Why Albany Renters and Landlords Are Both Feeling the Pressure as Housing Costs Climb
High rental demand, rising property assessments and more expensive maintenance are creating pressure on both sides of Albany's rental market.
ALBANY, Ga. Albany's rental market is being squeezed from more than one direction.
A WALB investigation found that renters are staying in the market longer as high borrowing costs make homeownership harder to reach, while property owners are confronting higher assessments and more expensive upkeep.
The result is a housing problem that does not fit neatly into a renters-versus-landlords frame. The pressure is moving through the entire local housing system.
More people are staying in the rental market
Jackie Dixon, broker and co-owner of 1 Key Realty, told WALB that Albany has seen more renters and less home buying over the past year. She said some households are responding to affordability pressure by combining households, including parents and adult children moving back in together.
That matters because when would-be buyers remain renters for longer, demand stays elevated even as households at the lower end of the market struggle to keep up with monthly costs.
Property assessments are adding another layer
The rental pressure is arriving at the same time Dougherty County property owners are adjusting to a 2026 revaluation. In a separate report, WALB reported that the revaluation followed a 2022 sales-ratio study that found the county out of compliance with state requirements.
For landlords, a higher assessed value can translate into a larger property-tax bill depending on the final taxable value, exemptions and millage rates. Dixon gave WALB the example of a duplex whose assessment increased from about $225,000 to $375,000, saying the owner believed the higher tax burden would eventually have to be reflected in rent.
That example is one property, not a measure of every rental in Albany, but it illustrates the chain reaction local housing providers say they are worried about.
Maintenance is costing more too
Dixon told WALB that labor and material costs for maintaining rental units have increased roughly 15% to 20%.
Those expenses matter because rent does not only cover a mortgage or a property owner's return. It also has to support repairs, turnover costs, insurance, taxes, management and the ongoing work required to keep a property habitable.
WALB reviewed figures from one large property owner in 1 Key Realty's portfolio and reported first-quarter gross rental revenue of about $1.74 million in 2025 and $1.76 million in 2026. Those numbers describe one operator and should not be treated as representative of Albany's entire rental market, but the relatively small year-over-year change was part of Dixon's argument that higher costs are not automatically showing up as sharply higher owner profits.
Qualification standards can make the squeeze visible
WALB reported that 1 Key Realty uses common screening requirements including income of at least three times monthly rent, prior rental history and stable employment.
When rents and other living costs rise faster than household income, those standards can become another barrier for applicants. Dixon also told WALB her office has seen more applicants falsifying employment documents or pay stubs, which she described as a sign of growing financial strain.
The lowest-income renters have even fewer options
Housing vouchers remain an important support for many Albany households, but WALB reported that only a portion of local landlords participate because of the paperwork and program requirements involved.
Local assistance programs can help some families during emergencies, but Southwest Georgia Community Action Council staff told WALB that available funds are limited and waiting lists are growing.
The Georgia inside the story
Albany's rental squeeze shows how housing affordability can become a system problem instead of a single-price problem.
Interest rates influence whether families can buy. Rental demand changes when they cannot. Property assessments affect ownership costs. Labor and materials affect maintenance. Those costs can eventually reach the renter, while renters are already dealing with groceries, utilities, transportation and everything else competing for the same paycheck.
The Georgia inside this story is the chain reaction: when several housing costs rise at the same time, both the person collecting the rent and the person paying it can feel squeezed.