The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ex- governor defends kin’smotel chain
Extended- stay renters sue over evictions, lockouts.
Former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes is defending the extended- stay motel chain his brother owns against a lawsuit from renters and complaints of unsafe conditions.
Barnes and his brother Ray, who once co- owned Effifficiency Lodge Inc., have been the target of furor from local housing activists who say the company is unfairly andunjustly kicking outover a dozen families at the south DeKalbCounty locationwho are behind on rent during the coronavirus pandemic.
A lawsuit was recently fifiled by three current and former residents with the backing of the Atlanta Legal Aid Society. It argues longtermrenters face aggressive threats from management and should have the same rights as tenants in apartments or houses.
The former governor’s lawfifirm is representing the company in the suit. In an interviewThursday, Barnes pushed back on the claims
in the lawsuit and said the business had no choice but to lock out renterswhowere behind on their payments. Armedsecurity, Barnes said, was necessary to deal with complaints about crime.
“Theydidtell folks, as anybody that operates under the innkeeper act, you don’t have to have an eviction,” he said. “You lock them out.”
Barnes also clarifified his rolewiththecompany. While he was once a co- owner of the Effifficiency Lodge chain, which has over a dozen locations in Georgia and Florida, he said he sold all of his interest in the company
many years ago. His brother remains themajority owner.
Legal Aid argues that peoplewho have livedinamotel for over three months have the same rights as renters in apartments, because the law eliminates theoccupancytax after 90 consecutive days. Once themotel is not paying that tax, those people are no longer guests, they are tenants, Siegel said. That would mean the motel must go to court to fifile a formal eviction notice., though Barnes said “nothing in the law” explicitly supports that interpretation.
Barnes said the business had no choice but to enforce its rules.
“Whichemployees should be laid offff because people say, ‘ I’mjust not gonna pay during this time?’” Barnes said.
Several of the residents forced to move out of Effifficiency Lodge’s DeKalb location said they had fallen behind on rent payments because of the pandemic and were making efffffffffffforts to catch up.
Thecompanyalsoreceived a $ 150,000to $ 350,000loan fromthe federal government through the COVID- 19 Paycheck Protection Program.
Residents have also complained aboutmaintenance issues at the property. An online petition lists broken electrical wiring, mold and infestations, and expresses concern about armed security guards on the premises.
Barnes said he hadn’t heard about those issues from management, but he said “illegal activity” at the motel let themto hire extra security. He said the company didn’t have similar issues at other locations.
“We had all kinds of complaints down there,” he said. “The company cannot allow the business to be taken over.”