Susan Hodgson was away on vacation when her neighbor frantically called her to ask why she was having her home demolished
She began shaking, she hadn’t ordered this.
A company called “You Call It, We Haul It” had shown up at her property in southwest Atlanta and torn the whole thing down.
The house had been in her family for generations and was full of memories, including of her late husband.
It had been vacant for about 15 years, but Hodgson had kept it maintained, with the grass cut, the yard clean, and the taxes paid every year.
She wanted to return one day, or have it kept in the family.
When the neighbor walked over to find out what was happening, a worker told her to shut up and mind her own business.
Hodgson, still out of town, sent a family member to the property instead. He asked to see the demolition permit. The foreman pulled it out, looked at it, and realized he was at the wrong address.
Without a word of apology, he packed up his crew and drove away, leaving nothing behind but a pile of rubble where a family home had stood for decades.
Then came the second blow.
Shortly after, Hodgson received a Notice of Correction from Atlanta’s Department of City Planning, giving her two weeks to clean up the debris, get the proper permits, and bring the property into compliance.
For a demolition she had never asked for, never authorized, and never knew was happening until it was already done.
The city’s statement made its position clear: the property owner is responsible for any violations that occur on their property.
The demolition without her consent, it said, was a civil matter between her and the company.
The cleanup process forced Hodgson to pay $20,000 out of her own pocket just to clear the debris to avoid active prosecution and mounting city fines.
The demolition company offered no resolution and eventually ceased communication, before closing down its business operations without paying a single dollar in compensation.