PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — It’s been more than two weeks since Philadelphia’s Landlord Tenant Office agreed to suspend evictions, and there’s no timeline for when they may resume. The uncertainty is frustrating the city’s landlords.
Municipal Court requested the lock-out suspension after a landlord-tenant officer shot a woman. It was the second time in four months that a tenant was shot during an eviction. The court said the suspension should remain in place until all landlord tenant officers are trained in conflict de-escalation.
The head of the office, Marisa Shuter, released a statement through a spokesman saying her office is developing updated eviction protocols and she’ll share future plans when details are finalized — but she didn’t provide a timeline for completion. And the spokesman described the staff training as a “work in progress.”
“It would be great if there was a little bit more communication going on,” said Greg Wertman, president of the Homeowners Association of Philadelphia.
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The uncertainty leaves landlords with two choices, Wertman said: They can hire the sheriff’s office for evictions, or they can wait out the process.
He says the sheriff’s office is not a great option.
“There is the cost factor — it’s much more expensive,” he said, “as well as the time factor — it takes a lot more time.”
And both options hurt small-scale landlords, who provide affordable housing, he said.
“We don’t have affordable housing now and this is what’s driving people out of it, you can’t make money,” he said.
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“I don’t know if it’s by design; they want to get rid of small landlords in this city,” he said. “But I’ll tell you what: They certainly don’t care about them at all.”
Wertman says Municipal Court is considering bringing in constables from other jurisdictions but he thinks that could take longer than the training.
He says the Landlord Tenant Office has done a good job for many years, but he supports the training. He’d just like it to happen more quickly. And landlords would like a straight answer on how long it will take.
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