Sandy Springs Together

Everyone Deserves a Voice

Atlanta

Protecting Tenants’ Rights

What are tenants’ rights, and how do they impact housing affordability?

These questions and more were addressed during the August, 2022 Atlanta Regional Housing Forum, Strengthening Tenants’ Rights in Georgia. 

The AJC published an investigative series over the summer, exposing absentee landlords and dismal management of apartment properties, resulting in dangerously unhealthy and unsafe living conditions in many of metro Atlanta’s apartment complexes. 

During the housing forum Bill Bolling, co-founder and moderator, stated that Georgia has some of the weakest laws regarding tenants’ rights in the entire country. As a result, many corporations and private equity firms view Georgia as a favorable environment for buying and renting multi and single family homes and townhomes. The practice of corporations buying a large volume of single family homes and townhomes and then renting them, reduces the number of homes from the home buyer inventory and inflates not only home prices but also rents. 

Many states have laws that provide renters with legal options for recourse when infractions by landlords occur. However, other states, like Georgia, give the landlord more legal authority …the website below illustrates the differences, state by state regarding legal protections for renters. 

Desiree Fields, researcher with UC Berkeley, covers this practice in her recent report that details how Sunbelt cities with weak tenant protections are preferred locations for investors to grow their portfolios. Metro Atlanta is the leading target of investors for this activity. In her report Fields recommends, “nationwide, broad-based tenant protections to limit rent increases, ancillary fees, and fines and to promote security of tenure. The property rights of landlords should not take priority over the fundamental role of housing in supporting life, safety, and welfare.”

Efforts have been made in Sandy Springs to ensure that our renters are not living in unhealthy and unsafe conditions. Recently,  Sandy Springs Code Enforcement proposed creating a special Apartment Inspection Unit which would increase the number of apartments that can be inspected in an effort to hold landlords and property managers accountable.

There is still much work to be done, but we are taking positive steps towards protecting and strengthening tenants’ rights in Sandy Springs and across the state of Georgia. For more information from the Atlanta Regional Housing Forum on this issue, follow this link to watch the full discussion.    

When We All Vote, Good Things Can Happen!

Are you registered to vote? Have you moved or changed your name in the past several months? 

Have you NEVER voted but are eligible to, or has it been a long time since you last voted?  

Then you must register to vote or update your voter registration status! What are you waiting for?! 

The upcoming midterm election will shape the future of our state and country for the next decade and beyond. Making sure you are registered to vote is the first and most CRUCIAL step in ensuring that your voice is heard this fall. 

Registering to vote is a quick and easy process that takes very little time and can even be done from the comfort of your own home. The Georgia Secretary of State’s website has a helpful how-to guide that provides information on the steps and materials you need to register to vote.

Voting is a means to communicate to our elected officials how well we think our local, state, or federal government is doing. It is the foundation of our democracy. By voting, we can elect officials who will represent our ideas and interests in government, as well as voice our opinion about public projects, services and laws that directly impact our communities. 

October 11, 2022 is the voter registration deadline for the November 8th General Election. Is your voter registration up to date?  It’s time for a check-up.

You can check to ensure that your voter registration status is active by going to the Georgia Secretary of State’s My Voter Page website.

After logging in, look for “Status” under the “Personal Information” section. If you see a green “Active” status your registration is fine! Just make sure your address is up to date. 

 If your status says:

  • “Inactive” – Even if your status is listed as Inactive, you can still vote! But an inactive status means that you are in the first stage of a process that will result in you being purged from the rolls. It is very important that you take the necessary steps to get off the “inactive list” as soon as possible. One of the easiest ways to do this is to vote during the next election! Read about what to do to solve this problem here. 
  • “Contact County” – This means that your County Elections Office is missing a piece of information it needs to complete your registration. It could also mean that you are old enough to be registered to vote (17.5 years old) but you’re not yet old enough to vote in an election (18 years old). Contact your County Elections Office as soon as possible to correct the issue. 

We each deserve to have our voice heard and ideas represented in the community we live in, so why not do what it takes to make that happen? 

This November, we encourage you to join your family, friends and neighbors by making a plan to #VoteTogether because when we all vote, good things can happen!

Short-Term Rental and the Effects on Housing Affordability

A troubling corporate investment strategy of buying properties with the intent to rent them on a short-term basis is having a major negative impact on residential neighborhoods and overall housing affordability. A recent Harvard Business article offers insight into how this strategy is presenting problems for cities.

Renting apartments or homes on a short-term basis is not a new concept; some investors have utilized this approach for decades. With sites like AirBnB, VRBO, etc. it is now easier than ever for anyone to rent their apartment or home on a short-term basis.

Short-term rentals have become controversial in many communities.  Initially, the biggest opposition came from the hotel industry, which argued that these rentals are functioning as hotel properties without being subject to the same regulations or taxes.  More recently, community residents have also expressed concern over the impacts short-term rentals have on their local neighborhoods.

