What should a rental agreement in Georgia contain?
A residential lease in Georgia, the country, can be short, because the Civil Code fills every gap with default rules. The trouble is that several of those defaults suit a landlord poorly: rent falls due at the end of each month, the notice period is 3 months, and a tenant who stays on after the end date turns the lease into one with no end date. A good agreement replaces those defaults with terms you choose, within the limits the Code sets to protect tenants.
Below is a model agreement for a flat let to an individual for 6 months or longer, followed by notes on each clause and on the optional steps: notarising the lease, registering it and signing remotely. Each language version of this page gives the model in that language, so you can put two versions side by side for a bilingual contract. Adapt it to your flat and have a lawyer read the final text; it is a starting point, not legal advice for your case.
Legal points at a glance
| Question | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Must it be written? | No rule requires it, but ending a lease must be in writing | Civil Code, Arts. 69, 563 |
| Must it be in Georgian? | No, the state language law does not cover private relationships | Organic Law on the State Language, Art. 1(3) |
| Must it be registered? | Only if it runs over 1 year and a company is a party | Law on the Public Registry, Art. 11(5) |
| Must a notary certify it? | No; optional, and it allows a writ for unpaid rent | Law on Notaries, Art. 38(5) |
| Largest deposit | 3 months' rent, payable in 3 instalments | Civil Code, Art. 552 |
| Rent in US dollars | Allowed as the unit of the debt | Civil Code, Art. 383 |
| Electronic signatures | Valid between private persons who agree to them | Law on Electronic Documents, Art. 3(8) |
The model agreement
Text in square brackets is for you to fill in or choose. Delete options you do not use.
Parties
Landlord: [full name], [passport or personal number], [address], [e-mail], acting [in person / through [representative's name] under a power of attorney dated [date]]. Tenant: [full name], [passport or personal number], [address], [e-mail].
The flat
The landlord lets to the tenant the flat at [address], cadastral code [code], [area] m², on floor [floor], with [parking space / storage room], furnished and equipped as listed in Annex 1.
Use
The tenant will use the flat only as a home for the tenant and [number] other occupants: [names]. No business may be run from the flat and no company may be registered at its address without the landlord's written consent.
Term
The lease runs from [date] to [date]. The flat is handed over on [date]. Any extension is agreed in writing at least [30] days before the end date.
Rent
The rent is [amount] [GEL / USD] a month, paid in advance by the [day] of each month to account [IBAN] in the landlord's name. [Rent set in US dollars is paid in lari at the official rate of the National Bank of Georgia on the day of payment.] For late payment the tenant pays interest of [rate]% of the overdue amount per day.
Rent review
The rent is fixed for the term. [On extension, the rent changes by [percentage]% / by the figure the parties agree in writing.]
Utilities and charges
The tenant pays for electricity, gas, water, internet and [building cleaning fee] from the meter readings recorded in Annex 1. The landlord pays property tax, the building's capital repair contributions and [other].
Deposit
The tenant pays a deposit of [amount], not more than 3 months' rent, [on signing / in [2 or 3] equal monthly instalments]. The landlord returns it within [14] days after the flat is handed back, with interest as provided by law, less documented unpaid rent, unpaid bills and the cost of damage beyond normal wear.
Repairs
The landlord keeps the flat fit for living and repairs its structure, systems and the appliances in Annex 1 unless the tenant damaged them. The tenant carries out minor current repairs up to [amount] each, reports any defect or leak at once and makes no alterations without the landlord's written consent.
Access
The landlord may inspect the flat [twice a year] after [24] hours' notice, at a time agreed with the tenant, and may enter without notice only to stop an emergency such as a leak or fire.
Subletting and short stays
The tenant may not sublet the flat, in whole or in part, nor let it for nightly or short stays on any platform, without the landlord's written consent.
House rules
[Pets are / are not allowed.] Smoking indoors is not allowed. The tenant follows the building's rules in Annex 2.
