Estimated values: The U.S. Census suppresses field-level data for small places. Estimated from constituent census tracts, pop-weighted from real underlying ACS data.
Tenant beats landlord
20.8%
/ 100 outcomes
In court-decided eviction outcomes for Augusta, GA, tenants prevail in roughly 20.8% of contested cases. A higher number means landlords face stronger tenant defenses, longer calendars, and more required documentation, and landlord-friendliness drops as this rises.
Timeline
36d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Augusta, GA until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 36 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$1.7–3.5k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Augusta, GA costs landlords $1,716 to $3,458 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$1,142
33% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Augusta, GA is $1,142 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 33% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
49.2%
of households
49.2% of occupied housing units in Augusta, GA are renter-occupied (vs owner-occupied). A higher renter share usually correlates with more eviction filings, more turnover, and a more active rental market.
Poverty
21.1%
8.7% unemp.
21.1% of Augusta, GA residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 8.7%. Both feed into the economic-stress sub-score in our Eviction Risk Score model because rent payment problems track poverty + joblessness more reliably than any other single signal.
Time machine
Scrub 50 years
197619861996200620162026
2026
● LIVE · today◀ REPLAY · historical
Nine-axis profile
9-axis profile · today
Shape of the risk surface
1 landlord · 10 tenant
Sub-scores · with sparkline
Where the score comes from
1 → 10 scale
Local political climate
Dem margin +36.1% (2024)
7.2
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
7.2
State political climate
Georgia legislature & governorship
2.0
Economic stress
21.1% poverty · 8.7% unemp.
5.3
Supply constraint
$1,142 average · 49.2% renters
4.4
Rent Control risk
32.9% of income on rent
1.2
Eviction process difficulty
36 days filing → judgment
2.3
Tenant organizing strength
49.2% renters
3.6
Housing court bias
County bench composition
3.2
Geographic context
Risk heat across Augusta and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Augusta compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Richmond County
Very Low
#3of 3 cities
#3 of 3 cities in Richmond County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Georgia
High
#154of 673 cities
#154 of 673 cities in Georgia for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
2.6
/ 10 · LOW
The verdict
A Low-tier market.
Composite 2.6/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a slow, steady climb.
50-yr trend-0.7 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steady ratchet · no large swings
36d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $1,142/mo. A contested eviction takes 36 days and costs $1,716–$3,458 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
49.2%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 201,528 residents, 49.2% rent. 33% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 21.1% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
7.2
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 7.2 and 7.2 (Dem margin +36.1% (2024)). State climate at 2, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
2
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 2/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 2.3, housing court bias 3.2, rent-control risk 1.2. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +-2.7 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
5.3
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 5.3. Supply constraint: 4.4. The numbers behind those: 21.1% poverty, 8.7% unemployment, 33% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Augusta sits in the quick & cheap quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Augusta · 36d · ~$2.6k all-in ($72/day) · score 2.6National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Augusta, Georgia, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 2.6/10 (LOW tier), drawn from the nine sub-axes shown above, covering rent-control exposure, eviction-process difficulty, housing-court bias, tenant-organizing strength, supply constraint, economic stress, and local, regional, and state political climate. This is not a quick-fix market: it's a Mid-tier market where lease drafting, screening discipline, and well-documented notices materially change outcomes.
Augusta is a city of 201,528 residents where 49.2% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 2.3% of income on rent. At an average rent of $1,142/month, the typical renter household here spends more than the federal 30% threshold on housing, a leading indicator of payment volatility and a precondition for the kinds of tenant defenses that show up most often in housing court.
01Process
How Augusta eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 2.3/10, a number that combines statutory complexity (notice categories, just-cause rules, mandatory pre-filing disclosures) with operational realities (court calendar length and clerk responsiveness). The typical contested filing in Augusta closes 36 days after the initial notice. For non-payment of rent the first step is a properly-formatted, properly-served pay-or-quit notice; for material lease breaches it's a cure-or-quit; for tenancies under just-cause protection an at-fault grounds notice (or a no-fault notice with statutory relocation assistance) is required.
The slow part of Augusta's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 3.2/10 here, meaning judges read borderline procedural defects in the tenant's favor more often than the national norm. The practical implication: every notice and every proof of service needs to be airtight before it gets filed.
