Landlords who won’t fix their properties could face jail time in Gwinnett County

Gwinnett County leaders hope that cracking down will help rid the county of neglectful landlords.

This week, the Gwinnett County Commission passed a property maintenance ordinance targeting neglectful landlords of residential rental properties.

The property maintenance ordinance will grant code enforcement officers more authority, allowing them to do internal inspections at properties where landlords fail to make basic repairs.

If the landlord doesn’t make fixes, they can face a fine of up to $1,000 or up to 60 days in jail.

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Gwinnett County renter Theresa Barron says she and her family are now homeless after they had no choice but to move out of their Lawrenceville apartment after discovering black mold.

“Everyone should be able to lay their head down in a safe environment,” Barron said.

Barron showed Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Ashli Lincoln two medical letters, one from her lung doctor and the other from her son’s neurologist, ordering both of them not to return to their apartment unit because of health issues from inhaling toxic mold.

“This was the cause of us being sick for a total of five months,” she said.

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Renter advocate groups have been vocal about the need for more county and state oversight for renters.

Earlier this year, the Safe Home Act was tabled by the Senate. It’s a bill that requires landlords to maintain rental properties. Georgia renters will have to wait for the 2024 legislative session to see if the bill will pass.

Gwinnett County officials say this code will take effect July 31 of this year.

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