Insurance
The landlord insures the flat [against fire and water damage]. The tenant may insure their own belongings and is liable for damage the tenant or the tenant's guests cause to neighbours.
Ending the lease early
Either party may end the lease by written notice of [number] months. [The tenant may end it after [number] months with [number] months' notice.] The landlord may end it early on the grounds set by the Civil Code, including rent unpaid for 3 months and serious damage after a warning.
Return of the flat
On the last day the tenant returns the flat, the keys and the items in Annex 1 in the condition received, allowing for normal wear. The parties sign a return record with meter readings and photos. For each day of late return the tenant pays the daily share of the rent.
Notices
Notices are sent to the addresses and e-mails in clause 1. An e-mail from those addresses counts as a written notice.
Language
This agreement is signed in Georgian and [English]. If the versions differ, the [Georgian] version prevails.
Disputes
The parties will first try to settle any dispute by negotiation. Failing that, the dispute goes to the court of [city] where the flat is located.
Signatures
Signed at [place] on [date] in [2] copies of equal force. [The parties accept electronic signatures for this agreement and its annexes.] Annexes: 1 Inventory, meter readings and photos; 2 Building rules; 3 Copy of the power of attorney.
Notes on the money clauses
Rent in advance. Without a clause, rent is due at the end of each period (Article 553), so write the payment day. A late-payment rate is whatever the parties agree (Article 403), but interest on interest needs its own express wording, and a tenancy agreement that is manifestly unfair to the tenant is void (Article 536), so keep the rate moderate.
Currency. The Civil Code allows a money debt to be set in a foreign currency (Article 383), and dollar rents are common. The lari is the only legal tender, though, and businesses must advertise prices in lari, which is why many leases set the rent in dollars and take payment in lari at the National Bank rate, as in the bracketed sentence above.
Rent review. The Code has no rule letting a landlord raise rent during a fixed term. A tenant's refusal of a market-rate increase is a ground for the landlord to end a lease, with notice, so any review needs to be agreed in the contract.
Utilities. No law decides who pays which bill; a charge beyond rent binds the tenant only if agreed (Article 553(2)). List every charge, and record the meter readings at handover.
Notes on the deposit
A deposit may not exceed 3 months' rent, and a tenant who pays it in money may spread it over 3 equal monthly instalments (Article 552). The same article says interest at the rate determined by law accrues on a deposit paid in advance and is returned with it, and any agreement to the tenant's detriment is void. We found no law that sets this rate, which is why the model says "as provided by law" rather than naming a figure; a clause stating that no interest is paid would be risky. Set a return deadline and list what may be deducted, so the end of the tenancy is a calculation.
To be added by the team: the partner lawyer to confirm the rate of interest on a deposit under Article 552(2) and how courts apply it.
Notes on term, notice and ending the lease
If the lease reaches its end date and the tenant stays on without objection from the landlord, it continues with no end date (Article 559), so diarise the end date. The default notice period is 3 months unless the contract says otherwise (Article 561), and every termination must be written (Article 563).
For a tenant of a home, the Code allows leaving before the end of a fixed term with 1 month's notice only by offering an acceptable, solvent replacement tenant who takes over the rest of the term (Article 555). A break clause, like the bracketed option in clause 14, gives both sides a clearer exit. The landlord may end the lease early if the tenant seriously damages the flat despite a warning (Article 557) or has not paid rent for 3 months (Article 558). For a home, other terminations need a valid reason, such as a serious breach or the landlord's own need for the flat, except for a furnished flat, which the landlord may always end with notice (Article 562). The tenant may also leave without notice if the flat is a serious danger to health (Article 542).
Notes on condition, access and subletting
The landlord must hand over the flat fit for use and keep it so (Article 532); the tenant does current repairs as a rule (Article 548), must report defects at once (Article 543) and is not liable for wear from ordinary use (Article 547). A money limit in clause 9 turns "current repairs" into something both sides can measure.
