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Atlanta residents speak out about how shortage of maintenance workers affects apartment living

ATLANTA — Tonight, trash is piling up at a northwest Atlanta apartment complex. Residents said problems with the trash are just the beginning of their issues.

Residents said before the pandemic that the maintenance response was timely. Now some said they have been waiting for months for repairs. These slow repairs and trash that has been collecting near dumpsters for weeks are just some issues residents are facing.

“I believe in paying for quality, fix this trash, fix my AC, fix my oven,” said resident Laundrea Rose.

The repairs and cleanups have been ignored for months, according to residents at the Preserve at Collier Ridge.

“They told me, ‘We don’t have maintenance. We don’t have a maintenance crew,’” said Rose.

Rose said since the pandemic, the quality at her apartment complex has declined rapidly.

“My oven has been broken for five months. They keep telling me someone is going to come and never comes,” she said.

Channel 2′s Ashli Lincoln reached out to the apartment management. She is still waiting to hear back.

Just outside Rose’s door sits garbage from overflowing bins. A pool that was once blue is now green. Also, there’s a broken window in her bedroom.

The shortage of qualified maintenance workers is something many complexes in the metro area are facing.

According to the National Apartment Association, dealing with staffing shortages was a problem before the pandemic. The issue has only got worse since the pandemic.

The NAA reported at least 40% of maintenance techs have quit their jobs.

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“I sympathize with them. I guess it’s hard for them to find somebody, but I still don’t think it’s that hard to find a company. It’s a lot of people out here looking for work that you can use,” said Rose.

Residents at the Preserve at Collier Ridge hope that by speaking out, a solution will happen soon.

“I’m paying too much to be living this way,” said Rose.