Bill passes for out-of-state landlords to have Georgia staff for tenant issues
A bill requiring many out-of-state landlords to employ at least one in-state staffer to handle tenant complaints is bound for Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk.
House Bill 399’s passage last week marks a minor win for affordable housing advocates. They celebrated that the law will increase landlord accountability, but cautioned that it could also lead to retaliation against lower-income tenants who raise concerns about living conditions.
Authored by Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver (D-Decatur), the legislation says that “any landlord that is not a resident of this state that owns or operates single-family or duplex rental properties in this state” must employ at least in-state agent, “who shall be responsible for receiving, coordinating, managing, and responding to” renters’ maintenance concerns.
But if a tenant believes their residence violates a local government’s housing code, HB 399 places the burden on them to connect code enforcement officers to the property manager.
“Tenants in those situations are usually fearful of retaliation from their landlords,” advocacy group HouseATL said in a social media post.
The bipartisan measure materialized in response to a surge of big institutional investors buying up residential housing in Georgia. That has driven up rent prices, and investors’ habit of camouflaging themselves with shell companies has made it difficult for tenants to get maintenance concerns addressed.
Even so, HB 399 is the only legislation to regulate institutional investor activity that passed in Georgia’s 2025 legislative session, which concluded on April 4.
Anti-squatter legislation targeting motel residents fails — for now
Legislation that would make it easier for hotel managers to eject long-term guests failed to get a Senate vote before the end of Georgia’s 2025 legislative session — but lawmakers are likely to try passing House Bill 61 next year.
Under HB 61, the resident-removal process for hotel inhabitants could be triggered if they fall behind on payments for a stay, or if they overstay their contractual welcome, according to an innkeeper-guest agreement specifying a time period for their occupancy.
HB 61 is what’s called a “Frankenstein bill.” It initially sought to authorize the state to issue special license plates for hearses and ambulances, but Republican representatives gutted that language in March and implanted provisions from the failed House Bill 183, a measure to bolster innkeepers’ power over the length of guests’ stays.
The overhauled HB 61 said that anyone committing the misdemeanor of “unlawful squatting” — living in a house, apartment, hotel, or vehicle without express permission — “shall be subject to removal” by law enforcement within 10 days of being notified via legal affidavit by the property owner, legal occupant, or landlord.
Housing advocates cautioned that the legislation conflated squatters with people who have made extended-stay motels their homes, often due to financial challenges. Most long-term hotel residents have nowhere else to go.
Kemp signs bill to impede local governments from exiting new homestead tax exemption
Gov. Brian Kemp last week signed a bill requiring local governments that have already opted out of a new statewide homestead property-tax exemption to renew their decision annually. That adds a new barrier for cities, counties, and school districts that prefer to set their own residential property tax rules.
Nearly two-thirds of 4.8 million Georgia voters approved a (confusingly worded) constitutional amendment last November that permanently caps any annual increases in the assessed value of someone’s primary residence at the inflation rate statewide — but it included a narrow escape hatch, by giving local governments until March 1 to opt out.
House Bill 92 makes opting out more cumbersome. For the initial opt out, the constitutional amendment required Georgia cities, counties, and school boards to hold three rounds of public hearings, then file an opt-out notice with the Secretary of State’s office by March 1. Going forward, they’ll have to do that every year.
Last year’s referendum was pitched as relief for Georgia homeowners from skyrocketing property taxes in a heated real estate market — particularly for high-value properties. But critics warned it could deprive schools — which rely heavily on property tax revenue — and other public services of much-needed funding.
The Local Option Homestead Property Tax Exemption took effect on Jan. 1. Now, any local governments that missed the March 1 opt-out deadline are locked into Georgia’s homestead tax exemption for perpetuity, since it’s a constitutional amendment. That tight timeline led to a torrent of opt-outs across the state, spurred by local governments’ dual concerns over losing property-tax revenue and their control over taxation.
When the city of Atlanta opted out, for example, it said it was “prioritizing local control over property tax policies to better serve Atlanta’s unique needs,” according to a press release. The city’s existing homestead tax exemption, enacted in 2019, caps annual taxable property assessment increases at 2.6%.
Federal funding freeze would deal $1.4 billion hit to Atlanta
President Donald Trump’s proposed federal funding freeze is currently frozen itself by a federal court order. But the administration could still appeal the decision — or even flout the judge’s directive, as it’s done before — and cut local governments and nonprofits off from vitally needed funding.
Atlanta Civic Circle last week obtained data from Mayor Andre Dickens’ office outlining the potential economic devastation to the city of Atlanta’s housing budget if the White House is able to fully enact the freeze. It would mean a $1.4 billion blow to city agencies and nonprofit partners administering programs that depend on federal support, the Dickens administration estimates.
Housing and infrastructure initiatives managed by the city, Atlanta Housing, and Partners for HOME would be hit especially hard. A full funding freeze would strip $224 million this year alone from the city’s housing budget, including rent voucher disbursals (all federally funded), new housing development, and emergency shelter operations. The mayor’s office estimates a budget hole of up to $315 million for subsequent years.
That would throttle Atlanta’s ambitious affordable housing projects — redeveloping downtown’s Two Peachtree office tower, the Westside’s former Bowen Homes public housing site, the Midtown fire station, and Old Fourth Ward’s Atlanta Civic Center. Together, those four projects hinge on over $500 million in federal financing from grants, mortgage insurance programs, and other sources.
“Momentum would slow on existing projects, and our biggest ambitions would dim,” says the city’s preliminary assessment.
Stay tuned for an in-depth analysis of the city’s budget shortfall projections.
Today’s newsletter was written by Sean Keenan and edited by Meredith Hobbs.
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