City Council\u2019s housing committee, for the second time in less than a month, advanced a slate of tenant protections, irritating small landlords who say the new regulations could put them out of business.<\/p>\n
Ahead of an anticipated final vote March 19, lawmakers agreed to refer the legislation back to the committee<\/a>. The decision was made to settle a legal complaint brought by a pair of landlords alleging that Council violated the state\u2019s open meetings law and the city\u2019s governing document by granting preliminary approval to the bills before taking public comment during a March 4 hearing<\/a>.<\/p>\n The two bills, grouped together under Councilmember Nicolas O\u2019Rourke\u2019s \u201cSafe Healthy Homes Act,\u201d would expand Philadelphia\u2019s good cause eviction law to include longer leases and establish a proactive rental inspection program.<\/p>\n Landlords would be required to notify tenants that they are not obliged to pay rent if a property is deemed imminently dangerous or if maintenance issues are not repaired in a timely manner. The legislation also safeguards a renter\u2019s right to organize with their neighbors or through an advocacy group, among a host of other provisions.<\/p>\n While the bills passed out of committee in a unanimous voice tally Monday, at least one member, Curtis Jones Jr., indicated he would like to see \u201creasonable amendments\u201d before a final vote by the full Council.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the record, we passed this out of committee because we believe in the character of our member,\u201d he said, referring to O\u2019Rourke.<\/p>\n