Sell Your Commercial Property Fast In Atlanta, GA

Who rents in Atlanta

The 2020–2024 American Community Survey estimates Atlanta's population at 505,268, living in 236,468 occupied homes. Renters hold 126,676 of them, or 53.6%, while 109,792 are owner-occupied. The median household income is $85,652 across all households, owners and renters together.

The employment base behind that renter demand is large and concentrated. Georgia's economic development agency counts 16 Fortune 500 companies in the state, with The Home Depot ranked No. 25, Delta Air Lines No. 71 and The Coca-Cola Company No. 98. The Metro Atlanta Chamber's list adds UPS, Southern Company and Genuine Parts among the state's largest headquarters. Hartsfield-Jackson, on the city's south side next to College Park, adds a second anchor: ACI World ranked it the world's busiest airport for 2025 with 106.3 million passengers, down 1.6% from 2024.

Rents and affordability

Atlanta's median gross rent is $1,711 a month. Spread over a year, that is $20,532, or about 24% of the citywide median household income. Renter households carry a heavier load than that ratio suggests. Of all 126,676 renter households, 62,076, or 49.0%, pay 30% or more of income on rent and utilities, and 33,919, or 26.8%, pay half or more. That share limits how hard rents can be pushed at renewal, especially in older Class B and C buildings where tenants have the fewest alternatives.

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rents for the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell HUD Metro FMR Area, which covers Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb and 21 other counties, set the payment benchmarks used for Housing Choice Vouchers across the region:

The city median falls between HUD's one- and two-bedroom figures. For an owner with voucher tenants, the FMR sets the practical ceiling on contract rent, and a two-bedroom at $1,820 sits about $109 above the city's median gross rent. FY2027 figures take effect October 1, 2026, so check the new schedule before relying on these numbers in a pro forma.

The apartment stock

Atlanta's housing is unusually concentrated in large buildings. The ACS counts 265,899 housing units, of which 138,543, or 52.1%, are in buildings with five or more units. The breakdown is lopsided:

• 5 to 9 units: 13,597 homes
• 10 to 19 units: 16,995 homes
• 20 to 49 units: 16,594 homes
• 50 or more units: 91,357 homes

Buildings of 50 or more units account for about two-thirds of the 5+ unit stock and 34.4% of all housing in the city. Small and mid-size buildings, 5 to 49 units, hold 47,186 homes, or 17.7% of the total. That smaller segment is where most private owners sit, and it trades in a different buyer pool from the institutional complexes that dominate the count. Detached single-family homes make up 35.6% of units.

The median Atlanta housing unit was built in 1989. That median mixes recent high-rise and mid-rise construction with older garden complexes and pre-war buildings, so age varies widely by neighborhood. For a buyer, the condition of roofs, plumbing, electrical systems and HVAC in a 1960s or 1970s walk-up matters far more than the citywide median.

Property taxes on apartment buildings in Fulton and DeKalb

Georgia assesses real property at 40% of fair market value, according to the Department of Revenue, and there is no separate class for apartment buildings. County boards of tax assessors value every parcel as of January 1 each year, and an owner has 45 days from the mailing of an assessment notice to appeal in writing.

Most of Atlanta lies in Fulton County, with an eastern section in DeKalb. The Department of Revenue's 2025 millage report lists these levies for the Fulton portion of the city:

• Fulton County: 8.870 mills for operations plus 0.169 for bonds
• City of Atlanta: 9.520 mills plus 0.850 for bonds
• Atlanta Public Schools: 20.500 mills

Together that is 39.909 mills, or about 1.6% of market value once the 40% assessment ratio is applied. A building valued at $2 million would be assessed at $800,000 and owe about $31,900 a year at that rate, before special district charges such as the 2.000-mill BeltLine special service district or a community improvement district levy where they apply. Fulton County held its operating rate at 8.87 mills for 2025, the fourth straight year, down from 10.5 mills in 2015. In DeKalb, the county's levy for incorporated areas is 11.638 mills. Nearby, College Park levies 11.493 city mills in Fulton, and Decatur levies 11.150 plus 1.820 for bonds. The statewide average county and municipal rate is about 30 mills, per the Department of Revenue, and the state itself no longer levies a property tax; its last levy was 0.05 mills in 2015. Every mill on an Atlanta bill is therefore local and set each year by the county, city and school board.

Rental owners get none of the homestead relief. The HB 581 floating homestead exemption limits annual assessment increases only on owner-occupied homes and has no provision for non-homestead property. An apartment building can be revalued to full market value every year, and a buyer will underwrite taxes on the price they pay rather than on your current bill.

Landlord rules and local compliance

Georgia preempts rent control. Under O.C.G.A. 44-7-19, no county or city may regulate the amount of rent on privately owned single-family or multifamily rental property. Atlanta's council cannot cap increases, and neither can Fulton or DeKalb.

The 2024 Safe at Home Act changed several state rules, summarized in the Georgia Landlord-Tenant Handbook. Deposits are capped at two months' rent. Landlords must return deposits within 30 days of the lease ending, and a landlord with more than ten units or a management agent can owe three times the amount wrongly withheld plus attorney fees. Before filing a dispossessory for unpaid rent, the landlord must give a written notice to pay at least three business days in advance. The law also codifies a duty to keep units fit for habitation. Our post on Atlanta landlord rules after the Safe at Home Act covers the city's housing code enforcement in more detail.

Atlanta regulates short-term rentals separately. The city's rules took effect March 1, 2022, and require a license with a $150 application fee. They do not apply to conventional long-term apartment leases.

Selling an Atlanta building

Georgia's real estate transfer tax is $1 for the first $1,000 of value and 10 cents per additional $100, or about 0.1% of the price. The seller is liable by statute, though purchase contracts often shift it to the buyer. The tax is filed on Form PT-61. We found no local transfer tax added on top in Fulton or DeKalb.

What this means if you own a building here

• Model taxes at 40% of the expected sale price times roughly 39.9 mills in the Fulton portion of the city. That is the number a buyer's lender will use.
• Compare your rent roll with HUD's FY2026 FMRs and the $1,711 city median. Units leased well below those levels show upside; units above them carry turnover risk given how many renters are cost-burdened.
• Owners of 5 to 49 unit buildings compete for a different buyer than the 50+ unit complexes that dominate the city's stock, so pricing should lean on comparable small-building sales.

Skyline Capital Investments buys 5+ unit apartment buildings in Atlanta and across Fulton and DeKalb counties, from stabilized properties to buildings that need work. You can test pricing with our cap rate calculator, compare Georgia with other states on our rent control and property tax guide, or see how we make offers on our sell your apartment building page.