Bill could make landlords shape up

Philadelphia landlords are awaiting Mayor John Street's decision on a bill that would require properties to be in better shape before being rented.

The bill, which passed City Council last week by a 10-6 vote, would require landlords to bring their properties up to code before leasing them.

Currently, landlords can rent out properties that do have relatively minor code violations.

"The law right now literally doesn't say you can't rent a property that's not safe," said Anthony Ingargiola, spokesman for Councilman Rick Mariano, who sponsored the bill.

If the bill is signed into law, landlords would need to get a certificate before renting a property to confirm that it has no outstanding code violations like unsafe electrical wiring or infestation by insects and rodents.

Phil Lord, the executive director of the Tenants' Union Representative Network in Philadelphia, said that the bill will help student renters, who often have little time to examine a property before moving in.

"People get moved in before they realize how dangerous a property is," Lord said. "The landlord can rent out the property and promise to fix it later on, which sometimes they do, sometimes they don't."

Tenants' Union representatives testified on this issue to City Council last spring and have been working with Mariano to craft the bill.

Several Council members, however, opposed the bill, saying that it will not work in practice.

"There were too many flaws in the bill, and [the Licenses and Inspections Department] said it was impossible to enforce," said Tony Radwanski, spokesman for Councilwoman Anna Verna, who voted against the bill. "There would be great delays in getting property certified."

But Lord said that several local landlord groups signed off on the bill after meeting with Mariano and making certain amendments.

Not all landlords, however, have been so supportive.

Ingargiola said Philadelphia landlords Michael Karp and David Adelman, who own University City Housing and Campus Apartments, respectively, have been the main sources of opposition, though they are members of the groups who signed off on the bill.

"They were aggressively lobbying against the bill. Michael Karp was lobbying on the [Council] floor."

Adelman's assistant Ronnie Mariano said that Adelman had no comment because he had not had a chance to read the bill.

However, Ingargiola said that Adelman was at the Council meeting when the bill was approved.

Regional Property Manager of Campus Apartments Jason Cohen said that he was not aware of the bill but that it sounded like a "very good idea."

"All of our properties are up to code," Cohen said.

Karp did not return repeated phone calls for comment.

Penn Associate Director of City and Commonwealth Relations Dawn Maglicco said the University does not have a position on the bill. She added that Penn's advocacy organizations, like the Office of Community Living, make the legislation less important for students than for residents without these resources.

Mayor Street has until Thursday to sign or veto the bill. Street's office has previously expressed its support for the bill, Lord said, but Street spokesman Joe Grace would not comment on it.

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