When renters get locked out, it's unlikely they'll ever get back in.

Alyssa Pointer for Business Insider

In April 2022, a young aspiring permanent makeup artist named Henisha Dunn rented a basement unit in Atlanta's Venetian Hills neighborhood from an old middle-school acquaintance who lived on the home's first floor. The damp, poorly lit unit wasn't ideal for Dunn and her fiancé, but the couple had a baby on the way and the rent was much cheaper than anything they could find in the city.