Washington, D.C – U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is investigating landlord abuse of tenants in Georgia.
Senator Ossoff, Chairman of the Senate Human Rights Subcommittee, is launching a second investigation into the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide information on alleged mistreatment of tenants by landlords specifically in Georgia.
Chairman Ossoff is demanding answers from HUD about how it currently enforces standards against landlords who fail to maintain safe and sanitary living conditions.
In his investigation, Senator Ossoff cited reports of mold, infestation and delayed repairs, as well as health and safety concerns at certain Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA) properties, endangering 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, who receive millions in taxpayer dollars each year, have neglected property maintenance, rehabilitation and security. Their actions call into question HUD’s ability to protect tenants and hold owners accountable.”
For example, the Georgians who lived at Forest Cove, which Millennia owned, endured such deplorable conditions and violence that the property was condemned and the 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 tenant mistreatment. The AJC’s “Dangerous Dwellings Series” has also exposed mistreatment by landlords throughout metro Atlanta.
This is the latest action in Senator Ossoff’s continued work to protect families and renters in Georgia.
Last week, Senator Ossoff, Chairman of the Senate Human Rights Subcommittee, and Senator Sherrod Brown, Chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, requested information from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) about alleged mistreatment of tenants by landlords.
Senator Ossoff has pushed the Federal Housing Finance Agency to address the inadequate supply of affordable housing in rural Georgia.
In July, Sen Ossoff launched an investigation to help renters in Georgia become homeowners through Fannie Mae’s Multifamily Positive Rent Payment Reporting pilot program.
Earlier this year, Senator Ossoff, along with Senator Rubio (R-FL), also introduced the bipartisan HELPER Act to help first responders, teachers and police officers buy their first homes.
Click here to read Senator Ossoff’s letter.
# # #
