What are the laws regarding the abandonment of rental property?
In Georgia, landlords have the responsibility to mitigate their damages in the event of a tenant abandoning rental property. According to landlord and tenant law, a landlord must take reasonable steps to re-rent the property once a tenant has abandoned it. This includes advertising the unit for rent and making reasonable efforts to find a new tenant. If a new tenant is found, any security deposit or rent collected from the new tenant can be used to cover unpaid rent and/or damages incurred by the original tenant. If the landlord is unable to re-rent the property, the landlord must make a reasonable effort to limit their losses. This includes returning any unused portion of the security deposit to the tenant. The landlord may also be able to deduct the unpaid rent from the security deposit. If the security deposit is insufficient to cover the full amount of unpaid rent, the landlord may then pursue the tenant for the remaining balance. The landlord should also be aware that if a tenant abandons the property, they might still be responsible for the rent until the unit is re-rented, or until the end of the lease term. Therefore, the landlord should take reasonable steps to mitigate their damages and to ensure the property is re-rented as quickly and efficiently as possible. Landlords should keep careful records of all attempts to re-rent the unit, as this will help them in the event of a dispute.
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