Philly Nears Expansion of “Good Cause” Legislation

Philadelphia is the latest city eyeing a version of “good cause” tenant protections.

The Philadelphia City Council housing committee advanced a pair of bills designed to protect tenants from unscrupulous landlords, WHYY reported. The bills are part of the larger Safe Healthy Homes Act, introduced by Councilmember Nicolas O’Rourke.

Should the bills pass the Council, all Philadelphia renters will be covered by the legislation. At the moment, such protections only apply to month-to-month renters or those on leases lasting less than a year.

Last year, nearly 9 out of every 10 eviction filings in the city involved a lease of a year or more, according to data from Philadelphia Legal Assistance.

The protections include a requirement for landlords to provide written notice on lease terminations and nonrenewals. Landlords can only deny renewals or enact terminations for tenants who cause property damage, nuisances or regularly fail to pay rent.

Another provision would create a regular schedule for proactively inspecting rental units in an effort to keep landlords accountable and prevent them from retaliating against tenants who raise concerns about conditions. Rental properties are only inspected these days if a complaint is made to the city’s Department of Licenses and Inspections.

Landlords will also not be able to retaliate against tenants who cooperate with a city investigation, discuss living conditions with reporters or join tenant associations, the latter of which is not spelled out in existing law.

The city’s largest landlord advocacy group, HAPCO Philadelphia, has come out against the series of bills, deriding the potential disproportionate harm property owners may face. The organization’s general counsel, Paul Cohen, said it would be more difficult to remove bad tenants.

There’s also a controversial provision involving eligibility for rental rebates.

“We’re not saying not to pass a bill,” Cohen said. “We’re saying not to pass the bill until it’s done properly. We need to make sure this bill is right.”

The bills are expected to get a final vote on March 19. The city already passed legislation that would create an anti-displacement fund to assist those leaving inhabitable apartments.

— Holden Walter-Warner