With housing affordability pressing upon the people of Georgia, state lawmakers have found themselves at a legislative crossroads. Rent has skyrocketed to a high not seen in over 40 years, and Georgia citizens are calling for a reprieve in the form of rent control legislation. According to Atlanta News First, the proposed Senate Bill 125 seeks to amend longstanding laws that restrict local governments from having a say in how much landlords can charge tenants.
The urgency of these measures can be seen in the impacts on individuals like Savannah Solomon who shared with Atlanta News First her dire situation after a staggering rent hike, "To jump from $1375 to $2200, that’s a thousand dollars more than what I was already paying and we were barely making that every month." This issue is widespread, with rents seeing significant increases across the board, the cost of living in Atlanta itself has risen by 37.8%, with a two-bedroom unit averaging $1,542 as per the same report.
Rep. Eric Bell (D-Jonesboro) has introduced a similar bill in the House which, according to an interview with 11Alive, would empower local cities and counties to enforce their own rent control laws. Bell acknowledges the crisis stating, "They go to work every day and still can’t find a nice place to lay their home," alluding to the struggles many Georgians face. However, despite this call for localized decision-making, conservative opponents argue these measures could inadvertently harm the housing market by deterring builders and investors from adding new supply, with Kyle Wingfield of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation suggesting this could exacerbate the issue of high rents and prices.
Even with substantial backing from the advocates and the affected populace, the division in the legislative body, evidenced by a lack of Republican support for both the House and Senate bills, makes the path forward for rent control uncertain. Bell advocates for communal autonomy as a salve to this growing wound, telling 11Alive, "They know what’s best for their communities. So I feel like we should empower them to take control and have a stronger local control," the effects of this debate will play out in the upcoming legislative session, a session that could sway the fate of many tenants grappling with a relentless housing market.
