounds for withholding it. In practice one to two months' rent is the market norm, and the deposit is understood to cover unpaid rent and damage beyond normal wear and tear — but that understanding only binds anyone if it is written down.

Put all four of these in the contract: the amount, what it may be deducted for, how many days after handover it is returned, and how its condition is evidenced. An inventory and dated photographs signed by both parties at move-in turn a future argument into a comparison.

Kavlian's vetted agents work with contracts like this every week and can tell you whether what you have been handed is normal for the market. There is no cost to ask.

The rule that catches everyone: automatic renewal

This is the single most useful thing to know about Georgian leases. If a fixed term ends, the tenant keeps using the property, and the landlord does not object, the lease is treated as continuing for an indefinite term. Nobody has to sign anything for this to happen. Silence does it.

What that means in practice:

• If you are the landlord and you want the property back on the end date — to sell it, to renovate it, to raise the rent, or to move in — you have to say so in writing, in good time, before the term expires. Letting the date pass quietly converts your fixed lease into an open-ended one.
• If you are the tenant, a fixed-term lease can be converted into an indefinite one by giving written notice at least two months before the end date.

Either way, the lesson is the same: put the end date in your calendar with a reminder two to three months earlier, and communicate in writing.

What happens if the tenant stops paying?

A landlord cannot simply change the locks. The Civil Code route is a written termination notice, sent to the address given in the contract or the last known address, which names the default and states that the lease ends unless it is cured within a stated period — and that period cannot be shorter than 15 days. Skipping the notice is how landlords lose cases they would otherwise win.

What should be in the contract?

What should be in the contract?

Clause	Why it matters
Parties and the property	Full names, ID numbers, and the cadastral code from the registry extract — not just the street address.
Term and end date	Because of the automatic-renewal rule above.
Rent, currency and payment date	Rents are often quoted in dollars and paid in lari. Fix which one governs and at what rate.
Deposit	Amount, deductions, return deadline.
Who pays which bills	Electricity, gas, water, building fee, internet. Say it explicitly; assume nothing.
Repairs	Which side fixes what, and above what value the landlord decides.
Notice period	For both sides, in writing, with an address for service.
Inventory	Furniture and appliances, with photographs, signed at move-in.
Language	If bilingual, state which version prevails.

Verify the landlord before you sign

Ask for an extract from the National Agency of Public Registry showing current ownership, and check that the person signing is the registered owner or holds a power of attorney. Subletting by someone who is not the owner is the most common rental fraud, and it is trivially avoidable with one document.

A warning about researching this online

Most English-language search results for "Georgia landlord tenant law" describe the US state of Georgia, not the country. The two have nothing to do with each other — different notice periods, different deposit rules, different courts. If a page cites a "Title 44" or a county court, you are reading about Atlanta, not Tbilisi.

FAQ

Can the landlord raise the rent mid-lease?

Not unless the contract allows it. During a fixed term the agreed rent stands; at renewal it is open to negotiation.

Do I have to register the lease anywhere?

Registration is not required for the contract to be valid between the parties. Registering an interest at the Public Registry is a separate step some long-term tenants take for added protection.

Is rental income taxed?

Yes — individuals renting residential property are generally taxed at a flat 5% on rental income. That is the landlord's obligation, not the tenant's.

What if the property is sold during my lease?

This is exactly the kind of question the contract should answer in advance. Raise it before signing rather than after a new owner appears.

This is general information, not legal advice. Georgian law and market practice change — have a qualified local lawyer review any contract you are about to sign.

Get the contract checked before you sign it

Kavlian connects you with vetted local specialists who read Georgian contracts for a living, at no cost to you. Talk to a specialist or browse properties in Tbilisi and Batumi.