Rue Landau. (Photo by Chris Mansfield)
Jewish Philadelphia city council member Rue Landau works hard on behalf of all of her constituents, but her background as a housing lawyer and advocate means that she takes extra care to look out for Philadelphians who need support in terms of finding equitable and affordable places to live.
New legislation that she introduced, approved by the council last week, will do just that. The Move-In Affordability Plan has two parts: capping rental application fees at $50 or cost, whichever is lower, and allowing renters to pay the second month of their security deposit in installments to reduce the upfront cost of moving into a new unit. It will go to Mayor Cherelle Parker’s desk for her signature in September.
Landau said that this legislation — and all of her work — is directly inspired by the Jewish value of tikkun olam, or repairing the world.
“My whole career is guided by that premise, and these bills are just one additional step towards getting us to a more just world and society,” she said.
Landau said that constituents have voiced concerns that application fees and security deposits are prohibitory factors in finding a place to rent. She mentioned one person who recalled spending $500 total on five separate application fees, and said that with the average rent in Philadelphia being $1,800, that means a person moving in who has to pay rent and two months of security deposit has to fork over more than $5,500 up front, including fees.
“This has nothing to do with whether or not the tenant can afford the rent. They would be selected because they can afford the rent. It’s this obstacle of coming up with first month’s rent and two month’s security deposit that is very difficult for many tenants, and it’s the reason why some people stay in unsafe or unhealthy conditions for too long,” she said.
Two months security deposit is standard in many instances thanks to a state law that has been in existence for more than half a century. The new legislation only applies to landlords who own more than two properties. The vote passed on June 12 by a 13-3 margin, meaning that it is veto-proof.
Riquan King, the director of advocacy for the Tenant Union Representative Network, said that Landau’s bills are a step in the right direction towards strengthening the rights of tenants.
“[W]ith the rising cost of rent and decreasing amount of adequate affordable housing, the gap between this legal solution and the practical need might as well be the Grand Canyon,” he said. “The Move-In Affordability Plan will make housing more accessible to thousands of Philadelphians across our beautiful city. That is a fact.”
For Jewish residents of Philadelphia struggling to afford housing, this legislation will provide much-needed relief. Landau cited the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s 2019 population study, which says that 15% of Jewish households in the area are living at or near the poverty level.
“Among Jewish households that are income eligible for SNAP benefits, only 43% are receiving them, which suggests an unmet need,” Landau said. “My hunch is that our lowest income members of the Jewish community are less likely to reach out for help and subsidy assistance, and my Move-In Affordability Plan will … just make renting more affordable.”
As for what Philadelphia’s community of landlords had to say about this legislation, Landau said it wasn’t anything surprising.
“I was a tenant lawyer — it was nothing I didn’t expect. The landlords feel that there have been a lot of restrictions placed on their industry over the last few years, and they’re not wrong, but it was a highly unregulated area before that,” she said. “In my opinion, many of the measures over the past few years have been to help level the playing field while still allowing landlords to run their businesses and make a profit. It just gives tenants a little more protection.”
A number of organizations were present at the hearings, serving as advocates for the legislation, including AARP, the Tenant Union Representative Network, the Senior LAW Center, Community Legal Services, the Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations and Renters United Philadelphia.
Landau will take the momentum that the council garnered from this legislation and look to apply it to similar work going forward, she said.