We tend to think of Philadelphia as a city of homeowners, but there are hundreds of thousands of renters as well. To protect them City Council recently enacted the Certificate of Rental Suitability Bill (#060010). It would improve the lives of tenants in this city, especially those who are poor. Unfortunately, Mayor Street may veto this bill.
While the prices of rentals are going up in many parts of the city, the percentage of residential properties with Property Maintenance Code violations has increased every year over the last five years. This law would gradually reduce the number of violations as rental properties are brought up to code before being put on the market.
The law is likely to have a number of other good consequences. It will discourage those few landlords who try to evict or otherwise retaliate against tenants who complain to L&I instead of making repairs. It will also discourage landlords from promising tenants to make repairs after they move in and then failing to keep that promise. Requiring repairs to be made before the tenant moves in should also lessen the number of tenant complaints to L&I. Perhaps most importantly, the procedures established under the bill will educate tenants about the availability and importance of housing code inspections.
Phil Lord (215-940-3901) at the Tenant Union Representative Network has done a great job shepherding this bill through council..
Please take the time to write, fax, or email Mayor Street and ask him to sign the Certificate of Rental Suitability Bill #060010. You can leave a message with his Executive Secretary Betty Kibler at (215) 686-2181 or send a fax to (215) 686-2180. The mailing address is Room 215 City Hall, Philadelphia, PA 19107. You can also send a fax with Ed Goppelt’s wonderful Hallwatch