In July the Sandy Springs Planning Commission recommended approval of changes to the city’s short-term rental regulations to limit rentals of up to 100 days a year or less. The new zoning regulations include the rental of all or part of a dwelling unit.

Short-term rentals reduce the affordable housing supply. Any housing unit that was previously occupied by a city resident but is now listed on one of the short-term rental sites year-round, is a unit that has been removed from the rental market and added to the community’s supply of hotel rooms. If a property owner or leaseholder can rent out their property cheaper than the price of a hotel room, there is an overpowering incentive to list each unit as a short-term rental rather than rent to local residents. This leads to fewer long-term rental options and increases in rent.

There are additional negative consequences that cause residents to suffer. Neighbors of the short-term rental properties, who expected to live in reasonable peace and quiet, in a calm residential area are contending with a revolving door of short-term guests in their neighborhoods. Often, with very little oversight by the property owners of these short-term rental properties, there is the potential for unwelcome noise, parties, and even criminal activity to occur.

In a city like Sandy Springs where rental costs have soared, shouldn’t we consider some additional policies around short-term rentals that have been adopted in other cities, such as: 

  • Creating an occupancy tax on all short-term rentals and allocating the funds to an Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
  • Enacting policies that prevent landlords who have evicted a tenant without fault from listing the unit in question as a short-term rental for a one-year cool-down period.
  • Limiting short-term multi-unit rentals in buildings that meet a target affordability threshold. For example, only allowing STRs in neighborhoods or buildings where 30% of the units are affordable, which would incentivize property owners to subsidize apartments that are currently priced at the market rate in order to “free up” units for short-term listings.

We must reach a fair and equitable decision that allows for both current and future homeowners in Sandy Springs and communities across the nation to be able to settle down in a nice, affordable neighborhood free from the fear of the negative consequences that come with short-term rental properties. 

Community Assistance Center Opens NEW Career Center

Are you interested in a place where you can learn new job skills? Or, perhaps you could benefit from access to tools and resources that could help you find a better job and advance your career? If so, look no further than The Community Assistance Center’s brand new Career Center facility located at 1130 Hightower Trail. 

Originally launched as an initiative in September of 2021, the new Career Center is the latest resource used to further The Community Assistance Center’s mission of providing emergency assistance to those in need and promoting their self-reliance. The Career Center will provide guidance for career transition, assistance entering the workforce, and tools to help clients find better employment opportunities with the goal of moving toward financial independence.

The Career Center offers a wide range of services, such as career counseling, job training, and workshops:  

Career Counseling – depending on your job search needs, CAC may be able to pair you with a Career Advocate who will provide one–on–one support to guide you through the job search process. 

Job Connections – working with local companies, workforce specialists, and volunteers the CAC helps to connect job seekers with available jobs. Follow this link for more information on current local job openings.              

Career workshops – these workshops will provide practical tools, advice, and skills to aid your job search. These include learning to write a quality resume, as well as interview tips and tricks. Follow this link to access a list of local employment job fairs, including Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and a workshop to create or improve your profile on LinkedIn. 

Training Programs – utilizing connections with local organizations such as Goodwill Industries, the Career Center can connect you with job skill training programs, often at no cost to you. Career service programs offered at organizations like Goodwill, for example, include: welding, technology, supply chain management, maintenance, hospitality and logistics. 

Additionally, the Women in Technology (WIT) Single Mothers Program offers a Cyber Security Certification Program to benefit 20 adult single mothers per semester who are interested in the STEAM field, workforce education, and employment.

The Community Assistance Center’s new Career Center is a hub for affordable and dependable career services, advice, and education. If you are looking for a job, interested in pursuing a job in a different field, or desire to explore options for career advancement, the Career Center is open and ready to assist you! 

Sandy Springs Leaders Consider Improving Conditions for Apartment Residents

Right now, Sandy Springs is facing major challenges regarding the lack of attention management puts towards maintenance requests made in some apartment complexes. 

Everyone deserves to live in a place where they feel safe and secure, and that is why during its work session this week, the Sandy Springs City Council reviewed how the city’s current code enforcement process works and proposed changes to ensure that our apartments provide healthy living environments for Sandy Springs residents. 

The presentation indicated there are 96 apartment complexes within the City of Sandy Springs. Annually, the city’s Code Enforcement group identifies 11-12 complexes to inspect: checking the common areas, exterior structures, and accessory structures for property maintenance or development code violations. 

Properties that receive the most complaints are prioritized on the inspection list. However, the program cycle to inspect all 96 complexes takes 7-9 years.

Furthermore, the Fire Marshal’s Office inspects all 96 of the City’s apartment complexes for compliance with fire safety and suppression codes in the common areas. Approximately 20% of the interiors are inspected by a third-party company, and  the reports are reviewed by the Fire Marshal’s Office for compliance.   

