ATLANTA — Rats, sewage and unsafe living conditions are plaguing apartment complexes across metro Atlanta. But now, there could be new ramifications for the landlords responsible in the future.
A new bill, House Bill 404, was passed by the Georgia State Senate Tuesday night. It will require a clause in all residential leases to include that the premises are fit for human habitation. The legislation is now heading to Gov. Brian Kemp's desk. 11Alive reached out to the governor's office for comment about the passage and is awaiting a response.
The news comes after 11Alive reported in January about residents at Woodland Heights Apartments in Atlanta claiming that they were forced to live in unbearable conditions. The management company declined to comment on the issues when asked in January.
However, the bill gives some of these residents hope that conditions will improve at their complex and others.
For Woodland Heights Apartment tenant Kelly Griffin, the conditions have not changed. She said when she walks down the stairs to her unit, she can smell when she's getting close to home.
"And the feces water? That's terrible. Like, I can't even sit on my porch," Griffin said. "I don't even want my grandkids out there."
Griffin said she noticed what looks like sewer issues last fall.
"Probably a sewage problem altogether," Griffin said. "It started at the top of the hill, then it came down. So, that means y'all got to fix all the pipes, not just patched up here and there."
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It's a noticeable odor that permeates an entire building at the Woodland Heights Apartments on Center Street Northwest.
Garbage is piling up in sewage water right over their balconies.
Community leader L.A. Pink said she believes property management is just putting a Band-Aid on it.
"Furniture, which you will see, where they have not came and emptied the trash," Pink said.
There are also insect issues on the inside. 11Alive counted three dead mice and roaches in one unit on Wednesday. These are the same issues reported in January.
Griffin said she's gone to property management and code enforcement. She's drained and fed up.
"Do what they're paid to do," Griffin said. "If we're living here and the state is paying them money for us living here, then do what needs to be done."
She's clinging to hope that now that if the bill is signed by the governor and enacted, it will force the complex to clean up its act.
Pink agrees with this sentiment and is hoping for a change in a property she calls a crisis.
"This bill, if it is lined up and in place the way that it is supposed to be, it should be able to bring some victory to these families," Pink said.
If something doesn't change, Griffin feels her health will waste away, too.
"I don't want to die," Griffin continued, "I want something done about it. I don't want to keep living like this."
A few residents told 11Alive off-camera that they have seen some changes. For those who haven't, they plan to band together with Pink to plan to use this bill to hold those in charge accountable.
In a previous statement, a spokesperson for the city said Woodland Heights is a priority property for the City's Safe and Secure Initiative and that the team has visited the location on multiple occasions for enforcement. The statement went on to say they are pursuing multiple violations at this location.