PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Philadelphia City Council member is looking to beef up protections for renters with a package of bills introduced at last week’s council meeting.
Philadelphia law already requires landlords to maintain their property to meet basic health and safety standards and to make repairs in a reasonable time frame, but councilmember Nic O’Rourke says the law is full of holes.
“I’ve seen how landlords ignore critical repairs and how our system fails to protect people who are most at risk including low-income families, seniors and people with disabilities,” he said.
O’Rourke introduced three bills that he says will fill those holes. One would deny renewal of rental licenses for properties with code violations unresolved for more than 30 days. Another would fine landlords whose properties are so decrepit the tenants must move and put the money in a relocation assistance fund. A third would protect tenants who complain about conditions from harassment.
O’Rourke said he’d seen retaliation at the notorious Brith Sholom apartments in Wynnefield Heights.
“Tenants there raised concerns about conditions and they told them they could no longer stay in the common places,” he said.
O’Rourke noted that nearly half of Philadelphians are renters and some 40% of rental units in the city require repairs.