The Code gives the landlord no general right to inspect, only a duty on the tenant to accept works needed for maintenance (Article 540), so inspections exist only if the lease provides for them. Subletting needs consent (Article 549), and members of the tenant's family are not third persons for that rule. Naming short-stay platforms in the ban removes any doubt.
Which language to sign in
The Organic Law on the State Language does not apply to personal relationships, and the Civil Code has no rule on the language of a contract, so a lease may be in English alone. Courts, however, work in Georgian and give an interpreter to a party who needs one, and notaries perform their acts in Georgian. A bilingual lease with a clause saying which version prevails saves translation work if a dispute arises. Local templates and expat guides usually make Georgian the prevailing version; with a foreign tenant, the parties may choose English, though any Georgian court will still read a translation.
To be added by the team: the partner lawyer to confirm how courts treat a clause that makes the non-Georgian version prevail.
Optional: certifying the lease with a notary
A notary-certified lease costs more, but it brings one strong tool. If the deed records the parties' consent to a writ of execution and the notary explains its consequences in writing, the notary can later issue a writ for a matured rent debt without a court case, and the National Bureau of Enforcement collects it like a judgment (Law on Notaries, Articles 38(5) and 40). Whether such a writ can also order a tenant to leave has not been confirmed; eviction normally goes through a court.
The fee follows the Government's notary fee scale, applied to the rent for the whole term up to 5 years. By our calculation a 12-month lease at GEL 1,500 a month, a value of GEL 18,000, costs GEL 114.50 plus VAT, and one at GEL 2,500 a month costs GEL 152.50 plus VAT. Issuing a writ later costs GEL 140. Certifying only the signatures is cheaper, from GEL 4 per signature on a short document, but it does not support a writ.
Optional: registering the lease
Registration in the Public Registry is compulsory only for a lease longer than 1 year in which a private company takes part; between two individuals it is voluntary, and the landlord's ownership must be registered first. A registered lease appears in the property extract and passes unchanged to a new owner. The registry's general fee for registering a right to property is GEL 150 in 4 working days, GEL 270 in 1 working day and GEL 350 the same day; signatures can be confirmed at the registry for GEL 7 instead of at a notary. Note that the registry may expect both parties to agree before it removes a registered lease.
Signing when you are abroad
A lease can be signed in two paper copies, each party signing the one meant for the other (Article 71), or electronically. A qualified electronic signature has the force of a handwritten one, and simpler electronic signatures have the same force between private persons who agree to use them, which is why clause 19 says so. The Public Registry accepts only qualified signatures, and those are issued on Georgian ID and residence cards, so a non-resident owner who wants to register the lease usually signs on paper or acts through a representative. A power of attorney signed abroad needs an apostille and a notarised Georgian translation; our guide to powers of attorney covers the steps.
Clauses that touch tax
Income from letting a home to a person or a company for living in is taxed at 5% if the owner claims no deductions; otherwise 20% applies to the net income (Tax Code, Article 81). Where the tenant is a company, it withholds the tax from the rent and pays it on the landlord's behalf, and it must withhold 20% unless the landlord is in the Revenue Service's register of landlords when the rent is paid. An individual tenant withholds nothing, and the landlord declares the income. With a company tenant, write the rent as an amount before tax and register first. Our page on rental income tax explains the register.
Property tax is normally the owner's, and an individual owner whose family income stayed within GEL 100,000 the year before is exempt. The Tax Code also mentions property tax on property received under a lease from a non-resident; until its effect on a flat let by a foreign individual is confirmed, say in clause 7 who bears property tax.
To be added by the team: the partner lawyer and accountant to confirm whether Tax Code Article 201(1)(c.b) makes a tenant liable for property tax on a flat let by a non-resident individual.