To address the rising concerns for apartment residents, Code Enforcement is proposing that the City expand inspection services by creating a specialized Apartment Inspection Unit within Code Enforcement to inspect all 96 apartment complexes annually. The proposal outlines these key improvements:

•        Partner with the Fire Marshal’s Office to conduct coordinated inspections

•        Establish regular outreach programs to apartment complex management

•        Enhance education programs targeted for apartment residents

•        Require 100% of units to be inspected by a third-party annually

•        Require mechanical, electrical, and plumbing inspections every five years by licensed individuals

• Require that Electrical, Plumbing and HVAC system inspections be conducted by licensed individuals

District 2 City Council Representative Dr. Melody Kelley cited the benefits a separate apartment inspection division would bring, “For residents, this means a nearly seven-fold increase in the frequency of code inspections from CoSS and a five-fold increase in 3rd party inspections.” 

Unfortunately, uninhabitable living conditions in apartment communities is not a new issue.

In a yearlong investigation conducted by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, findings from crime & code-inspection reports, lawsuits and public records across more than 1,000 apartment complexes in the Atlanta area revealed, “A potent mix of lax security, deferred maintenance, governmental inertia and Georgia’s weak tenant-protection laws has rendered much of the region’s affordable housing barely habitable,” (Atlanta Journal-Constitution 2022). 

As referenced in the article above, at least three-fourths of the region’s most dangerous apartments belong to private equity firms or other absentee investors under whom crime and squalor are not so much bad fortune as collateral damage from a widely followed business model.

Tenants can and have reported code violations, however, current Georgia laws offer them little protection and recourse. 

While there is much work to be done, it’s good to see our Sandy Springs city leadership considering strengthening code enforcement within our city to avoid or reveal and correct the unsafe or unhealthy living conditions found in some current apartment complexes. The public will have plenty of opportunities to comment on the proposal to protect our neighbors living in our apartment communities, so be on the lookout for future information on when and where you can provide public input on this important topic.  You can review the entire presentation and discussion on the city’s public meetings portal, with the code enforcement discussion beginning at the 1 hour, 42 minute mark.

Sandy Springs Diversity & Inclusion Task Force Concludes Study

Sandy Springs City Hall

On June 14, 2022, Sandy Springs’ Diversity and Inclusion Task Force concluded its study on ways to promote more inclusivity amongst our city government and the Sandy Springs community as a whole. 

Following Black Lives Matter protests that took place in the summer of 2020, Mayor Rusty Paul announced the formation of the Diversity and Inclusion Task Force in February of 2021, with a goal of improving inclusion in the local government and community. 

Since its inception, the diverse ten person panel has held a series of meetings and studied three key areas to draft recommendations for improving inclusivity: housing, communications and recreation & parks. Below you can find the task force’s top recommendations for each of the listed areas. 

Diversity & Inclusion Task Force Recommendations for Housing: 

  • Reinstate Phase 2 of the Housing Needs Assessment. This assessment will provide research-based recommendations of what other cities have done to tackle similarly complex housing obstacles. 
  • Create a Director of Housing position which is responsible for ensuring all redevelopment projects are evaluated and implemented through a racial equity lens and impact of diversity.
  • Preserve and protect all remaining NOAH (naturally occurring affordable housing) the city is known for: older apartment complexes. 

Diversity & Inclusion Task Force Recommendations for Communications: 

  • Identify the most effective ways to communicate key information to city residents in places where they travel, work, shop and congregate.
  • Make agendas and results of key city meetings more accessible.
  • Identify a technological solution that can translate important information and documents into languages that have significant representation in the United States (other than English and Spanish).
  • Work with apartment community owners, resident associations and local news publications (Sandy Springs Reporter, Sandy Springs Neighbor, etc.) to identify the most effective ways to distribute these newspapers to residents. 
  • Ensure that members of minority communities can access the proper channels to apply for full time and contract employment with the city.

Diversity & Inclusion Task Force Recommendations for Parks & Recreation: 

  • Create a stronger communication strategy to promote the facilities and services of Parks & Recreation (Example: Parks & Recreation partner with the Fulton County Library System to promote summer programs alongside reading programs)

With this report now finalized, the city staff will present the findings and recommendations to the Sandy Springs City Council at a future date. 

“In the end, they’ll (the Task Force) will provide us with a report on things that we can do, but their task is more than just city policy. This is a broader issue than just what the city government itself can do. How do we connect these people to the larger community is actually the primary task. And part of that is getting more inclusive within the city government, but we can’t just stop there,” remarked Mayor Paul to the Reporter.

The future of Sandy Springs is brighter when we take steps to embrace our diversity and promote inclusion. At Sandy Springs Together, we will continue to do our part to help make Sandy Springs the best place for ALL to live. Be sure to follow our Facebook page for the latest developments on the Diversity & Inclusion Task Force’s findings.