---
title: HB 1188. Commerce and trade; encourage transparency and fairness with respect to rent pricing for residential properties
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1188
cite_as: HB 1188, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1188
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1188.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1188/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72837
date: 2026-02-06
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.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1188.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1188
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-02-04
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
- Gabriel Sanchez
- Dale Washburn
- Spencer Frye
- Phil Olaleye
- Mary Oliver
- El-Mahdi Holly
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1188/2025
upstream_id: 2108151
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- renters rights
- landlord tenant law
- consumer protection
- hidden fees
- housing costs
---
# HB 1188. Commerce and trade; encourage transparency and fairness with respect to rent pricing for residential properties
## Text
House Bill 1188
By: Representatives Sanchez of the 42nd, Washburn of the 144th, Frye of the 122nd, Olaleye
of the 59th, Oliver of the 84th, and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Part 2 of Article 15 of Chapter 1 of Title 10 of the Official Code of Georgia
Annotated, relating to the "Fair Business Practices Act of 1975," so as to encourage
transparency and fairness with respect to rent pricing for residential properties; to prohibit
landlords from failing to disclose the total rental price of any residential property and
charging hidden fees for any residential property; to provide for definitions; to provide for
statutory construction; to provide for related matters; to provide for an effective date and
applicability; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Part 2 of Article 15 of Chapter 1 of Title 10 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
relating to the "Fair Business Practices Act of 1975," is amended in subsection (b) of Code
Section 10-1-393, relating to unfair or deceptive practices in consumer transactions unlawful
and examples, by striking "and" at the end of paragraph (36), replacing the period at the end
of paragraph (37) with "; and", and adding a new paragraph to read as follows:
"(38) Failure to comply with the provisions of Code Section 10-1-393.22 regarding rent
pricing for residential properties."
SECTION 2.
Said part is further amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:
"10-1-393.22.
(a) As used in this Code section, the term:
(1) 'Clearly and conspicuously' means a disclosure that is easily noticeable and easily
understandable by an ordinary consumer and displays any total rental price more
prominently than any other pricing information.
(2) 'Hidden fees' means any fee for residential property, other than the cost to rent the
residential property, including any fee:
(A) That is excessive;
(B) Charged for any service not actually performed nor received;
(C) Related to providing any service the landlord is legally required to provide under
federal, state, or local law, or any rental agreement;
(D) Related to restricting a consumer to use a landlord's preferred vendor or service
provider; or
(E) That is not expressly provided for in the rental agreement.
(3) 'Excessive' means greater than the actual cost of a good or service.
(4) 'Governmental fee' means any tax or other fee imposed by any federal, state, or local
government entity, or by any tribal entity.
(5) 'Mandatory fee' means any additional fee or surcharge which a consumer is required
to pay for any ancillary services or otherwise as part of renting any residential property,
excluding utilities as such term is defined in Code Section 44-7-14.1.
(6) 'Rent' means to lease, sublease, let, or accept a grant for consideration of the right to
possess and enjoy the use of any residential property either for a fixed time or at the will
of the landlord.
(7) 'Rental agreement' means any lease, rental, or other written agreement entered into
by a landlord and a consumer in order to rent any residential property.
(8) 'Rental price' means any pricing information relating to an amount a consumer must
pay in order to rent any residential property.
(9) 'Residential property' means any building, structure, or portion thereof which is
occupied as, or designed or intended for occupancy as, a residence. Such term includes
hotels, inns, vacation rentals, or other short-term rental properties.
(10) 'Total rental price' means the total of all fees or charges a consumer must pay in
order to rent any residential property, including, but not limited to, any mandatory fees
or governmental fees.
(b) Without otherwise limiting the definition of unfair or deceptive acts or practices under
this part, it shall be unlawful for any landlord to:
(1) Enter into any rental agreement with, or accept payment from, a consumer before
disclosing clearly and conspicuously to such consumer the total rental price for such
residential property; or
(2) Charge or otherwise impose on a consumer any hidden fee in connection with renting
any residential property.
