Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, August 11, 1995                   TAG: 9508110049
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A-7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: ATLANTA                                 LENGTH: Medium

ATLANTA LANDLORDS TO GRAB FOR THE GOLD DURING OLYMPICS

The news came in a note slipped under Dan Boling's door: The landlord was subleasing his $475-a-month apartment to Olympic visitors.

For $3,000 a month.

Intown Properties Inc. told Boling, a phone company employee, he could pay $3,000-a-month rent from May through August, or move out and receive a share of the sublease money.

``I support the Olympics,'' Boling said. ``I bought an Olympic license tag. I bought an Olympic brick. And this is the thanks I get.''

With the Olympics still a year away and virtually all of Atlanta's 50,000 hotel rooms booked, officials are worried that some landlords will take advantage of the housing shortage to demand steep rent increases.

Intown has come under fire for rent-gouging from politicians, editorial writers, other landlords and the head of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games - all worried that Atlanta's reputation for Southern hospitality will be tarnished.

Two apartment managers took out newspaper ads this week pledging not to impose excessive rent increases next summer and condemning rent-gouging as ``ugly and perverse.''

Intown owner Melton Harrell, who has several properties near downtown, where most of the Games will be held, declined requests for interviews.

Intown said in a statement that it will soon announce a modified plan to let tenants voluntarily participate in the plan. The company wouldn't elaborate.

Under the original plan, the tenants would get 30 percent of the higher rent but would be liable for injuries or damage involving the temporary tenants.

The Atlanta Apartment Association, which represents about two-thirds of the 300,000 multifamily apartments in Atlanta, has pledged to offer standard lease renewals and not impose excessive rent increases. Intown is not a member of the association.

On Monday, the Atlanta City Council passed a largely symbolic resolution condemning price-gouging by landlords.

Some Intown tenants are seeking legislation to bar price-gouging. The Georgia Legislature passed a law last year barring hotels from overcharging during the Olympics, but state law prohibits cities from enacting rent control.

The Legislature convenes Monday, but legislators don't expect to take up rent-gouging because all attention is focused on a court order to redraw congressional districts.