If a dispute arises
Unpaid rent and deposit disputes go to the court where the defendant lives, or where the contract is performed; for a landlord abroad, a tenant can sue where the flat is. A magistrate judge hears money claims up to GEL 5,000, and the court fee at first instance is 3% of the claim, at least GEL 100. A judge may send a property dispute worth up to GEL 20,000 to court mediation, which lasts 45 days, without the parties' consent. Arbitration is possible too, but with an individual it needs a separate written clause signed by both parties. Our page on landlord rights and duties covers eviction.
Common drafting mistakes
- Copying a template from another country with eviction or deposit rules that do not exist here.
- A deposit of more than 3 months' rent, or a clause refusing interest on it.
- No payment day, which leaves rent due at the end of the month.
- No inventory or meter readings attached.
- A ban on subletting that does not mention short stays.
- Two language versions with no clause saying which prevails.
- An end date with no plan, so the lease silently becomes open-ended.
Using the template step by step
Fill in the brackets
Parties, flat, term, rent and deposit.
Choose the options
Currency, break clause, pets, rent review.
Prepare the annexes
Inventory with photos, meter readings, building rules.
Make the second language version
From the same page in the other language, then check both match.
Have a lawyer read it
Especially the deposit, notice and tax clauses.
Decide on notary and registry
Notary for a rent writ, registry for publicity.
Sign and keep copies
Paper or electronic, with all annexes initialled.
Risks and exceptions
- Void clauses. Terms against the tenant's protections in the Code do not bind.
- Unwritten changes. Agree extensions and rent changes in writing.
- Translation gaps. Two versions that differ invite a dispute.
- Self-help. Changing the locks or keeping the tenant's things is unlawful.
- Tax. A company tenant withholds 20% if you are not in the register.
Frequently asked questions
Is a verbal lease valid in Georgia?
Yes, but a written one is far easier to prove and enforce.
Does a lease have to be in Georgian?
No; a bilingual lease is practical because courts work in Georgian.
Do I need a notary for a rental agreement?
No; it is optional and lets you recover unpaid rent through a writ.
Must I register the lease?
Only for a term over 1 year with a company as a party.
Can the rent be in US dollars?
It can be set in dollars; paying in lari at the official rate is common.
How much deposit is allowed?
Up to 3 months' rent.
Can I raise the rent during the lease?
Only if the lease provides for it or the tenant agrees.
Can we sign electronically?
Yes, if both parties agree; registration needs a qualified signature.
Sources
- Civil Code of Georgia (Articles 69, 71, 383, 403, 531-575), consolidated 25 June 2026, Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 20 October 2026)
- Law of Georgia on the Public Registry (Article 11), Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 20 October 2026)
- Immovable property registration fees, National Agency of Public Registry (accessed 20 October 2026)
- Law of Georgia on Notaries (Articles 6, 38, 40), Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 20 October 2026)
- Government Resolution No 507 on notary fees, as amended by Resolution No 272 of 2022, Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 20 October 2026)
- Organic Law of Georgia on the State Language, Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 20 October 2026)
- Law of Georgia on Electronic Documents and Electronic Trust Services, Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 20 October 2026)
- Organic Law on the National Bank of Georgia (Article 34), Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 20 October 2026)
- Tax Code of Georgia (Articles 81, 134, 154, 201, 206), Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 20 October 2026)
- Minister of Finance Order No 473 of 31 December 2015 on the register of landlords, Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 20 October 2026)
- Civil Procedure Code of Georgia (Articles 14-21, 39, 187-3), Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 20 October 2026)
- Law of Georgia on Arbitration (Article 8), Legislative Herald of Georgia (accessed 20 October 2026)
- Electronic signatures in Georgia, REVERA Law Group (accessed 20 October 2026)
- Registration of lease agreements, Andersen Georgia, 4 September 2025 (accessed 20 October 2026)
Change log
- - Checklist published from the Civil Code (Arts. 531-575), the laws on the Public Registry, notaries, the state language, electronic documents and arbitration, the Tax Code and the notary fee resolution.