(c) Nothing in this Code section shall be construed to prohibit any landlord from pursuing
remedies for any default under, early termination of, or other violation of a rental
agreement; provided, however, that such remedies are expressly provided for in the rental
agreement and any damages provided for are not excessive."
SECTION 3.
(a) This Act shall become effective upon its approval by the Governor or upon its becoming
law without such approval.
(b) This Act shall apply to all rental agreements entered into on or after the effective date
of this Act, and to any renewal, modification, or extension of such agreements entered into
on or after such effective date.
SECTION 4.
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.
House Bill 1188 would require Georgia landlords to disclose the full rental price upfront and would ban hidden fees when renting residential property, including hotels and short-term rentals.
### Plain-language summary
Currently, Georgia's Fair Business Practices Act does not specifically address rent pricing disclosures, and landlords may advertise a base rent while adding extra fees later. This bill adds a new section to that law, O.C.G.A. Section 10-1-393.22, that requires landlords to clearly disclose the total rental price, meaning all mandatory fees and government fees combined, before a tenant signs a lease or pays anything.
The bill also bans 'hidden fees,' defined broadly to include fees that are excessive, for services not actually provided, for services the landlord is already legally required to provide, tied to forcing a tenant to use a preferred vendor, or not written into the lease. Landlords can still enforce lease terms like late fees or early termination penalties as long as those are spelled out in the agreement and not excessive. Violations become an unfair or deceptive practice under Georgia consumer protection law. The law would take effect as soon as the Governor signs it and would apply to leases signed, renewed, or extended after that date.
### What it does
- Adds a new violation to Georgia's Fair Business Practices Act (O.C.G.A. Section 10-1-393) for landlords who fail to disclose total rent or charge hidden fees.
- Creates a new Code section, 10-1-393.22, requiring landlords to clearly and conspicuously disclose the total rental price before accepting a lease or payment.
- Bans landlords from charging 'hidden fees,' defined to include excessive charges, fees for services not performed, fees for legally required services, and fees not written into the lease.
- Covers a broad range of housing, defining 'residential property' to include hotels, inns, vacation rentals, and other short-term rentals, not just apartments.
- Allows landlords to still pursue damages for lease violations like default or early termination, as long as those remedies are written into the lease and not excessive.
- Applies the new rules to rental agreements signed, renewed, or extended on or after the law's effective date, which would be as soon as the Governor signs it.
### Who it affects
Landlords and property managers renting residential property in Georgia, including apartment owners, hotel and inn operators, and short-term or vacation rental hosts, would face new disclosure duties. Tenants and renters, including hotel guests and short-term rental customers, would gain new protections against undisclosed or hidden fees.
### Why it matters
Renters would see the full cost of housing, including mandatory and government fees, before signing a lease or paying, rather than discovering extra charges later. Landlords who fail to disclose full pricing or add unjustified fees could face enforcement under Georgia's consumer protection law.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. Section 10-1-393(b) to add violating the new rent pricing rules as an unfair or deceptive practice under the Fair Business Practices Act.
- Section 2 creates new Code Section 10-1-393.22, defining key terms like 'total rental price,' 'hidden fees,' 'mandatory fee,' and 'residential property' (which includes hotels and short-term rentals).
- Section 2(b) makes it unlawful for a landlord to accept payment or a lease before disclosing the total rental price, or to charge any hidden fee.
- Section 2(c) preserves a landlord's ability to seek damages for lease violations like early termination, provided those remedies are written into the lease and not excessive.
- Section 3 sets the effective date as the date the Governor signs the bill or it otherwise becomes law, applying to leases signed or renewed on or after that date.
- Section 4 repeals any conflicting state laws.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2026-02-04)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2026-02-06)
- Sponsors: Gabriel Sanchez, Dale Washburn, Spencer Frye, Phil Olaleye, Mary Oliver, El-Mahdi Holly
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72837
> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1188.md?full=1