DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Several tenants at a DeKalb County apartment complex say they are facing eviction despite having proof they paid their rent.
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Residents at Bolden Pines Apartments on Kelly Lake Road say they received eviction notices after new management claimed they owed thousands of dollars in rent.
Some tenants are scheduled to appear in court, and they fear they could soon lose their homes.
“It’s affecting all our families, it’s contributing to homelessness,” Latresa Chaney with the Housing Justice League said.
The property has changed ownership several times over the past year. Tenants told Channel 2’s Eryn Rogers they believe problems with past management’s recordkeeping are now putting their housing at risk.
One tenant, who did not want to show his face, shared Cash App receipts and money orders showing he paid the rent amount outlined in his lease to the former property owner.
He said he works hard to keep up with his rent.
“I go to work every day,” he said. “I’m doing what I’m supposed to do on my end.”
But after new management took over a few months ago, he said he was told he owed thousands of dollars and received an eviction notice.
“It’s saying you owe $4,000, and I got history saying I’ve been paying rent, and that’s not right,” he said.
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Other residents described similar problems. They said the former property manager would say the system was down which is why they’d pay rent with alternate forms of payment.
Now, they believe the former manager failed to properly handle their rent payments.
The Housing Justice League, the non-profit now helping tenants, said the situation highlights concerns about how rent payments are tracked when management companies accept payment through services such as Cash App and Zelle.
Chaney said these payment methods are becoming more common, but can create complications when records are not properly maintained.
“CashApp, Zelle, a management company is accepting these forms of payment for rent, I’ve never heard of that, but this is an ongoing thing now,” Chaney said.
Nicole Jhin, an attorney with Legal Aid Atlanta, said keeping accurate records is essential for renters, particularly when a property changes ownership or management.
“Missing records and communication breakdowns are common, especially when large corporations or lending companies are taking over,” Jhin said.
Channel 2 Action News reached out to the new management company several times over the past week by phone and email to ask about the tenants’ claims and the accounting of their rent payments.
Someone with the company answered Tuesday and said they would pass along Rogers’ information, but they hadn’t gotten back to her yet.
Meanwhile, tenants say they are dealing with more than just the threat of eviction. Some residents also reported problems inside their apartments, including falling ceilings, broken cabinets and leaking water heaters.
One tenant described the living conditions as unsafe.
The tenant who shared his payment records said he paid his August rent on Aug. 6, but received an eviction notice just two days later. He can’t pay September’s rent because of the ongoing eviction proceedings.
Other residents also said they tried to pay new management but were told their payments could not be accepted because eviction proceedings were already pending.
Some tenants are expected in court Wednesday as they fight to remain in their homes.
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