The Struggles of Philadelphia Landlords
We're aware that many Philadelphia landlords are suffering due to numerous laws and court mediation processes geared towards aiding nonpaying tenants. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philly renters facing eviction owe more in back rent now than before the pandemic (Bond, 2023). Rental assistance has stopped, but Philly renters are still recovering from lost jobs, family and personal illness, past evictions, and mountains of back rent accumulated during the pandemic.
When renters are suffering, property owners are suffering as well. Landlords are burdened with maintaining the mortgage of the rental property when tenants don’t pay, in addition to their own rent or mortgage. Moreover, they face damages to their properties that commonly exceed the security deposit amount.
A New Chapter for Philadelphia Landlords: The Landlord Affairs Unit
After years of rental property owners shouldering these expenses, The City of Philadelphia officials have finally heard your cries! The city has received a multi-year grant to provide assistance to Philadelphia landlords. This amazing news couldn’t have come at a better time as the rental assistance agencies are running out of funds.
The city is creating a department designated specifically for landlords, called the Landlord Affairs Unit. This department will help you navigate the city’s many different departments and bring about funding and aid for landlords specifically; one form of aid being a Loss Mitigation Fund for damages that exceed the security deposit.
Get Involved and Make Your Voice Heard
There are many focus groups organizing and providing information to landlords in the city. We encourage you to show up, participate, and make sure your concerns are heard! Please reach out to us for more information.
The Landlord Gateway Event
A larger event called The Landlord Gateway Event will be held at the Convention Center on May 16th, 2023. Here, you will have the opportunity to speak to city officials from various departments to voice your concerns, ask questions, and hear more about the resources provided by the new Landlord Affairs Unit.
Register for the event here: The Landlord Gateway Launch Event Tickets
References
Bond, M. (2023). Philly renters facing eviction owe more in back rent now than before the pandemic. https://www.inquirer.com/real-estate/housing/rental-assistance-philadelphia-back-rent-eviction-pandemic-20230123.html