Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is investigating the abuse of renters by landlords in Georgia.
Sen. Ossoff, Chairman of the Senate Human Rights Subcommittee, is launching a second inquiry with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide information on alleged mistreatment of renters by landlords in Georgia specifically.
Chairman Ossoff is demanding answers from HUD on how it currently enforces standards against landlords who fail to maintain safe and sanitary living conditions.
In his inquiry, Sen. Ossoff cited reports of mold, infestations, and delayed repairs along with health and safety concerns in certain Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA) properties, threatening the health and safety of families.
“The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states, ‘Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and his family, including . . . housing,’ Chairman Ossoff wrote. “Reports raise serious concerns that some PBRA-funded property owners, which receive millions in taxpayer dollars every year, have neglected maintenance, property rehabilitation, and security. Their actions call into question HUD’s abilities to protect tenants and to hold owners accountable.”
For example, Georgians living in Forest Cove, owned by Millennia, endured such deplorable conditions and violence that the property was condemned, and tenants were relocated by the City of Atlanta.
Multiple investigations by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and news outlets across Georgia have documented widespread dangerous housing conditions, including mold, mice, and mistreatment of tenants. The AJC’s “Dangerous Dwellings Series” has also uncovered mistreatment by landlords across metro Atlanta.
This is the latest action in Sen. Ossoff’s continued work to protect Georgia families and renters.
Last week, Sen. Ossoff, Chairman of the Senate Human Rights Subcommittee, and Sen. Sherrod Brown, Chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, requested information from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on alleged mistreatment of renters by landlords.
Sen. Ossoff has pushed the Federal Housing Finance Agency to address the inadequate supply of affordable housing across rural Georgia.
In July, Sen Ossoff launched an inquiry to help Georgia renters become homeowners through Fannie Mae’s Multifamily Positive Rent Payment Reporting pilot program.
Earlier this year, Sen. Ossoff also introduced the bipartisan HELPER Act alongside Sen. Rubio (R-FL)to help first responders, teachers and law enforcement officers to buy their first home.
Click here to read Sen. Ossoff ’s letter.
