Cyberattack leaves some in Atlanta unable to close on homes
ATLANTA - There was more this week fallout from the cyberattack on the city of Atlanta’s government operations.
There may be one hundred, perhaps more, real estate deals which are collateral damage from the ransomware attack on City Hall.
In effect, property closings are being blocked as a result of the disruption inside the government.
Specifically, real estate attorneys have been unable to get a required document from the water department to finalize purchases of homes.
The paperwork is a lien release showing that an existing water account had been satisfied before a piece of property changes hands.
Among the computers that are offline in the city are those inside the water department.
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Attorney Jackson Oliver said he has 20 clients who have been unable to close because the city has yet to provide the paperwork. One of them is Jason Myles. He bought and plans to renovate a home in southwest Atlanta.
When he was told his closing was put off indefinitely, "I felt disbelief," he recalled.
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms looked into the delay and reported the computer has actually been restored. The next step, she said, is for the water department staff to work through a backlog of real estate paperwork.