Is a property address good enough to describe property in Georgia?

In short, no.

It’s tempting to do your own deed and in templates, it would be easy just to put the address. After all, that is how we think of “describing” our property.

While street addresses may be included for convenience, they are not legally sufficient on their own. Addresses change and boundary lines are often imprecise.

In Georgia, a deed must contain a legal description of the property that is sufficient to identify it with reasonable certainty. (See Gould v. Gould) This description may be a metes-and-bounds (measurements and landmarks) survey, a lot and block reference from a recorded subdivision plat, or a reference to a prior recorded deed containing an adequate description.

Additionally, old deeds would sometimes identify all the surrounding properties as a way to describe the location. This may still pass muster, but you are at the whim of all the neighbors for where your property lines actually are. At best, you are likely just delaying obtaining a proper survey. At worst, you might have to fight out a quiet title action.

If you are trying to prepare your own deed, you need to understand how to insert a proper legal description, never just an address.