---
title: SB 414. "Fair Business Practices Act of 1975"; transparency and fairness with respect to rent pricing for residential properties; encourage
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sb414
cite_as: SB 414, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb414
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb414.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb414/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72290
date: 2026-01-27
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/sb414.md?full=1
bill_number: SB 414
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-01-16
last_action: Senate Read and Referred
sponsors:
- Kim Jackson
- Russ Goodman
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB414/2025
upstream_id: 2085241
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- rental housing
- landlord tenant law
- consumer protection
- hidden fees
- rent pricing transparency
---
# SB 414. "Fair Business Practices Act of 1975"; transparency and fairness with respect to rent pricing for residential properties; encourage
## Text
Senate Bill 414
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 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.
A Georgia Senate bill would require landlords to disclose the full rental price upfront and would ban hidden fees when renting residential property, treating violations as unfair or deceptive business practices under state consumer law.
### Plain-language summary
Georgia's Fair Business Practices Act of 1975 (O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393) already lists specific practices that count as unfair or deceptive in consumer transactions. This bill adds a new prohibited practice: landlords failing to disclose the total rental price of a residential property or charging hidden fees.
The bill creates a new Code section (10-1-393.22) defining key terms like 'total rental price,' 'hidden fees,' and 'clearly and conspicuously.' It requires landlords to disclose the full total rental price, including mandatory and government fees, before signing a lease or accepting payment. It bans fees that are excessive, for services not performed, for services the landlord must legally provide anyway, tied to forced use of a preferred vendor, or not written into the lease. Landlords can still pursue remedies for lease violations if those remedies are spelled out in the agreement and not excessive. The law would take effect as soon as the Governor signs it and would apply to rental agreements, renewals, and extensions made afterward.
### What it does
- Adds landlord failure to disclose total rental price or landlord use of hidden fees to the list of unlawful unfair or deceptive practices under the Fair Business Practices Act (O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393).
- Creates a new Code section 10-1-393.22 that requires landlords to clearly and conspicuously disclose the total rental price before a consumer signs a lease or pays money.
- Defines 'hidden fees' to include excessive charges, fees for services not performed, fees for services the landlord is already legally required to provide, and fees not written into the lease.
- Bans landlords from charging or imposing any hidden fee in connection with renting residential property, including hotels, inns, and short-term vacation rentals.
- Preserves a landlord's ability to enforce lease remedies for tenant violations, as long as those remedies are spelled out in the rental agreement and not excessive.
- Applies to rental agreements, and their renewals, modifications, or extensions, entered into on or after the bill's effective date.
### Who it affects
Landlords and property managers who rent residential property in Georgia, including hotels, inns, and short-term or vacation rental operators, along with tenants and other consumers who sign rental agreements. The Georgia Attorney General's office, which enforces the Fair Business Practices Act, would also be affected.
### Why it matters
Tenants would be entitled to see the true total cost of renting before committing to a lease or paying money, and could not be charged surprise or excessive fees not written into their lease. Landlords would need to review pricing disclosures and fee structures to avoid being found in violation of Georgia's consumer protection law.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393(b) to add a new paragraph (38) making violations of the new rent pricing rules an unfair or deceptive practice.
- Section 2 creates new Code Section 10-1-393.22 with definitions including 'hidden fees,' 'total rental price,' 'mandatory fee,' and 'residential property' (which covers hotels and short-term rentals).
- Section 2(b) makes it unlawful for a landlord to enter a rental agreement or accept payment before disclosing the total rental price, or to charge any hidden fee.
- Section 2(c) clarifies landlords may still enforce lease remedies for tenant defaults if those remedies are stated in the agreement and not excessive.
- Section 3 sets the effective date as the date the Governor signs the bill (or it becomes law without signature), applying it to rental agreements, renewals, modifications, or extensions made on or after that date.
- Section 4 repeals any conflicting laws.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2026-01-16)
- Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2026-01-27)
- Sponsors: Kim Jackson, Russ Goodman
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72290
> The history, votes, and amendments (95 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb414.md?full=1