Atlanta Housing update on rent increase freeze
The tweak in policy was outlined in a memo provided to 11Alive.
ATLANTA — Atlanta Housing has updated its freeze on rent increases, saying there will be a “case-by-case” possibility for adjustments.
The tweak in policy was outlined in a memo provided to 11Alive. It notes that automatic freezes remain “suspended until further notice,” but says Atlanta Housing “may make rental adjustments to assisted properties on a case-by-case basis” upon the review of an individual property assessment.
It comes as the organization has been navigating potential federal funding cuts, with residents who work with Atlanta Housing utilizing federal Section 8 vouchers.
Any possible rent increase, the memo said, would be “generally based upon the reasonableness of the requested increase, and an analysis by Atlanta Housing of the financial performance and operational need of the property.”
Such a review must be formally requested by a landlord who works with the organization through the Housing Choice Voucher Program.
The Trump Administration has floated cutting Housing and Urban Development funding and putting time restrictions on how long someone can use Section 8 vouchers to afford housing. Atlanta Housing receives over 95 percent of its more than $450 million budget from HUD.
With federal cuts possibly looming, Atlanta Housing decided to initially freeze rental rate hikes for any contract renewals after July 1.
Some advocates have worried the policy may decrease the amount of properties that accept vouchers, as the Housing Justice League’s Matthew Nursey told 1Alive’s Joe Ripley this week. This could in turn place greater demand on the properties who do accept vouchers.
Atlanta Housing’s memo issued Monday said the organization will “continue to assess the federal landscape” and that “all policies remain subject to ongoing review.”