The City Council convened on Tuesday, where a consensus was reached to advance only one bill from lawmaker Nicolas O’Rourke’s legislative package aimed at enhancing protections for renters and addressing issues with negligent landlords.
This decision was made following hours of animated debate and heartfelt testimonies from sympathetic tenants, landlord associations, and various city officials.
The Council granted preliminary approval for a bill establishing a fund to assist renters who must relocate due to unsafe living conditions identified by city inspections. This crucial measure could proceed to a final vote as early as next week.
However, two additional components of O’Rourke’s Safe Healthy Homes Act — one addressing tenant harassment and organizing, and another focused on instituting proactive unit inspections along with stricter licensing requirements — were held in committee. As a result, these elements are unlikely to be finalized before the Council goes on its summer recess.
O’Rourke, who appeared before the Council despite his newborn son being treated in the neonatal intensive care unit, emphasized the urgency of defending his legislation, which he felt compelled to do.
“I deserve to be with my family right now,” he stated. “But last night I was told something that stopped me in my tracks. That if I didn’t come here to defend the Safe Healthy Homes Act, that these bills would not receive a vote. I was forced to make an impossible choice.”
During his impassioned testimony, O’Rourke argued that many of the critiques raised against the bills had been effectively addressed through amendments.
“These bills simply will not apply to the vast majority of landlords. The policies laid out today are designed to address the most egregious cases,” he explained. “This is not anti-landlord legislation. This is anti-neglect legislation. This is anti-squalor legislation. This is pro-dignity legislation.”
Members of Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration requested that the legislative package be held for further review and alterations, while representatives from landlord groups expressed concern that the bills could have unintended consequences for responsible landlords.
“There are laws already on the books,” reminded Paul Cohen, general counsel for HAPCO Philadelphia, one of the landlord associations. “They’re there now and they’re not being enforced. So to have more laws that aren’t going to be enforced is not the answer.”
Bridget Collins-Greenwald, commissioner of the city’s Department of Licenses and Inspections, indicated her team is working on a plan for a proactive inspection initiative, targeted for completion by summer’s end. Currently, the department only investigates property conditions based on complaints.
“We’re completely in agreement with the spirit of the law,” Collins-Greenwald told the Council. “We have questions, and we would like to work through them before something would become law and then we have something that maybe isn’t operationally enforceable for us or legal.”
During the hearing, several tenants shared poignant testimonials revealing their struggles with unsanitary and dangerous living conditions.
Sonya Sanders recounted her experience of sewage leaking in the basement of her Grays Ferry home, which lacked both water and electricity. She claimed that her complaints went unanswered by L&I.
“When we lived there, we felt like squatters,” Sanders, who is associated with the Philly Thrive organization, expressed. “But unlike squatters, we paid our rent, but we had a landlord that refused to do the work.”
Another tenant, Melissa Monts, shared her harrowing health struggles, which began with a nine-day hospitalization for pneumonia that her doctor attributed to her living conditions in a Frankford apartment.
“I truly believe that, if the Safe Healthy Homes Act had been in place, I would never have gotten sick,” she argued passionately. “Please pass this legislation, and it’s not just for me or my grandchildren or my children. It’s for the people you can’t hear because they suffered in silence and died.”
After hearing the testimonies, the Council took a brief recess, likely to consider their next steps. Council member Jamie Gauthier, chair of the housing committee, stated, “There is a consensus that some of these bills need more time.”
She went on to emphasize the need for clarity about amendments and collaboration with the administration to ensure the bills can be implemented effectively because their success is crucial to protect renters in need.
image source from：https://metrophiladelphia.com/city-council-renter-rights/
