DeKalb County CEO urges rental registry and protections as housing costs rise

Elaine Cochran Johnson, the new chief executive officer of DeKalb County, addressed the House Governmental Affairs Committee about housing pressures in DeKalb and Metro Atlanta and asked legislators to consider the county’s housing legislative agenda.

Johnson said corporate and out-of-state investors are buying single-family homes in parts of DeKalb and that “over 52% of our residential properties that have been purchased over the past five years have not been purchased by individuals, but by LLCs, Wall Street, and private investors.” She urged the committee to consider a rental registry so county officials can identify non-owner-occupied properties that produce a disproportionate share of code violations and neighborhood blight.

Johnson cited an Ernst & Young study she said showed that a minimum-wage worker must work 140 hours per week to afford a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment in Metro Atlanta. She also said rental rates rose roughly 36% across 2020–2021 and about 40% over the previous five to seven years in parts of the region, framing the issue as a widening affordability crisis.

Johnson said any proposed rent-growth protections would apply to current tenants (not new leases) and would not freeze rents. She offered to provide the committee with DeKalb’s legislative agenda and supporting materials and said the county is willing to share research and collaborate with legislators.

What’s next: Johnson asked committee staff to accept DeKalb’s materials for distribution; committee members indicated they would pass those materials to staff for follow-up.