Philadelphia repairs

Do this today

• Write the problem. Date it. Keep photos.
• Open a request with Philadelphia Licenses & Inspections or dial 311.
• Do not skip rent until legal aid has read the process for your state.

Who inspects a Philadelphia rental?

Philadelphia Licenses & Inspections is the local conditions door, and 311 is often how you open a request. An inspector’s dated notice is a different kind of paper than a text to the manager. L&I is the Philadelphia conditions and rental-license door. Municipal Court is where possession is heard.

Can I stop paying rent to force the repair?

Sometimes Pennsylvania law provides a repair-and-deduct or rent-withholding process, and sometimes skipping rent is grounds for eviction. That line is in Pennsylvania Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951. Ask legal aid before you change what you pay.

What does Philadelphia add on top of Pennsylvania law?

Pennsylvania’s Landlord and Tenant Act is the floor. Philadelphia Licenses and Inspections, the Fair Housing Commission, and local just-cause / good-cause rules for many tenancies are the City layer. Coverage is a unit question. L&I is not a substitute for Municipal Court.

The Philadelphia layer

L&I is the Philadelphia conditions and rental-license door. Municipal Court is where possession is heard.

Pennsylvania Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 (68 P.S. §§ 250.101 to 250.602) is the Pennsylvania floor. We name it. We do not paraphrase a day-count or a dollar cap out of it.

Philadelphia questions

National answers on this desk

• Is a landlord notice the same as being evicted?
• What number should I call right now?
• Is there a national tenant-rights law in the United States?
• What should I do if I get an eviction notice?
• How do I find free legal help as a renter?
• Can my landlord enter without notice?