Committee hears bill to repeal rent‑control prohibition and allow local rent‑stabilization

Representative Rhonda Taylor presented House Bill 299, proposing repeal of the state prohibition that prevents local governments from enacting rent control, and argued localities should be allowed to adopt rent stabilization appropriate to local conditions.

Taylor cited HUD data and state estimates of homelessness and housing cost burdens and said Georgia’s rent increases outpaced income growth in recent years. She described HB 299 as a tool that would allow municipalities to “stabilize rent prices and protect tenants from excessive increases,” while pairing with other laws such as HB 404 (the “Safe at Home Act”) to improve habitability and tenant protections.

Academic witnesses, including Taylor Shelton (Georgia State University) and Laura Raymond (Georgia Tech), testified in favor of repealing the preemption, citing evidence that institutional investment and landlord practices have contributed to rising rents and that modest annual caps (for example, a percentage plus inflation) have been proposed as less‑disruptive forms of rent stabilization. Housing advocates, including the Housing Justice League, also supported the bill as a tool to reduce displacement and housing instability.

Trade groups such as the Georgia Association of Realtors and the Georgia Apartment Association opposed the bill. They said local variation could create complexity for property owners, and they argued supply‑side solutions (increasing housing production) are the better long‑term remedy. The Georgia Association of Realtors noted concerns about interaction with property taxes and local fiscal policy.

Committee members asked about how local control would work; the sponsor said repeal would give municipalities flexibility to tailor responses to local supply and demand. The committee took testimony in a hearing‑only format and did not vote on HB 299 at the meeting.