02Cost
What it costs (and how long it takes)
An all-in eviction in Augusta runs $1,716 to $3,458 per case once you account for filing fees, attorney time, lost rent during pendency, sheriff lockout, and unit turnover. That range is wide because the upper bound assumes a tenant answer plus motion practice, common when housing court bias is high. The lower bound assumes a default judgment after proper service.
For landlords running the numbers on holding costs vs. cash-for-keys: if your projected timeline times your monthly rent already exceeds the high-end cost number, cash-for-keys at 1–2 months' rent is typically the economically rational choice. With 36 days of typical timeline and $1,142/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 3.6/10 in Augusta, and the city has limited rent control exposure (1.2/10). Operations practice that survives audit in this environment looks like:
Screening discipline. Document income (verified at 2.5 to 3x rent), credit (with a clear minimum), and prior-tenancy reference checks, but do not screen on protected categories or source-of-income where banned. Keep a written, consistent screening criteria document for every applicant.
Lease specificity. Use a state-specific lease that names every term clearly: rent due date, late fees within statutory caps, deposit handling, smoke and CO disclosure, lead paint disclosure (pre-1978 stock), and a clean attorney's-fees clause.
Security deposit handling. Itemize deductions within the statutory window. Photograph move-in/move-out condition. In Georgia, deposit cap and refund window are statute, so exceed them at your own risk.
Mid-tenancy documentation. Keep date-stamped records of every rent receipt, every habitability request, every notice served. The day you need them in court is too late to start.
04Strategy
What an everyday landlord should actually do here
If you own one to four units in Augusta: hire a property manager who knows the local court. The pricing differential between self-managing and hiring out is small relative to the cost of one botched eviction in a LOW tier market. If you own five or more: build relationships with a local landlord-side attorney before you need one, since retainer fees are negligible compared to emergency-rate billing when an eviction is already moving.
The avoidable mistakes here are all upstream of the filing: weak screening, an informal lease, sloppy rent receipts, and notice templates pulled off the internet that don't match Georgia's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $3,458 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Augusta
Trap · GEORGIA LEGAL SERVICES PROGRAM
The Richmond County Magistrate processes the standard Georgia dispossessory docket. Default-judgment frequency is high. Georgia Legal Services Program staffs Augusta defense. The contested-case rate runs low.
Trap · O.C.G.A. 8-3-300 ET SEQ.
State context: O.C.G.A. 8-3-300 et seq. preempts municipal rent control. The Augusta-Richmond County government has not pursued source-of-income protection. The structural no-notice rule produces the high filing volume per capita typical of Georgia.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
Can I evict a tenant in Augusta-Richmond County without a reason?
For month-to-month tenancies, yes, you can. Georgia law requires a 60-day notice to terminate a tenancy without cause. For fixed-term leases, you generally need a reason like non-payment of rent or a lease violation, unless the lease term has expired.
Q2
How long does a tenant have to move out after an eviction order in Georgia?
Once a Writ of Possession is issued by the court, the sheriff's department will typically post a 24-hour notice on the property. After that 24 hours, the sheriff can return to physically remove the tenant and their belongings, if necessary.
Q3
What are the common mistakes landlords make during an eviction in Augusta-Richmond County?
Common mistakes include improper service of notices, accepting partial rent payments after filing, trying to self-help evict (changing locks, shutting off utilities), or failing to appear in court with proper documentation. Any of these can lead to dismissal of your case and costly delays.
Q4
Is there rent control in Augusta-Richmond County?
No, there is no rent control in Augusta-Richmond County or anywhere else in Georgia. State law (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-19) explicitly prohibits local governments from enacting rent control. For more details, see our Georgia rent control rules.
Q5
What should I do if my tenant damages the property beyond the security deposit amount?
You can sue the tenant in small claims court for the additional damages. Keep meticulous records, including photos, repair estimates, and invoices, to support your claim. This would be a separate civil action from the eviction itself.
A 2.6/10 places Augusta in the 78th percentile of Georgia cities on the Eviction Risk Score index. The score is the average of the nine sub-axes, all calibrated on a national 1 to 10 scale where 1 is most landlord-friendly and 10 is most tenant-protective. The 50-year reconstruction shows this score has climbed steadily since 1976, a structural drift driven by court-calendar growth, rent-control adoption, and the rise of tenant-side legal aid. The trajectory matters more than the snapshot: the score is the climate, not the weather.
Neighborhoods in Augusta (9 with eviction-risk data)
Click a neighborhood to see its pop-weighted score, constituent census tracts, and demographics. Sorted by population.
