--- title: HB 1031. Landlord and tenant; limitations on increasing rent on residential properties; provide collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb1031 cite_as: HB 1031, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1031 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1031.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1031/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72361 date: 2026-01-29 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1030.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1032.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 129 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1031.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 1031 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2026-01-27 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - El-Mahdi Holly - Mekyah McQueen - Eric Bell - Imani Barnes - Sylvia Baker - Robert Flournoy text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1031/2025 upstream_id: 2095112 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - rent control - landlord tenant law - housing affordability - residential leases --- # HB 1031. Landlord and tenant; limitations on increasing rent on residential properties; provide ## Text House Bill 1031 By: Representatives Holly of the 116th, McQueen of the 61st, Bell of the 75th, Barnes of the 86th, Baker of the 64th, and others A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Article 1 of Chapter 7 of Title 44 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to landlord and tenant in general, so as to provide for limitations on increasing rent on residential properties; to provide for an effective date and applicability; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA: SECTION 1. Article 1 of Chapter 7 of Title 44 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to landlord and tenant in general, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows: "44-7-26. (a) An owner of a residential property shall not increase rent for a tenant more than 5 percent when renewing a lease for residential occupancy. (b) An owner of a residential property may establish rent not subject to subsection (a) of this Code section for a new tenancy in which no tenant from the prior tenancy remains in lawful possession of the residential property." SECTION 2. This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2026, and shall apply to leases entered into or renewed on or after such date. SECTION 3. All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House bill would cap annual rent increases at 5 percent for tenants renewing a residential lease, though landlords could set any rent for a brand-new tenant. ### Plain-language summary Under current Georgia law, landlords can generally raise rent by any amount when a residential lease is renewed. This bill would add a new section to Georgia's landlord-tenant law (O.C.G.A. Title 44, Chapter 7) limiting how much a landlord can raise rent when a tenant renews their lease. Specifically, a landlord could not increase rent by more than 5 percent when renewing a lease with an existing tenant. However, this cap would not apply once a tenancy turns over completely, meaning if no tenant from the old lease still lives in the unit, the landlord could set a new rent at any level for the incoming tenant. The bill would take effect July 1, 2026, and would apply to leases signed or renewed on or after that date. ### What it does - Creates a new Georgia Code section (O.C.G.A. ยง 44-7-26) capping rent increases at 5 percent when a residential lease is renewed. - Exempts landlords from the 5 percent cap when starting a brand-new tenancy after all prior tenants have vacated the unit. - Sets an effective date of July 1, 2026, applying only to leases entered into or renewed on or after that date. ### Who it affects Residential landlords across Georgia, who would face a new limit on rent increases for renewing tenants, and residential tenants renewing existing leases, who would gain some protection against large rent hikes. Tenants moving into a unit after a full turnover would not benefit from the cap. ### Why it matters For tenants who stay in place and renew their lease, rent could rise by no more than 5 percent a year, offering some predictability against sharp increases. Landlords would still be free to set market-rate rent whenever a unit becomes fully vacant between tenants. ### Key provisions - Section 1 adds new Code section 44-7-26(a), barring landlords from raising rent more than 5 percent when a tenant renews a residential lease. - Section 1 also adds subsection (b), which lets landlords set rent freely for a new tenancy once no tenant from the prior lease remains in the unit. - Section 2 sets the effective date as July 1, 2026, and applies the law to leases entered into or renewed on or after that date. - Section 3 repeals any existing laws that conflict with the new rent increase limit. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2026-01-27) - Last action: House Second Readers (2026-01-29) - Sponsors: El-Mahdi Holly, Mekyah McQueen, Eric Bell, Imani Barnes, Sylvia Baker, Robert Flournoy - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72361 > The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1031.md?full=1