South Cobb Renters Want Accountability From Landlords

MABLETON — Housing activist Monica DeLancy is calling for accountability for a Mableton apartment complex that she used to called home.

This week, DeLancy, president of nonprofit We Thrive On Riverside Renters Association, hosted a press conference in front of Silver Creek Crossing apartment complex, encouraging tenants to fight for safe living conditions, something she and residents say the complex has not provided.

DeLancy has been an on-again, off-again resident at the complex, located at 595 Riverside Pkwy, for more than 14 years. According to DeLancy, Silver Creek Crossing, owned by management company EMBA Management Group, has had a reputation of breaking multiple health code violations and providing tenants unsafe living conditions. She said residents’ cries for their maintenance issues to be fixed have been ignored by management.

EMBA Management Group owns two other complexes along Riverside Parkway, Residences at Riverside and Five7Five, according to the company website.

Some of the issues residents have faced at these properties include broken windows, unkept grounds, multiple management turnovers, ceilings caving in, broken air conditioning units, and ceiling leaks, DeLancy alleged. She also said property owners have not provided residents an emergency maintenance phone number.

The Silver Creek Crossing website does not list rent prices with their floor plans, but according to DeLancy, a new lease for a one-bedroom apartment costs $900 per month and a multi-bedroom unit costs between $1,300 to $1,500 per month. DeLancy said residents at the complex are primarily African American and Hispanic.

”It feels like they don’t care about people of color,” DeLancy said. “I know that if this was in some other part of the county, where it was majority Caucasians, they would not let them live like this.”

Silver Creek Crossing management did not respond to the MDJ’s request for comment.

Most renters are afraid to bring up maintenance issues due to fear of retaliation from the complex, DeLancy said.

“We want the renters to not be afraid,” DeLancy said. “We want the renters to understand that they’re supposed to have a decent place to live.”

DeLancy has been in the midst of a two-and-a-half-year long litigation battle with the complex after she was denied a lease renewal in January of 2022. According to DeLancy, who described herself as a “whistleblower,” the denial came shortly after she addressed maintenance concerns with management.

Her case officially closed on Aug. 12. EBMG was granted possession of DeLancy’s unit and DeLancy was given seven days to vacate the premises.

Fellow tenants Georgia Tabb and Monique Lester attended the press conference to share their experiences.

Tabb, a resident for eight-and-a-half years, said her unit suffered significant water damage in September of 2023 that was not treated until May 2024. In that time, Tabb said she regularly walked in water up to her ankles.

“My living conditions are seriously wrong,” Tabb said. “The tenants out here are afraid to speak up (about) the conditions because they are afraid of getting evicted for speaking up ... We stay here but we don’t live here.”

Lester, a 10-year resident, said her balcony window has been broken since the Fourth of July. Her balcony has a large piece of plywood covering her patio door instead of a new pane of glass.

“I’ve been over to the office several times. They keep telling me somebody’s coming, and nobody has (come),” Lester said. “I think everybody is going to need to move because (property owners) are not taking care of them and giving us nothing to work with.”

County building inspectors have made frequent visits to the property, according to Cobb County communications. The county told the MDJ that Silver Creek Crossing property owners received a notice from the county Wednesday that one building on the property must be vacated until appropriate repairs are made.

“Our inspectors plan to continue frequent visits to the property to ensure the complex is safe for residents and that the owners correctly respond to violation notices,” the county’s communications office said.

The county said inspectors can only enter a unit if a formal complaint is filed with the county.

“It has been frustrating that (residents) have been reluctant to file complaints for fear of retaliation or other reasons,” the county said. “However, (inspectors) will continue to monitor the property to identify issues that must be addressed.”

Elizabeth Hinojoza and Duane Smallwood, co-founders of water restoration and inspection company The Kings of Mold, inspected multiple units after the press conference to assess the damage. Smallwood said they plan to provide free mold inspections and reports to all residents of the complex.

“People need to live in a safe living environment. If you have mold or water damage in your house, you are no longer living in a safe environment,” Smallwood said.

According to Smallwood, mold can start to form only 48-72 hours after being exposed to water damage.

While inspecting Tabb’s residence, Hinojoza said she found multiple areas of concern, including mold and water damage inside a closet holding Tabb’s water heater. In one bedroom of the unit, a piece of a closet door was missing due to previous water damage that the unit sustained.

“Until something is done, we’re going to make noise ... these people are suffering,” Hinojoza said. “They put a Band-Aid over (the unit) and left (Tabb) to die.”

DeLancy said the goal with the press conference is to provide residents advocacy for safe, decent housing.

“You need to know that your $1,000 rent, your $1,200 rent, is going to be used to make sure you have a safe apartment,” DeLancy said. (Property owners) are going home to decency, and we deserve, we demand that here in this community as well.”

Mayor Michael Owens of the recently formed city of Mableton told the MDJ the city has plans to mitigate the situation once they take over zoning, planning, code enforcement and building inspections from the county later this year. He said he encourages residents to continue reporting all issues to management staff.

“Once we officially take over code enforcement and related responsibilities, the city will be in a stronger position to intervene directly,” Owens said. “In the meantime, we will continue to partner with other agencies to provide support and ensure that the rights of our residents are protected.”

Cobb Commissioner Monique Sheffield said she met with residents during a national night out event in August hosted by We Thrive On Riverside. She visited one of the units where she said the tenant was covering a large hole in their kitchen ceiling with some type of cloth.

Sheffield said many of the complex’s previous investors bought the properties without knowing about the extensive damages.

“Once they realize that it’s more than what they bargained for, they sell it down to the next unsuspecting buyer,” she said. “The situation is very disheartening ... it’s very disappointing as well when you have investors or owners of a property that are OK with allowing people to live in those conditions ... The excuses that we hear from the apartment community are just not acceptable, and that’s all that they are, excuses.”

As of Thursday afternoon, DeLancy said the complex has put in a work order for landscapers to mow the complex’s grass.

“At least there is some movement,” DeLancy said. “They’re hearing us.”