Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens backs Warnock plan to ban private equity from buying single-family homes

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens is throwing his support behind a bill led by Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock and backed by Sen. Jon Ossoff aimed at stopping large private equity firms from buying up single-family homes across the country.

The provision is included in the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, a bipartisan housing package that passed the U.S. Senate last week in an 89–10 vote. The legislation includes a measure negotiated by Warnock that would ban large investors, including private equity firms, from mass purchasing single-family homes. 

Supporters say the move could help address housing affordability in cities like Atlanta, where corporate ownership has surged in recent years.

According to the proposal, more than one in four single-family rental homes in Atlanta are owned by large corporations, a trend that housing advocates argue is driving up prices and making it harder for families to buy homes. 

Mayor Dickens said the legislation would complement local housing efforts already underway in the city.

"This landmark legislation strengthens our Neighborhood Investment Initiative by providing new tools to preserve housing, tackle blight, and hold bad actors accountable for practices that make it harder for the average person to get and keep a home," Dickens said in a statement. 

Dickens also praised Warnock for leading the effort in Washington.

"A special thank you to Senator Warnock for his tireless leadership in stopping the spread of large corporate investors who harm our neighborhoods and for creating a clearer path to homeownership for thousands of Atlanta families," Dickens said. 

Warnock said the measure is designed to push back against what he and other Democrats describe as a growing corporate takeover of the housing market.

"Private equity's greed is squeezing first-time homebuyers out of the market and pushing the American Dream further out of reach," Warnock said. "I thought Congress ought to get something done; that's why I've worked tirelessly for months to get this over the finish line." 

The housing package builds on legislation Warnock introduced last year that sought to close tax loopholes allowing large corporations to purchase thousands of single-family homes.

Supporters say the broader bill would also help local governments expand housing supply, reduce blight and promote homeownership opportunities.

The legislation has already gained the backing of more than two dozen housing and community organizations, with additional endorsements continuing to come in as it moves through the legislative process. 

If ultimately enacted into law, the measure could significantly reshape the housing market in metro areas like Atlanta, where institutional investors have become some of the largest landlords in recent years.