Some Atlanta landlords and homeowners have expressed concerns about "squatters" — or people using property without having an agreement with the landlord or paying rent. It's estimated that more than 1,000 homes in the Atlanta area have had squatters using the space, according to Bloomberg. Some homeowners have warned others about moving in to property that was previously vacant because of this issue. A homeowner in Smyrna, Georgia, reportedly dealt with this problem when trying to move into her new home in October 2023, 11Alive reported.
The homeowner, Jennifer, told the outlet that she found people inside her new house shortly after she started moving things in. "If you’re buying any sort of home or have a vacant home, just know that this could happen and be ready to act fast," she told the outlet.
Many of the properties that have allegedly dealt with squatters are owned by institutional landlords, or corporate landlords. The Atlanta area is the largest market in the United States for this type of landlord, according to Bloomberg.
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Some worry that investors owning so much property — including single-family homes — has made homeownership more of a challenge for people. According to AJC, "bulk buyers have accumulated more than 65,000 single-family homes across the Atlanta metro area over the last decade."
Additionally, many of those homes are owned by just two companies — Invitation Homes and Progress Residential.
A 2016 study found that property owned by corporate landlords was "8% more likely to have housing instability." The same study also found that corporate landlords were more likely to evict tenants.
According to Bloomberg, squatters have been difficult for institutional landlords to deal with. The CEO of Tiber Capital Group wrote in a letter that "unlawful occupants often brandish weapons and threaten neighbors, including children. This problem is rapidly growing. We are concerned about the impact that this is having on safety and livability of our local neighborhoods."
One person, Robin Rinker, found out that someone had started living in her former home shortly after she posted it on Zillow, reported Bloomberg.
She offered the alleged squatter money to try to get her to leave, but the "squatter" said her offer was not enough. "$750 is not enough to keep a roof over my kid’s head," the person staying in the home reportedly said.
In Atlanta, the cost of rent has increased faster than people's incomes, according to a study from Urban Land Institute’s Atlanta District Council. Helen Z. Willis, councilwoman for the city of South Fulton, said there is not enough affordable housing in the area, as per Bloomberg. Georgia currently has a ban on "rent control," and attempts to pass rent regulation bills have failed.
People took to Reddit to discuss the issue, with some saying that institutional landlords are at least partially to blame for the problem.
One person noted that corporate landlords are buying up too much property, making it much harder for people to "own homes and build wealth."
"If you don’t give people anywhere to go, and you allow landlords to hoard homes, this is what happens," one person wrote.
Some commented on Reddit saying they live in the area and that the number of squatters is truly becoming an issue. Some squatters may not even be illegally residing in a home on purpose — instead, they might be victims of a scam involving a fake lease and regular rent payments provided to the person behind the scam, reported Bloomberg.
The outlet also explained that getting a squatter out of a property can be a challenging and lengthy process in Atlanta.
