Renters urge Mableton council to act on landlord repairs, call for tenant council

Several residents and community advocates told the Mableton City Council during public comment that corporate landlords are failing to maintain apartments and that the city should create a tenant council to protect renters.

Angela Winn described ongoing problems in her unit, saying the apartment “continue to be flooded and sewage coming into my unit” and that management told her it would not repair the problem, which forced her to move into a hotel. “If apartment complex don't have a plan to repair units, more families are going to be unhoused,” Winn said.

Speakers representing the Riverside Renters Association, including Breon (Brianna) Perkins, said volunteers had interviewed local 9-1-1 responders and distributed a community newsletter. Monica Delancey, identifying herself as a resident of District 2, urged the council to create a tenant council board because “majority of your residents are renters” and such a board could oversee code enforcement and lease-renewal practices.

Delancey asked that the Riverside Redevelopment Authority include a line item to maintain landscaping on Riverside Parkway, which she described as the gateway to a nearby amusement park, and urged the city to take the lead in addressing large corporate landlords’ practices that she said lead to evictions when residents fall behind on rent.

Council members acknowledged the comments and noted a housing forum scheduled for April 26 at Grace City Church to discuss homeownership, housing instability and related community impacts. No formal city action or ordinance was proposed during the meeting; the speakers’ requests were presented during the public comment period.