Georgia CommonsHB 1495: Senior Stabilization Act; enact
Last action March 6, 2026 · House Second Readers
House Bill 1495 would cap rent increases at 10 percent for eligible senior tenants in senior housing statewide, applying to lease renewals and new leases with existing tenants from July 2026 through the end of 2028.
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 Introduced version, the latest LegiScan holds.
In plain language
Georgia currently has no statewide cap on how much landlords can raise rent for senior tenants. House Bill 1495, called the Senior Stabilization Act, would add a new section to Georgia's landlord and tenant law (O.C.G.A. Chapter 7 of Title 44) limiting rent increases for a defined group of senior renters. The bill defines senior housing as rental residences reserved exclusively for tenants who are 62 or older and whose main income comes from Social Security payments, including retirement, survivor, supplemental security income, or disability benefits, under a lease signed on or before June 30, 2026. Starting July 1, 2026 and running through December 31, 2028, landlords and developers of senior housing could not renew a lease or sign a new lease with an existing tenant if the new rent is more than 10 percent higher than what that tenant was paying under the lease in effect on June 30, 2026.
What the bill does
- Creates a new Georgia Code section capping rent increases for qualifying senior tenants in senior housing at 10 percent above their June 30, 2026 rent.
- Defines who counts as a covered tenant: someone 62 or older whose main income comes from Social Security retirement, survivor, supplemental security income, or disability benefits.
- Limits the cap to leases entered into on or before June 30, 2026, and applies it only to lease renewals or new leases with that same existing tenant.
- Sets the cap's active window from July 1, 2026 through December 31, 2028, after which the limit as written no longer applies.
- Applies the restriction to both landlords and developers who are constructing senior housing.
Who it affects
The bill affects senior renters aged 62 and older who rely mainly on Social Security income and live in senior housing, along with the landlords and developers who own or build that housing and would be limited in how much they can raise rent on those tenants.
Why it matters
For eligible senior renters, this would put a firm ceiling on how much their rent could rise when they renew or sign a new lease with the same landlord, offering predictability on a fixed income. For landlords and developers of senior housing, it would restrict rent-setting decisions for a defined group of tenants through the end of 2028.
Key provisions
- Section 1 names the bill the 'Senior Stabilization Act' as its official short title.
- Section 2 adds new Code Section 44-7-26 defining 'senior housing' as rental residences exclusively for qualifying tenants.
- Section 2 defines 'tenant' as someone 62 or older whose primary income is Social Security-related payments, under a lease dated on or before June 30, 2026.
- Section 2 bars landlords or developers of senior housing from renewing or entering a new lease with an existing tenant that raises rent more than 10 percent above the rent in effect on June 30, 2026, for the period July 1, 2026 through December 31, 2028.
- Section 3 repeals any existing laws that conflict with the new provisions.
From the bill
“no landlord or developer constructing senior housing shall renew the rental agreement or enter into a new rental agreement for a dwelling unit with the existing tenant of such dwelling unit when such renewal or new rental agreement increases the rent payable by the existing tenant for such dwelling unit in an amount that is greater than 10 percent”
“Is 62 years of age or older; and (B) Whose primary source of income is from payments received pursuant to the federal Social Security Act, including retirement and survivor's benefits, supplemental security income benefits, and disability income benefits.”
Status timeline
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Imani Barnes (D, HD-086)
- Lydia Glaize (D, HD-067)
- Al Williams (D, HD-168)
- Kimberly Alexander (D, HD-066)
- Rhonda Taylor (D, HD-092)
- Viola Davis (D, HD-087)
Topics
- senior housing
- rent increases
- landlord tenant law
- elderly Georgians
- Social Security income