The 2025 Legislative Session in Georgia began on January 13th and ended April 4th. This year, Enterprise Southeast was at the Capitol advocating for legislation that would protect renters, limit private equity acquisition of single-family rental homes, and increase state resources for emergency rental assistance and homelessness prevention.
We were proud to work in coalition with partners in Georgia to advance and oppose bills that have the power to shape the housing ecosystem in our state for years to come. 2025 was the first session of the two-year biennium, so bills that did not pass this year will remain active and eligible for consideration next year. Below are some notable pieces of housing legislation that Enterprise tracked and engaged on this year.
Significant Bills That Passed
- Expanding Access to Homeownership through House Bill 159
Enterprise is pleased to report the passage of House Bill 159, which increases the bond limit for the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Georgia Dream homebuyer down payment assistance and mortgage program—from $3 billion to $6 billion—which will increase the number of eligible and first-time homebuyers who can access down payment loans and affordable mortgages through DCA. - Monitoring Tort Reform Legislation in Senate Bill 68 and Senate Bill 69
Recognizing that rising insurance costs place increasing strains on housing providers across the country, Enterprise closely followed the progression of the Governor’s tort reform legislation this session. Senate Bill 68 articulates a new liability standard for premises liability and negligent security among other evidentiary and procedural civil practice changes. Senate Bill 69 creates new limitations on litigation financing. House Speaker Jon Burns also announced last week that he is creating a Blue Ribbon Study Committee on Insurance Rates to review industry rate-setting practices, profit margins, claims processing, and regulatory compliance to ensure consumers and businesses are not subjected to unjustified rate hikes and to inform legislative recommendations to prevent predatory pricing and provide for fairness and transparency.
Bills We Successfully Opposed
- Protecting Long-Term Extended Stay Hotel Residents by Opposing House Bill 183 and House Bill 61
Enterprise joined fellow housing advocates in successfully opposing House Bill 183, legislation that would have eliminated the due process rights of long-term extended stay hotel residents facing removal, undoing the Georgia Supreme Court ruling in 2023 that these long-term residents may be entitled to eviction protections and treatment as a tenant. HB 183 was tabled in the House Judiciary Committee, and while House Bill 61 was amended in the Senate to include similar language, it did not make it out of the Senate Rules Committee. Senate floor efforts on Sine Die to amend this language onto other bills were also unsuccessful. - Preventing the Criminalization of Homelessness by Opposing House Bill 295
Enterprise and others successfully opposed House Bill 295 which would have allowed property owners and renters to file lawsuits against cities and counties for a refund of property taxes or other expenses claiming the local government had a policy not to enforce criminal laws such as public camping, panhandling, loitering, etc. This bill passed out of the House Public Safety Committee, but did not advance further before Crossover Day.
Bills Still in Play for 2026
- Creating a Homelessness Prevention Program through House Bill 689
Enterprise will continue advocating for House Bill 689 next year as it would create a flexible local grant program to provide short-term emergency rental assistance and eviction prevention services for Georgians experiencing housing instability. This legislation passed out of the House State Planning and Community Affairs Committee unanimously but did not advance further before the end of Crossover Day. - Limiting Private Equity Acquisitions through House Bill 305 and House Bill 555
Enterprise will continue to support legislation to limit the number of single-family homes that private equity companies can acquire in Georgia to use as rental properties. The activity of corporate investors scooping up affordable homes and rendering them out of reach for first-time homebuyers is widespread in Georgia, particularly in metro Atlanta. Enterprise supported House Bill 305, which received a hearing in the House Governmental Affairs Committee but did not advance, and the amended version of House Bill 555, which passed out of the House Judiciary Committee, but did not receive a floor vote in the House prior to the end of Crossover Day.
It is worth noting that Enterprise advocated this session for legislation that would have repealed Georgia’s state law banning local rental registries (O.C.G.A. § 36-74-30). While not a full repeal, Enterprise supported the original version of House Bill 374 which would have allowed local governments to establish rental housing management databases. This legislation was significantly amended before it passed out of the House Governmental Affairs Committee, and it did not advance further before the end of Crossover Day.
Key FY 2026 Budget Outcomes for Housing
The Governor has until May 14 to sign or veto legislation, including line-item vetoes in the FY 26 Budget.
- Georgia Housing Voucher Program
Throughout the budget appropriation process, Enterprise advocated for a $20 million increase in funding for Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities' Georgia Housing Voucher Program to provide supportive housing and services to chronically homeless people with severe mental illness. Ultimately, the House and Senate added $1.7 million to this program. - State Housing Trust Fund for the Homeless
Enterprise advocated for $25 million in state funding for the DCA State Housing Trust Fund for the Homeless to continue Georgia's statewide emergency rental assistance pilot program which will end in 2025 when federal funds expire. Ultimately, the House and Senate agreed to the Governor’s recommendation of $7.83 million for the Trust Fund, plus an additional $2 million in one-time funding to “improve homeless programs and leverage additional federal grants.”
Stay Engaged. Stay Informed.
Thank you for raising your voice during the 2025 legislative session! Your advocacy made a difference. Let’s keep the momentum going through 2025 as many critical housing issues will return next legislative session. To stay connected, sign up for our Southeast Newsletter.