Balconies on a Northwest Atlanta apartment complex and condominium are at risk of falling apart and injuring someone standing on them or under them, according to an inspection report.
The 72-page document is based on a visual inspection performed in January and February of this year.
In that report, an inspector said he saw evidence that indicates hundreds of balconies at Seven88 West Midtown are unsafe because they could break apart, and the railing could fail.
The condos are located at 788 W. Marietta St. in Northwest Atlanta.
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One balcony has already failed there this year, according to an email property management sent to residents in January.
The email said, “Earlier today, a portion of a balcony attached to a unit on the 13th floor detached from the building. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported.”
The letter warned residents to stay off the balconies until inspectors could check each one.
“Yeah, they told us not to be on them,” said Jacob Tiger. He rents at Seven88.
Channel 2’s Courtney Francisco obtained City of Atlanta inspection reports that show a third party inspected them when the building was built in 2020.
This year appears to be the first year balcony concerns have surfaced.
“Apparently, there’s been some cracks. I don’t even know too much of it,” said Tiger.
That’s a common response Channel 2’s team heard when talking to residents there. Many said they have not received an update from property management on the inspection reports or when they can use the balconies they pay for.
So, Francisco read the engineer’s visual inspection report from earlier this year.
According to the document, out of 279 units at the complex, 221 balconies exhibited problems such as: surface cracking, cracks on corners and under guard attachments, concrete breaking off, deep holes and crack on underside, grout deteriorating and exposed rebar.
The inspection report said some balconies are safe to walk on, even with damage. However, the engineer warned that there should be no jumping, heavy objects or leaning on railings. He also wrote that 42 balconies are so concerning, no one or nothing should be on them, and people in the first floor units should not stand under them.
“We would highly recommend restricting usage to only opening the doors,” said the inspector.
Additionally, the inspector said all lower-level units on the first floor should refrain from using their exterior spaces due to the potential hazard of falling debris.
When Channel 2 went to the complex to find out when residents can expect a fix, the property manager provided a number to an attorney representing the property.
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That attorney did not return calls for comment.
Residents want to know why this is happening and to find out if it could have been prevented. They also want to know how the property owner will fix the balconies.
“I just care about my safety,” said Tiger.
The inspector who wrote the 2025 report said no comment beyond his findings were in the document. He pointed Channel 2 to an attorney who did not respond to calls for further information.
Channel 2 reached out to the City of Atlanta’s inspector who approved the high rise in 2020 to find out why this could be happening. We are waiting to hear back.
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