December 03, 2024
Rick Kauffman/For PhillyVoice
Philadelphia residents using housing vouchers will have new protections in place starting Wednesday.
Philadelphia is beginning to enforce new protections for people who use rental vouchers or plan to use them and are looking for a place to live.
In June, City Council approved a bill put forward by Jamie Gauthier (D-3) that changed the language of the Fair Practices Ordinance, and those rules go into effect Wednesday, according to the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations (PCHR).
Housing vouchers are a payment from the federal government sent to private landlords on behalf of tenants. They offer an alternative to public housing and increase accessibility for low-income renters. Though it's illegal for landlords to refuse housing vouchers, a 2018 study from Urban Institute found that 67% of Philly landlords do so anyway. In wealthier neighborhoods, that number jumps to 83%.
Gauthier's bill aims to prevent this discrimination with more clarity in the ordinance and additional safeguards.
The legislation explicitly names rental vouchers as a protected housing assistance option and reiterates it is illegal for landlords to advertise that vouchers can't be used for a rental. It prohibits property owners from not only refusing to rent to someone with a voucher, but also preventing repairs or use of services to those tenants. Property owners also can't purposely neglect or delay filling out the paperwork for voucher processing.
Additionally, renters using vouchers are now allowed to take immediate legal action if necessary and use private counsel. The bill also extends the judicial review period for appeals and said the commission must give tenants a right to sue notice if they can't complete an investigation within 100 days.
“Now that these protections have gone into effect, voucher holders will have an easier time accessing affordable housing as well as additional tools to exercise their legally enshrined rights," Gauthier said in a statement.
To enforce the new rules, the PCHR said it will be providing additional resources to landlords so they can understand their new obligations and plans to "respond swiftly" to complaints of violations. It hopes these additional protections can create new, affordable options for tenants.
“Everyone deserves a fair chance to secure a home, regardless of how they pay," PCHR Executive Director Kia Ghee said in a statement. "This new legislation paves the way for safe and accessible housing throughout Philadelphia.”
Housing vouchers are an in-demand program in Philadelphia, but renters are often met with roadblocks — including getting them in the first place. In January 2023, the Philadelphia Housing Authority reopened its waiting list for the first time in 12 years. The list already had 55,000 people, and the authority planned to cap the new applications at 10,000. At the time, it said it planned to reopen applications again in the next three to five years.
