COVINGTON, Ga. — Homeowners in Austell purchased brand-new homes, only to find out their properties already had several liens filed against them.
The CEO of the Atlanta-based company is facing more than a thousand liens and legal actions. Channel 2 investigative reporter Ashli Lincoln has worked to get answers for these homeowners.
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“There should be some type of class action lawsuit or some type of investigation into this person,” Al Frierson said.
Frierson is the latest homeowner to reach out to Channel 2 Action News after discovering more than $17,000 in liens are filed against an Austell rental property he owns.
“I was like, wow, this is insane,” he said.
Frierson’s liens were tied to the developer — Riz Communities— for not paying contractors who worked on or supplied appliances for this Austell development.
“This shouldn’t be on me. I bought a brand-new property—it’s new construction," Frierson said.
Channel 2 Action News first reported on this issue in August. Since then, the company has taken down its website and stopped posting on social media.
Rachel Bradford owns a home in Covington. She learned about the liens after receiving a foreclosure notice for unpaid balances that she says she didn’t owe.
“It’s insane,” Bradford said.
Since 2023, nearly 300 liens or pending legal actions have been filed against Riz Communities properties, according to the Georgia Clerk’s Authority.
Lincoln found Riz also operates under other entities, Buyside Capital and Prestigious Group. State records show more than 800 liens filed in several metro Atlanta counties.
Real estate attorney Erin Glynn says homeowners should never move in without an occupancy permit or title insurance — and should sign up for the state’s alert system to monitor liens.
“It’s very much buyer beware — you could definitely get yourself into trouble," Glynn said.
Earlier this month, national title underwriter Williston Financial Group flagged Riz Communities and more than 20 of its entities.
The notice instructed real estate agents to contact their office if working with any of Choudry’s more than 30 entities.
“The sad thing about this whole thing is that there are other homeowners with liens on their properties—and a lot of people can’t afford to pay an extra $10,000 for something they had nothing to do with," Frierson said.
The owners say they are working to pay off additional outstanding liens. Frierson told Lincoln on Thursday afternoon that only one of his liens has been paid off by the developer.
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