---
title: 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
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sb559
cite_as: SB 559, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb559
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb559.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb559/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73540
date: 2026-02-25
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/sb559.md?full=1
bill_number: SB 559
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-02-24
last_action: Senate Read and Referred
sponsors:
- Sheikh Rahman
- Donzella James
- Harold Jones
- Sonya Halpern
- Nikki Merritt
- Derek Mallow
- Tonya Anderson
- Ed Harbison
- Jaha Howard
- Freddie Sims
- Sally Harrell
- Elena Parent
- Kim Jackson
- Nan Orrock
- RaShaun Kemp
- Emanuel Jones
- Kenya Wicks
- Michael Rhett
- Randal Mangham
- Gail Davenport
- Josh McLaurin
- Nabilah Islam Parkes
- David Lucas
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB559/2025
upstream_id: 2123544
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- rental pricing
- housing law
- algorithmic pricing software
- landlord regulation
- consumer protection
---
# 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
## Text
Senate Bill 559
By: Senators Rahman of the 5th, James of the 28th, Jones II of the 22nd, Halpern of the 39th,
Merritt of the 9th and others
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 prohibit any person
from facilitating noncompete agreements between residential rental property owners or
managers, including by use of algorithmic coordinating functions; to prohibit rental property
owners or managers from setting or adjusting rental prices, lease renewal terms, occupancy
levels, or other lease terms and conditions based on recommendations from software, data
analytics service, or algorithmic devices; to provide for definitions; to provide for related
matters; to provide an effective date and for 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, the
relating to "Fair Business Practices Act of 1975," is 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) 'Algorithm' means a computational process that uses a set of rules to define a
sequence of operations.
(2) 'Algorithmic device' means any machine, device, computer program, or computer
software that, on its own or with human assistance, performs a coordinating function.
(3) 'Coordinating function' means performing all of the following subfunctions;
provided, however, that a product used for the purpose of establishing rent or income
limits in accordance with an affordable housing program administered by a federal, state,
or local government or other political subdivision of this state shall not be considered to
be performing a coordinating function:
(A) Collecting historical or contemporaneous prices, supply levels, or lease or rental
contract termination and renewal dates of residential dwelling units from two or more
residential rental property owners or managers, provided that at least two such
residential rental property owners or managers are not wholly owned subsidiaries of the
same parent entity or otherwise owned or managed by the same residential rental
property owner or manager;
(B) Analyzing or processing the information described in subparagraph (A) of this
paragraph using a system, software, or process that uses computation, including by
using such information to train an algorithm; and
(C) Recommending rental prices, lease renewal terms, occupancy levels, or other lease
terms and conditions to a residential rental property owner or manager.
(4) 'Residential dwelling unit' means:
(A) A single-family dwelling, including attached structures such as porches and stoops;
or
(B) A single-family dwelling unit in a structure that contains more than one separate
residential dwelling unit, and in which each such unit is used or occupied, or intended
to be used or occupied, in whole or in part, as the home or residence of one or more
persons.
(5) 'Residential rental property owner or manager' means any individual or entity that
owns or is a beneficial owner of, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, or manages
one or more residential dwelling units in this state.
(b) 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 with respect to the renting or leasing of residential dwelling units,
including by operating or licensing a software, data analytics service, or algorithmic device
that performs a coordinating function on behalf of or between and among such residential
rental property owners or managers.
(c) 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.
(d) Nothing in this Code section shall impair or limit the applicability of any other part of
this article, Chapter 7 of Title 44, or any other state law."
SECTION 2.
This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2026, and shall apply to all contracts and other
agreements entered into or that become effective on or after such date.
SECTION 3.
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 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.
### Plain-language summary
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. ยง 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 it 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.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2026-02-24)
- Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2026-02-25)
- Sponsors: Sheikh Rahman, Donzella James, Harold Jones, Sonya Halpern, Nikki Merritt, Derek Mallow, Tonya Anderson, Ed Harbison, Jaha Howard, Freddie Sims, Sally Harrell, Elena Parent, Kim Jackson, Nan Orrock, RaShaun Kemp, Emanuel Jones, Kenya Wicks, Michael Rhett, Randal Mangham, Gail Davenport, Josh McLaurin, Nabilah Islam Parkes, David Lucas
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73540
> The history, votes, and amendments (95 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb559.md?full=1