Senate · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session

SB 559: "Fair Business Practices Act of 1975"; any person from facilitating noncompete agreements between residential rental property owners or managers, including by use of algorithmic coordinating functions; prohibit

Last action February 25, 2026 · Senate Read and Referred

A Georgia Senate bill would ban software or data services that let landlords secretly coordinate rental prices, lease terms, and occupancy levels across properties they don't jointly own, treating it as an unfair trade practice.

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In plain language

Some landlords use pricing software that collects data from multiple rental property owners and recommends rents, lease terms, or occupancy levels based on that shared information. This bill would add a new section to Georgia's Fair Business Practices Act (O.C.G.A. § 10-1-393.22) making it illegal for any person or company to knowingly operate or license such software when it functions as a way for competing landlords to avoid competing on price, calling this a 'coordinating function.' The bill also makes it illegal for a landlord to actually set or change rents, lease renewal terms, occupancy levels, or other lease conditions based on recommendations from this kind of software or data analytics tool. It defines key terms like 'algorithm,' 'coordinating function,' and 'residential rental property owner or manager,' and exempts tools used to set rent limits for government affordable housing programs. The law would take effect July 1, 2026, and would apply to contracts and agreements entered into or effective on or after that date.

What the bill does

Makes it an unlawful and deceptive trade practice to knowingly operate or license software that lets landlords coordinate rental prices or lease terms instead of competing.
Bans landlords from setting or adjusting rents, lease renewals, occupancy levels, or other lease terms based on recommendations from algorithmic pricing tools.
Defines 'coordinating function' as software that collects data from multiple unrelated landlords, analyzes it, and recommends pricing or lease terms.
Exempts software used only to set rent or income limits for government-run affordable housing programs.
Sets an effective date of July 1, 2026, applying to contracts and agreements entered into or effective on or after that date.

Who it affects

Residential landlords and property management companies operating in Georgia, companies that make or license rental pricing and data analytics software, and renters whose rent, lease renewal terms, or occupancy conditions could be affected by algorithmic pricing tools.

Why it matters

If shared pricing software lets landlords effectively raise rents together without directly talking to each other, this bill would make that arrangement illegal and give the state a tool to challenge it. It could affect how rental pricing software operates and how landlords set rents and lease terms across Georgia.

Key provisions

Section 1 adds new Code section 10-1-393.22, defining 'algorithm,' 'algorithmic device,' 'coordinating function,' 'residential dwelling unit,' and 'residential rental property owner or manager.'
Subsection (b) makes it unlawful for any person or company to knowingly or recklessly facilitate a no-compete agreement among landlords, including through algorithmic pricing tools.
Subsection (c) makes it an unlawful agreement for a landlord to set or adjust rents or lease terms based on recommendations from such software.
Subsection (d) clarifies the new provision does not limit other parts of the Fair Business Practices Act or landlord-tenant law under Chapter 7 of Title 44.
Section 2 sets the effective date as July 1, 2026, applying to contracts entered into or effective on or after that date.

From the bill

“It shall be an unlawful, unfair, and deceptive trade practice for any person, firm, or corporation doing business in this state to knowingly or with reckless disregard facilitate an agreement between or among two or more residential rental property owners or managers to not compete”
This is the bill's core ban on facilitating rent-related no-compete arrangements among landlords.

“It shall be considered an unlawful agreement in violation of this Code section for a residential rental property owner or manager to knowingly or with reckless disregard set or adjust rental prices, lease renewal terms, occupancy levels, or other lease terms and conditions in one or more of their residential rental properties based on recommendations from a software, data analytics service, or algorithmic device performing a coordinating function.”
This bans landlords themselves from acting on algorithmic pricing recommendations.

Status timeline

2026-02-25Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2026-02-24Senate Hopper (Senate)

Topics

rental pricing
housing law
algorithmic pricing software
landlord regulation
consumer protection

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