Resident Concerns

Notification of a DCA Program Violation

The DCA Office of Portfolio Management oversees program compliance for many of Georgia's State and Federally funded affordable housing programs.  The majority of our residents under our programs reside in apartment communities that receive HOME funds or communities that are part of the Low Income Tax Credit Housing (LIHTC) program.

If you are solely attempting to notify the DCA of program violations concerning your Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) and not any other DCA program view the Housing Choice Voucher Program.

Know Your Rights

Other Resident Resources

• Please take a moment to review your rights as a tenant in any DCA affordable housing program. See the Resident Concern Notice .
• Need more information regarding Georgia's rental laws?  DCA has made the Georgia Landlord Tenant Handbook available online. 
• Here is a link to HUD resources for the State of Georgia

In Need of Housing?

Online Notification Forms for Reporting Concerns

**Please Note**

You should ALWAYS attempt to resolve your tenant concern with your landlord or management company prior to contacting the DCA.  Our online forms below will ask you to comment on the communication with your management company or landlord, prior to contacting the DCA.

Residents

If you are a RESIDENT of a DCA program or you are a CONCERNED CITIZEN and wish to notify the DCA of a violation of our program compliance rules, please complete our online Resident Concern Notification.

Owners / Property Managers

If you are a PROPERTY MANAGER or OWNER and you are seeking to respond to a recent tenant concern, please complete our online Management/Owner Response to Notification of Resident Concern.

Fair Housing Complaint?

We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, ethnicity, handicap/disability, familial status, national origin, age, marital status, domestic partnership status, source of income, type of occupation, gender identity, or sexual orientation, in the admission to, access to, or treatment or employment in, our housing programs and activities. If you have a Fair Housing concern you can contact the Office of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) at www.HUD.gov.

How to File a Complaint

• Online - You can file a complaint with FHEO online in English or Spanish.
• Email - You can download this form (also available in Arabic, Cambodian, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese) and email it to your local FHEO office at the email address on this list.

Note: You may always complete the DCA online Notification of a Resident Concern, regardless of whether you have or intend to contact HUD with the same concern.

Read more Fair Housing information:

• Fair Housing Flyer - English
• Fair Housing Flyer - Spanish

The Georgia Fair Housing Act was passed to ensure all Georgians can compete for housing within their economic means on a fair and equitable basis. It prohibits discrimination in housing and housing-related activities because of disability, race, sex, color, national origin, religion, or familial status.  

What is prohibited?

Some housing practices are considered illegal if based on a home seeker’s race, color, national origin, sex, religion, familial status, or disability:

• Refusing to rent or sell a house.
• Falsely denying that a house is available for inspection, sale, or rent.
• Offering different terms, conditions, or privileges for certain people.
• Intimidating, interfering with, or coercing someone to prevent them from buying or leasing a dwelling.
• Advertising or posting notices, sale or rental, that indicate a preference, limitation, or discrimination.
• Discriminating through financing or broker’s services.
• •'Steering” of clients by real estate agents to or from certain neighborhoods and of tenants by landlords to or from certain areas of the complex.

Have you been discriminated against under the Fair Housing Act?

If you think your fair housing rights have been violated, you may write, fax, or telephone your complaint to the Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity (GCEO) or the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  You have a year to file, but you should file as soon as possible. Include:

• Name & address
• Name & address of the person your complaint is against
• Address or other identification of the housing involved
• Short description of the incident
• Date(s) of the incident

You may also file a complaint online at http://www.hud.gov/. Once a complaint is filed, fair housing investigators will:

1. Investigate the complaint.
2. Collect relevant facts and data and interview parties and witnesses.
3. Assist both parties in reaching an agreement.
4. Make a determination based on the investigation findings.

If you need assistance, please contact the Georgia Department of Community Affairs Fair Housing Coordinator.