Rent Rises, Causing a Financial Burden For Residents

2 years ago 214

Housing costs are rising rapidly successful metro Atlanta.

According to a September 30 report conducted by ApartmentList, rent prices successful Atlanta person risen 2.9% implicit the past month. Compared to the aforesaid clip past year, prices are 18.8% higher. 

Atlanta’s year-over-year rent maturation is little than the authorities mean of 22.7% but higher than the nationalist mean of 15.1%. October is the tenth period of expanding prices since a terms driblet past November. 

Currently, the authorities median monthly rent is astir $1,200, arsenic reported by Zumper.com. For Atlanta, the median rent is $1,660. In Sandy Springs, Decatur and Marietta, the medians are $1,600, $1,440 and $1,290, respectively.

In metro Atlanta, Smyrna had the fastest-growing rent, which is up 21.4% since past year. Alpharetta is increasing the 2nd fastest with an summation of 19.3%.

Units that outgo betwixt $701-$1000 per period marque up 6% of the market, $1001-$1500 are 31%, $1501-$2000 are 41%, and those much costly than $2000 a period are 22%.

In May, Atlanta was ranked arsenic 1 of the nationalist leaders for flat demand, bested lone by the Dallas/Fort Worth submarket.

Henry County nonmigratory Nu Simmons has been personally impacted by rent increases crossed the state. She hasn’t been capable to wage her rent the past fewer months owed to losing her income during the pandemic.

After losing her occupation successful 2020, Simmons applied for unemployment to support her afloat financially. It took a agelong clip for her to get the benefits.

While waiting for unemployment, Simmons had a hard clip paying her rent. Her rental institution was understanding, but she was acrophobic of being penalized for precocious payments.

“I had to clasp [the leasing office] off,” Simmons said. “They were understanding, but still, I consciousness similar it mightiness person gone down connected my grounds that I was precocious [on rent]… There’s a definite level of accent with not paying your rent erstwhile you’re utilized to paying it each month.”

She was told that since Georgia ended its national unemployment benefits successful June, she would request to reapply for unemployment. Simmons was told that the exertion would beryllium denied astatine first, but would past transportation implicit into Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA). 

But it ne'er did.

She tried to scope retired to unemployment offices regarding her exertion via phone, email, and adjacent Twitter- without a response. Without her unemployment benefits, Simmons resorted to moving arsenic a Rideshare driver.

She didn’t ever person capable rides for full-time hours, truthful she kept searching for much imperishable employment. Driving provided Simmons with capable wealth for her non-rent expenses, and the wealth she had saved with unemployment payments covered her rent.

She precocious started a occupation successful her field, intelligence health, adjacent though it’s low-paying.

“It’s similar they’re saying radical are hiring, but they’re benignant of not,” Simmons said. “They’re taking applications, it seems. It seems similar they’re conscionable hoarding applications until they truly request somebody, and past spell done the applications.”

She was lone capable to get the occupation she has due to the fact that her person was selected for the presumption but was overqualified, truthful she referred Simmons instead.

Despite the caller position, Simmons was incapable to wage August’s rent.

“I was conscionable devastated… I had immoderate of it, but I didn’t person each of it,” Simmons said.

She past applied for rental assistance and was approved, but the Henry County Rental Assistance Program has yet to merchandise the funds to her landlord.

“But adjacent with that, I’m inactive getting eviction letters,” Simmons said. “[The rental property] knows that the wealth is expected to beryllium coming through.”

The exertion is presently closed, arsenic the region was overwhelmed with the measurement of applications.

“I don’t similar the information that it whitethorn beryllium connected my grounds that I’m precocious connected rent, adjacent though I did find a solution and it’s conscionable a substance of the wealth going through,” Simmons said. “That was successful August and it’s October now, and it hasn’t been paid yet.”

As a mother, Simmons has experienced a large woody of accent portion trying to wage her rent and support her children successful a harmless country truthful she doesn’t person to interest astir them portion she works.

She was lone approved for the portion she lives successful present due to the fact that a person of hers was consenting to enactment themselves connected the lease, owed to her not gathering the income request of 4 times the rent.

Since moving in, her rent has already accrued by $100.

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