Georgia CommonsHouse · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session
HB 1222: Property; regulation of specialized land transactions; provide issuance of statements of accounts
Last action February 18, 2026 · House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute
HB 1222 would rewrite how Georgia condominium and homeowners' associations must issue statements of accounts to buyers, lenders, and lot owners, setting deadlines, required contents, and fee caps for these requests.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Comm Sub version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
Under current Georgia law, condo associations and property owners' associations must provide a statement of unpaid assessments on request, but the process is loosely defined and failure to respond within five days extinguishes the association's lien. HB 1222 replaces that system with a detailed new procedure. It creates new Code sections (44-3-109.1 for condos and 44-3-232.2 for property owners' associations) requiring associations to issue a 'statement of account' within ten business days of a written or electronic request from an owner, mortgage lender, or mortgagee. The bill spells out exactly what must be in the statement (assessment amounts, dates paid, violations, insurance information, bylaws, and more), gives it a 30-day effective period, and caps the fee an association's agent can charge at $250, plus $50 for expedited service within three business days. It also extends similar statement-of-account requirements to certain homeowners' associations governing subdivisions of 15 or more lots that are not currently covered by the condo or property owners' association acts. The changes would not apply to contracts signed before July 1, 2026, until those contracts expire or are first renewed.
What the bill does
- Creates new Code Section 44-3-109.1 requiring condo associations to issue a detailed statement of account within ten business days of a written or electronic request.
- Creates new Code Section 44-3-232.2 imposing the same statement of account requirements on property owners' associations.
- Adds new Code Section 44-3-251 extending statement of account requirements to homeowners' associations governing subdivisions of 15 or more lots not already covered by the condo or property owners' association laws.
- Caps the fee an association's authorized agent may charge for preparing a statement of account at $250, plus an extra $50 for expedited three-day service, and bars charging the requester directly.
- Repeals the old five-business-day statement requirement and the rule that a late statement automatically extinguishes the association's lien.
- Sets a 30-day effective period for statements of account and allows amended statements if a sale or refinancing has not yet closed.
Who it affects
Condominium owners, homeowners in property owners' associations and larger unrestricted subdivisions, prospective buyers, mortgage lenders and mortgagees, community association boards and their management companies, and attorneys handling delinquent accounts are all directly affected by these new procedures.
Why it matters
Buyers and lenders would get a more standardized, detailed accounting of what a property owner owes an association before a sale or refinancing closes, with a fee cap protecting them from excessive charges. Associations would face firmer deadlines and content requirements but lose the current rule that a late response wipes out their lien.
Key provisions
- Section 1 updates a cross-reference in O.C.G.A. § 44-3-80 to point to the new statement of account section for condos, 44-3-109.1.
- Sections 2-3 repeal the old five-day statement process in O.C.G.A. § 44-3-109 and add new Code Section 44-3-109.1 with a ten-business-day deadline and detailed content and fee rules.
- Sections 4-6 make parallel changes for property owners' associations, repealing part of O.C.G.A. § 44-3-232 and adding new Code Section 44-3-232.2.
- Section 7 adds new Code Section 44-3-251, extending statement of account rules to homeowners' associations for subdivisions with 15 or more lots that are not covered by the existing condo or property owners' association laws.
- Section 8 updates O.C.G.A. § 44-14-15 to cross-reference the new 44-3-232.2 statement requirement.
- Section 9 states the Act does not apply to contracts signed before July 1, 2026 until those contracts expire or are first renewed.
From the bill
“An association waives the right to collect any moneys owed in excess of the amounts specified in the statement of account from any person and such person's successors or assigns who in good faith rely upon such statement of account.”
“An association's authorized agent may charge the association a reasonable fee for the preparation and issuance of a statement of account which shall not exceed $250.00.”
Discussed in meetings (5)
The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.
House Regulated Industries Committee, February 17, 2026
From 0:35:27 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said HB 1222 would cap the fee an association may charge for a closing letter at $250. The sponsor presented a substitute that added associations covered by the Georgia Property Owners Association Act, saying they had been omitted by mistake. The sponsor said the proposal also covered condominium associations and associations outside either statutory framework. Citing a realtor's letter, the sponsor described concerns about rising closing-letter fees. The sponsor said an earlier proposal reached the governor's desk in 2018 but did not become law because its caps were too high, and that $250 had been recommended instead. One committee member supported placing controls on association charges. Two people offered an opportunity for public comment declined to speak. The committee approved the substitute by voice vote, with the chair announcing that the ayes prevailed.
House Rules Committee, February 19, 2026
From 0:26:35 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said the substitute for HB 1222 would cap condominium and property owners association charges for closing or settlement letters at $250. A committee member said a similar bill passed in 2019 but was vetoed because of the dollar amounts, and asked whether those amounts had been revised. The sponsor confirmed both points. No vote was taken.
Status timeline
- House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Regina Lewis-Ward (D, HD-115)
- Alan Powell (R, HD-33)
- Carolyn Hugley (D, HD-141)
- Dale Washburn (R, HD-144)
- Billy Mitchell (D, HD-88)
- Clint Crowe (R, HD-118)
Topics
- homeowners associations
- condominium law
- property transactions
- real estate closings
- HOA fees