COBB COUNTY, Ga. — A Cobb County family says property management has made some progress on getting rid of raccoons living in the ceiling of their home, but not fast enough.
Channel 2’s Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell first reported on this story last week, and since then, the family told her that pest control has yet to show up as promised.
The mayor and code enforcement told Newell that the property management company had just secured a vendor to fix the problem.
Denise Woods lives at the 575 Riverside Apartments in Mableton. She shared video with Channel 2 Action News last week of a raccoon peeking out of a hole in her ceiling. It’s a problem she’s been dealing with since 2023.
Woods said she keeps a machete nearby, just in case.
“I have this to hopefully fight it off,” Woods said.
Nearly one week after we uncovered this problem, Woods said she is still waiting for management to send pest control to her unit as promised.
“She said to me that the pest, rodent company would be out and no one ever showed up,” Woods said.
Newell called and emailed the property management company but hasn’t heard back.
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She did get answers from the mayor of Mableton, Michael Owens, who sent her this statement:
“As Mayor, I want to be clear: conditions like those reported at Five Seven Five Riverside Apartments are unacceptable and will not be ignored. No resident should have to live with rodent infestations or unsafe housing conditions. Our Code Enforcement team has been actively involved and met directly with the new property managers this week. While we recognize the challenges of the property being in receivership, the responsibility to protect tenants remains. A formal notice of violation was issued on June 12, and we are monitoring the situation closely. We’ve been advised that a vendor is now scheduled to perform full remediation—including removing animals, sealing access points, and sanitizing the unit—by early next week. Management has also offered the resident a transfer or a lease release without penalty, which we view as a necessary first step. The City of Mableton will continue to press for resolution and hold property owners accountable under the law."
A statement from Code Enforcement about a plan to fix the problem said:
“The regional manager, Mercy Klebahn-Mitchell, CAM for Foresight Management, was in town from Texas this week, and we met yesterday afternoon at the Epicenter. The delay once they took over in June has been due to this property being in receivership with the courts and obtaining approvals for any agreement and transaction with her company or vendors. These issues have to be presented and approved by the courts. The vendor has been secured, and she advised that the vendor will be out by Tuesday. She advises that they would either transfer her or release her from her lease without any penalty if she so desires. The plan includes clearing the unit of any rodents or raccoons, sealing and sanitizing the unit, and sealing the building to prevent future issues in other units. The rodents and holes are code issues under the International Property Maintenance Code, which MCC adopted. No citation was issued, but a notice of violation with a compliance request regarding the ceiling problems was sent to the property manager on June 12, 2025. We are allowing them to correct the issues. They just took over managing the property, and the owners took over in June as well. This issue has been ongoing since February 2023.”
A statement from Mableton City Councilwoman Dami Oladapo, District 2, said:
“We are aware of the ongoing concerns regarding rodent activity, including raccoons, at the Five Seven Five Riverside Apartments. Our Code Enforcement Team, led by Director Alejandro Ferrell, has been actively engaged with the property manager and regional leadership to address the issue. The current management team only recently assumed responsibility, and a vendor has now been secured to begin remediation, which includes clearing the unit, sealing access points, and sanitizing the space. Additionally, management has offered to either transfer the affected tenant’s lease to another unit or release her from the lease entirely, without penalty, if she chooses. This matter is being closely monitored, and our priority remains ensuring that residents are safe and living in healthy, code-compliant conditions. We’ll continue working with all involved parties to ensure a timely and thorough resolution.”
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