HB 1019: Senior Stabilization Act; enact

Georgia law currently places no limit on how much a landlord can raise rent when a lease renews or a new agreement is signed. House Bill 1019, called the Senior Stabilization Act, would add a new section to the state's landlord-tenant law (O.C.G.A. Chapter 7 of Title 44) creating a rent increase cap for a specific group of tenants. The cap would apply to tenants who are 62 or older and whose main income comes from Social Security benefits, including retirement, survivor's, supplemental security income, or disability payments, and who already have a rental agreement in place as of June 30, 2026. From July 1, 2026 through December 31, 2028, a landlord could not raise that tenant's rent by more than 10 percent above what was being charged under the lease in effect on June 30, 2026, whether through a renewal or a new agreement with the same tenant for the same unit.

• Creates a new Code section (O.C.G.A. § 44-7-26) limiting rent increases for a defined category of senior tenants.
• Defines a covered tenant as someone 62 or older whose main income is Social Security benefits (retirement, survivor's, SSI, or disability) under a lease existing on June 30, 2026.
• Bars landlords from raising that tenant's rent by more than 10 percent above the rent in effect on June 30, 2026, whether through a lease renewal or a new agreement.
• Limits the cap to the period from July 1, 2026 through December 31, 2028, after which the restriction ends.
• Repeals any existing state laws that conflict with the new rent cap.

Landlords who rent to senior tenants, and tenants aged 62 or older whose primary income is Social Security retirement, survivor's, supplemental security income, or disability benefits and who have an existing lease as of June 30, 2026.

For qualifying seniors on fixed Social Security incomes, this would cap how much their rent can jump when their lease renews, offering some predictability in housing costs for about two and a half years. Landlords with such tenants would face a temporary limit on how much they can raise rent.

• Section 1 names the measure the 'Senior Stabilization Act.'
• Section 2 adds new Code section 44-7-26, defining a covered 'tenant' as someone 62 or older whose primary income is Social Security-related benefits under a lease existing on June 30, 2026.
• Section 2 sets the rent increase cap at no more than 10 percent above the rent in effect on June 30, 2026, for renewals or new agreements with that same tenant.
• Section 2 limits the cap's window to July 1, 2026 through December 31, 2028.
• Section 3 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2026-01-29House Second Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
2. 2026-01-28House First Readers (Cámara de Representantes)
3. 2026-01-27House Hopper (Cámara de Representantes)

• Imani Barnes (D, HD-086)Patrocinador principal
• Lydia Glaize (D, HD-067)
• Kimberly Alexander (D, HD-066)
• Carolyn Hugley (D, HD-141)
• Jasmine Clark (D, HD-108)
• Lisa Campbell (D, HD-035)

• senior citizens
• rent increases
• landlord tenant law
• housing affordability
• Social Security