ATLANTA — Residents at a southwest Atlanta apartment complex say they are living in dangerous conditions and fear the floors in their homes could collapse.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Tenants at Gateway South Apartments on Sylvan Road told Channel 2’s investigative reporter Ashli Lincoln that floors throughout the complex are sloping, sinking and, in some cases, collapsing entirely.
Several renters said management served them with eviction notices after they withheld rent payments while seeking repairs.
“They’re trying to evict people who refuse to pay,” one renter said. “I think that’s not okay.”
Mark Thompson, a resident at the complex, said he has resorted to placing boards across damaged areas of his apartment floor to move around safely.
“To walk across it safely, I have to pull this board out and lay it across the floor right here,” Thompson said.
After Channel 2 Action News first reported on Thompson’s concerns last week, other residents came forward alleging similar and, in some cases, more severe problems.
One vacant apartment showed a floor that had collapsed entirely.
“With this floor caving in, everybody in this building is in jeopardy,” Thompson said.
Pointing to the damaged unit, Thompson added, “You can’t even step in here. The whole floor has collapsed and the wood is rotten.”
Thompson said he recently received an eviction notice from property management after raising concerns about the condition of his apartment. The notice states he owes one month of rent.
Thompson disputes the claim, saying the rent in question was waived as part of a move-in promotion.
“I feel like they’re trying to bully us and still take our money and still put us out without getting us anything,” he said.
Other residents showed Channel 2 Action News units with noticeably sloped floors and one apartment where the flooring gave way completely.
“It’s gone completely downhill,” another renter said.
A resident who asked not to be identified said she lived in the apartment with the collapsed floor for about a year before conditions worsened.
“We lived there for maybe like a year. Into our second lease is when we started having a lot of problems with the floor,” she said.
“My partner fell through the floor,” she said.
According to the resident, management later moved her family to another apartment across the hall, but similar issues have begun developing there.
“They started to slope and sink in,” she said.
Channel 2 Action News contacted Emerald Management Enterprises, which manages the property.
The company’s chief executive officer said the Channel 2’s inquiry was the first time management had been made aware of concerns from additional residents regarding flooring conditions.
In a statement, the company said it would “immediately review the information and determine what further action is appropriate.”
Residents also questioned how apartments with severe flooring damage could continue to be leased.
Channel 2 Action News reached out to the City of Atlanta’s code enforcement division and is awaiting a response.
Property management said it plans to conduct site inspections of all units at the complex.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2026 Cox Media Group
