Housing (Tenant Rights)

SB 307 authorizes Alabama's Class 1 municipalities (like Birmingham or Montgomery) to create nonprofit community land trusts that provide affordable housing for low-income and moderate-income families. The trusts would lease land for 99 years to qualifying residents through long-term ground leases, ensuring housing remains affordable by restricting resale prices and requiring the trusts to be membership-based with publicly accessible meetings. The bill also allows trusts to acquire properties, make improvements, and qualify for property tax exemptions, while requiring boards of directors to include diverse community representation and housing experts. This directly affects residents who qualify as low-income (≤80% of HUD area median income) or moderate-income (≤120%) families seeking stable, long-term housing.

HB 80 modifies how eviction notices must be delivered to tenants. It allows notices to be given to any adult resident ("sui juris") living on the property instead of requiring personal service to the defendant. This change directly affects tenants facing eviction and law enforcement officers serving eviction notices. The bill focuses on procedural changes to the notice delivery process under existing eviction law. It is currently pending in the House Judiciary Committee.