---
title: SB 251. "Fair Business Practices Act of 1975,"; rent pricing for residential properties; encourage transparency and fairness
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sb251
cite_as: SB 251, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb251
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb251.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb251/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70778
date: 2025-02-26
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: 95
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb251.md?full=1
bill_number: SB 251
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-02-25
last_action: Senate Read and Referred
sponsors:
- Kim Jackson
- Russ Goodman
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB251/2025
upstream_id: 1983846
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- rent pricing
- landlord tenant law
- consumer protection
- housing fees
- rental disclosures
---
# SB 251. "Fair Business Practices Act of 1975,"; rent pricing for residential properties; encourage transparency and fairness
## Text
Senate Bill 251
By: Senators Jackson of the 41st and Goodman of the 8th
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 deceptive 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 (34), replacing the period at the end
of paragraph (35) with "; and", and adding a new paragraph to read as follows:
"(36) Failure to comply with the provisions of Code Section 10-1-393.20 regarding rent
pricing for residential properties."
SECTION 2.
Said part is further amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:
"10-1-393.20.
(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) 'Deceptive fees' means any fee for residential property, other than the cost to rent the
residential property, including any fee:
(A) That is reasonably avoidable or excessive;
(B) Charged for any service not actually used 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) That restricts competition, including, but not limited to, a fee charged for failing
to use a landlord's preferred vendor or service provider;
(E) That is not expressly provided for in the rental agreement; or
(F) That is designated as a deceptive fee with respect to residential properties by the
Attorney General.
(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.
(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) Offer, display, or advertise any rental price of any residential property without clearly
and conspicuously disclosing the total rental price;
(2) 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
(3) Charge or otherwise impose on a consumer any deceptive 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.
A Georgia Senate bill would require landlords to disclose the full rental price upfront for residential properties and would ban hidden or deceptive fees, enforced under the state's consumer protection law.
### Plain-language summary
Georgia's Fair Business Practices Act of 1975 (O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393) lists practices considered unfair or deceptive in consumer transactions. This bill adds rent pricing to that list. It creates a new Code section, O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393.20, that defines terms like 'total rental price,' 'deceptive fees,' and 'mandatory fee,' and then makes it illegal for a landlord to advertise a rental price without clearly showing the total price, to sign a lease or take payment before disclosing the total price, or to charge deceptive fees.
Deceptive fees are defined broadly to include fees that are avoidable or excessive, fees for services never used, fees for things the landlord already must legally provide, fees that block competition (like requiring a specific vendor), or fees not written into the lease. The bill allows landlords to still collect damages for lease violations if those remedies are spelled out in the lease and are not excessive. The law would take effect as soon as the Governor signs it, and would apply to rental agreements signed, renewed, or extended after that date.
### What it does
- Adds a failure to disclose total rental price or charging deceptive fees as a new violation under Georgia's Fair Business Practices Act (O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393).
- Creates a new Code section, O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393.20, defining terms such as 'total rental price,' 'deceptive fees,' 'mandatory fee,' and 'residential property,' which explicitly includes hotels and short-term rentals.
- Bans landlords from advertising a rental price without clearly showing the full total price a renter must pay.
- Bans landlords from signing a lease or accepting payment before disclosing the total rental price to the tenant.
- Bans landlords from charging fees that are avoidable, excessive, for unused services, for legally required services, or not written into the lease.
- Preserves a landlord's right to collect damages for lease violations if those remedies are clearly stated in the lease and not excessive.
### Who it affects
Landlords and property managers renting residential properties in Georgia, including hotels, inns, vacation rentals, and short-term rentals, along with tenants and other renters who would gain new pricing disclosure protections under the state's consumer protection law.
### Why it matters
Renters would have a clearer view of the full cost of housing before signing a lease, including fees that are sometimes added later. Landlords would need to review and possibly rewrite fee structures and lease language to make sure all charges are disclosed upfront and tied to actual costs.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 adds a new paragraph (36) to O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393(b), making violation of the new rent pricing rules an unfair or deceptive practice under state consumer law.
- Section 2 creates O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393.20, defining key terms including 'deceptive fees,' 'total rental price,' and 'residential property' (which covers hotels and short-term rentals).
- Section 2(b) prohibits advertising a rental price without clearly disclosing the total rental price, signing a lease or taking payment before disclosure, and charging deceptive fees.
- Section 2(c) allows landlords to still pursue damages for lease violations if those remedies are expressly written into the rental agreement and not excessive.
- Section 3 makes the law effective immediately upon the Governor's signature and applies it to rental agreements signed, renewed, or extended after that date.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2025-02-25)
- Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2025-02-26)
- Sponsors: Kim Jackson, Russ Goodman
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70778
> The history, votes, and amendments (95 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb251.md?full=1