NEWS BRIEF: Landlords thriving during pandemic, tenants not so much, report says

Landlords in Atlanta did pretty well during the height of the pandemic, according to a report by JPMorgan Chase. Cutting expenses by deferring mortgage payments and cutting maintenance costs yielded higher balances, the report claims, adding that “tenants living in these properties were the ones experiencing the immediate reduction in standards of living due to deferred maintenance, not landlords.” Lindsey Siegel, attorney with Atlanta Legal Aid Society, said “rents have skyrocketed since the pandemic began. Not only that, but landlords have found many ways to collect extra fees from tenants.” But Chelsea Juras of the Atlanta Apartment Association said it’s not as simple as that, citing “astronomical” cost increases for landlords in providing housing and property insurance, as well as property tax re-assessments “resulting in sometimes 200 to 300 percent growth over the past couple of years.” atlantaciviccircle.org