200 DeKalb County Tenants Told They Have 2 Months To Move Out

[Nick Street]

Blindsided:’ 200 neighbors have months to get out of their DeKalb County apartments
Ashli Lincoln
Wed, June 29, 2022



DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Tenants living at the Forest at Columbia Apartments on Columbia Drive in DeKalb County will have to find a new place to live.

Soon.

This comes after they say their property management blindsided each tenant with a lease termination notice, Channel 2′s Ashli Lincoln learned.

Residents were initially given a 30-day notice. Now, the owner has agreed to giving residents 60 days to find somewhere else to live and if people don’t move out, management says they’ll have no choice other than taking renters to court.

“It’s wrong,” neighbor Terrie Redding said.

“You’re just saying on the 31st of August, y’all got to be out,” neighbor Marquita Jackson said.

“How can you put us out in two months?” another frustrated neighbor Sherri Keys said.

It’s a notice of termination residents living at the Forrest at Columbia Apartments in South Dekalb say they weren’t prepared for.

“Everybody out here is not going to be able to find something in two months,” Keys said. “You can’t just put us out our homes we have children.”

Tuesday night, every single resident living at this complex was slapped with this notice of the owner announcing termination of all leases by the end of August.

“It just did not allow us enough time,” neighbors said.

Keys, Jackson and Redding echo the sentiments of virtually every neighbor who lives at the apartments; they felt blindsided by this move and many can’t afford to move in such a short amount of time.

“I was pissed,” Keys said. Redding agrees.

“It just doesn’t make sense,” she said.

Channel 2 spoke with the property manager who said the termination is due to an extensive construction overhaul needed for the property.

Residents say for years they’ve been dealing with rodents’ mold and insects. The property manager says there is just no way to make necessary repairs with nearly 200 people currently living on site.

“It does need improvement, a lot from bottom to top, to inside and out, but I don’t feel like they should have to make us have to go,” Redding said.

Many residents say instead of the company forcing them off this property, they say instead, they wish that the company would renovate vacant buildings like this one and move them in once the construction is complete.

Along with a needed renovation, management says there’s also the issue of crime. Our cameras caught the sound of gun fire after a person opened fire at a nearby unit.

Cash strapped tenants say there must be another safe option toward improvement without having to move out.

“We don’t have places to go, we don’t have money,” Keys said.

‘Blindsided:’ 200 neighbors have months to get out of their DeKalb County apartments

Tenants living at the Forest at Columbia Apartments on Columbia Drive in DeKalb County will have to find a new place to live. Soon.

www.wsbtv.com

 

[King Sun]

"The economy is just fine

 

[BrothaZay]

Not Wakanda

 

[Nick Street]

Not Wakanda

Not at all...

 

[High Art]

Every time I hear about Dekalb county, it is never anything good.

 

[hatealot]

They should also cut a check for reasonable moving expenses as well.

 

[BobbyWojak]

What if all 200 just don't leave?

 

[hatealot]

What if all 200 just don't leave?

I'm a lil rusty on housing but it varies per state but it sounds like he issued them a notice of lease termination but not a formal eviction from the court. So if they stay and courts grant the eviction then usually the sheriff takes their shyt and pad locks the door. Now a eviction is on their record and they out on the street regardless. But that process can drag on in housing court.

This property owner needs to give these people a settlement payout . Atleast 2 months rent in cash so these people can move on

 

[CodeBlaMeVi]

Channel 2 spoke with the property manager who said the termination is due to an extensive construction overhaul needed for the property.

Residents say for years they’ve been dealing with rodents’ mold and insects. The property manager says there is just no way to make necessary repairs with nearly 200 people currently living on site.

“It does need improvement, a lot from bottom to top, to inside and out, but I don’t feel like they should have to make us have to go,” Redding said.

[The property managers can have the authorities deem the apartments unsafe to live and put them out anyways.

Once those renovations are done, yesterday’s price aren’t going to be the future prices.

It sucks and can very well be me but I’m fighting hard so it isn’t me.]

 

[BobbyWojak]

I'm a lil rusty on housing but it varies per state but it sounds like he issued them a notice of lease termination but not a formal eviction from the court. So if they stay and courts grant the eviction then usually the sheriff takes their shyt and pad locks the door. Now a eviction is on their record and they out on the street regardless. But that process can drag on in housing court.

This property owner needs to give these people a settlement payout . Atleast 2 months rent in cash so these people can move on

My idea is that if a large enough number choose to stay for a few more months of preparation, what could they really do? Physically remove 200 tenants and their furniture? What if they decided to occupy the parking lot? I think this is a test, the owner knows he should pay but is hoping a large number of tenants just leave out of fear. I fukking hate portland but one thing I admire about clark/mult county is how hostile the average person is to abusive landlords and business owners.

 

[hatealot]

Channel 2 spoke with the property manager who said the termination is due to an extensive construction overhaul needed for the property.

Residents say for years they’ve been dealing with rodents’ mold and insects. The property manager says there is just no way to make necessary repairs with nearly 200 people currently living on site.

“It does need improvement, a lot from bottom to top, to inside and out, but I don’t feel like they should have to make us have to go,” Redding said.

[The property managers can have the authorities deem the apartments unsafe to live and put them out anyways.

Once those renovations are done, yesterday’s price aren’t going to be the future prices.

It sucks and can very well be me but I’m fighting hard so it isn’t me.]

Yeah I noticed. I was gonna see if the property is gonna be condemned. The property owner is definitely going for the new market rate. Most of those tenants won't be able to afford the rent once renovated anyway. They gonna have them re apply and deny them

 

[NoMoreWhiteWoman2020]

I’ve been there before. I will say I’ve seen more roaches there than anywhere else in my life. shyt is a cesspool. So many roaches, make you not even want to smoke the weed you just bought. And chilling in the car is a quick way to get first 48’d

 

[CopiousX]

I feel like 2mos is pretty lenient for an apartment search. They are stressing out as if they gotta buy a house or something.


Eviction is typically a 30days process, so they should count their blessings. I'm also sure there was some wording stating the owners had a right to do such a thing within the lease agreement.

 

[hatealot]

Word is, new owners bought the property 3 months ago so this is par for the course

 

[ORDER_66]

Channel 2 spoke with the property manager who said the termination is due to an extensive construction overhaul needed for the property.

Residents say for years they’ve been dealing with rodents’ mold and insects. The property manager says there is just no way to make necessary repairs with nearly 200 people currently living on site.

“It does need improvement, a lot from bottom to top, to inside and out, but I don’t feel like they should have to make us have to go,” Redding said.

[The property managers can have the authorities deem the apartments unsafe to live and put them out anyways.

Once those renovations are done, yesterday’s price aren’t going to be the future prices.

It sucks and can very well be me but I’m fighting hard so it isn’t me.]

Nah what they gonna do is get everyone out... tear them down and build high rises for rich foreigners and white folks to profit off of....THAT's What's gonna happen...