What can a landlord do with a tenant’s belongings left behind in Georgia?
In Georgia, a writ of possession authorizes removing the tenant’s personal property and placing it on part of the landlord’s property or other property the landlord designates and the executing officer approves, the landlord owes the tenant no duty for it, and after the writ is executed the property is regarded as abandoned. The landlord is not a bailee of the personal property removed under the writ. The writ is issued to take effect at the expiration of seven days after the judgment is entered, except as otherwise provided for appeals. This is O.C.G.A. § 44-7-55.
| What | Georgia |
|---|---|
| Belongings left behind | Abandoned once the writ of possession is executed |
| What the statute requires first | No waiting period before disposal |
What the statute says
“… the landlord shall not be a bailee of such personal property and shall owe no duty to the tenant regarding such personal property. After execution of the writ, such property shall be regarded as abandoned.”
Quoted word for word from the section’s text.
Source
O.C.G.A. § 44-7-55
Read the statute in the Official Code of Georgia (Georgia General Assembly): legis.ga.gov.
The linked sections open Justia’s free copy of the code, because the state’s own site has no stable address for each section.
Checked against the statute on November 15, 2026.
This is a summary of a published statute, not legal advice. Rules change, local ordinances can add to them, and the terms of a specific lease may differ. Check the citation and speak to a lawyer before acting.
How Seayora uses this rule
Seayora keeps a lease’s end date and every notice sent through it, with the date it went out, in the lease record — so the dates a rule like this one counts from are on file rather than remembered.
Guides on this rule
- Tenant Abandoned Property Laws by State — What a landlord must do with belongings a tenant leaves behind, with the notice and storage rule in each of the 43 jurisdictions that set one.
Compare this rule in every state
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The same question in other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Hawaii
- Idaho