Philadelphia landlords are facing another significant expansion of tenant protections. Beginning November 1, 2026, Philadelphia Bill No. 250330-AA will change the rules governing how landlords terminate tenancies, maintain properties, respond to tenant complaints, and manage day-to-day building operations.
This is the first of two posts covering the new ordinance. This post focuses on the substantive changes to landlord obligations. The second post will cover enforcement, financial exposure, and the practical steps landlords should take before the effective date.
Part 1Good Cause Now Required to End Any Residential Tenancy, Including Annual Leases
One of the most consequential changes involves Philadelphia’s existing good cause eviction protections.
Previously, those requirements applied mainly to leases of less than one year. Under the new ordinance, good cause protections now apply when any residential lease expires, including traditional one-year leases.
A landlord can no longer assume that a 12-month lease’s expiration automatically gives them the right to decline renewal and require the tenant to leave. Instead, the landlord must have a legally sufficient reason to terminate the tenancy.
Examples of recognized good cause include qualifying lease violations, nonpayment of rent, and other circumstances recognized under Philadelphia law.
The owner-occupant sale exception. The ordinance recognizes a situation property investors often encounter: selling a tenant-occupied property to a buyer who intends to live there. However, that exception comes with specific requirements. To use it, a landlord must provide:
A fully executed, arm’s-length agreement of sale identifying the purchaser. A signed statement from the purchaser confirming an intention to occupy the property as a principal residence within 90 days after closing and not to rent it. At least 60 days’ written notice of nonrenewal, accompanied by both documents.
Simply listing a property for sale, or preferring to sell it vacant, does not satisfy this exception.
The ordinance also requires the written notice of nonrenewal to identify the good-cause basis with reasonable specificity. Failure to provide the required notice can result in the lease renewing on a month-to-month basis unless the tenant elects otherwise.
Part 2Unresolved L&I Violations Can Now Undermine a Landlord’s Right to Collect Rent
Pennsylvania law already requires residential landlords to maintain properties in a condition suitable for human habitation. The new ordinance substantially strengthens tenants’ ability to rely on that obligation in court.
Under the legislation, certain unresolved violations of the Philadelphia Property Maintenance Code or Fire Code will create a rebuttable presumption that the landlord has breached the implied warranty of habitability. That presumption arises when the City has issued a notice of violation concerning the property’s condition, the deadline for correcting the violation has passed, no appeal of the violation is pending, and the underlying conditions have not been fully corrected.
Where those conditions are met, the landlord may have to affirmatively rebut the presumption, rather than requiring the tenant to establish the habitability breach without that evidentiary disadvantage.
This matters most in proceedings involving unpaid rent. The ordinance expressly provides for rent abatement during periods when the landlord has materially breached the implied warranty of habitability. In more serious situations, where L&I determines a property is unfit, unsafe, or imminently dangerous, the ordinance provides for full rent abatement during the qualifying period, subject to provisions on active remediation and acceptable interim safety measures.
Defenses are available. Landlords may rebut the statutory presumption by showing that a tenant prevented access for necessary repairs, caused the violation, or corrected the violation in accordance with the ordinance’s requirements.
Part 3Anti-Retaliation Protections Are Broader, and the Burden Shifts to Landlords
The ordinance strengthens Philadelphia’s existing protections against landlord retaliation.
Landlords may not take adverse action against tenants for exercising legally protected rights, including reporting property conditions, participating in government investigations, communicating with public officials, or joining tenant organizations.
Importantly, prohibited retaliation is not limited to eviction. It can also include changing lease terms, restricting access to amenities, refusing to renew a tenancy, or otherwise interfering with the tenant’s rights.
The ordinance reinforces a significant evidentiary rule: if a landlord issues a notice of termination or changes a lease term within one year after a tenant exercises a protected right, a violation is found, or a correction is made (whichever is latest), the landlord bears the burden of proving the action was not retaliatory.
Consider a common scenario: a tenant complains to L&I about a maintenance issue. The landlord fixes the problem but, several months later, decides not to renew the lease. Even with a legitimate business reason, the circumstances could raise a retaliation claim, and the landlord may need to show the decision was unrelated to the complaint.
This does not mean tenants who complain can never be evicted or have their leases terminated. It does mean landlords must carefully document legitimate grounds for action, particularly when a tenant has recently exercised a protected right.
Part 4Tenants Have New Express Rights to Organize, and Landlords Must Confer in Good Faith
A less-publicized but significant component of the ordinance concerns tenant organizations.
Philadelphia tenants now have an express right to organize, form tenant associations, meet with representatives, and engage in lawful collective activities related to their tenancy conditions. For owners of multifamily properties, this may affect ordinary building management practices.
Protected organizing activities include distributing literature, speaking with other tenants, posting information on building bulletin boards, and conducting meetings in appropriate spaces. The ordinance also addresses access rights for tenant organizers who do not reside at the property. While it does not provide unlimited access to private property, it requires landlords to apply building access and security rules consistently. For example, a multifamily building that maintains and consistently enforces a written prohibition against canvassing may require a nonresident organizer to be accompanied by a resident tenant.
The ordinance further requires owners and their agents to confer in good faith with tenants and tenant organizers about lease terms and property conditions, including communicating meaningfully, responding to reasonable requests, and making genuine efforts to address raised issues. This does not require a landlord to agree to every demand, but it does require genuine engagement.
Part 5New Restrictions on Property Access, Landlord Conduct, and Tenant Harassment
The ordinance establishes additional protections against conduct that interferes with a tenant’s use and enjoyment of a rental property.
Some prohibited conduct is obvious, such as threatening tenants with physical harm or deliberately discontinuing required utilities. Other provisions address more routine interactions. The ordinance identifies the following as examples of conduct that may constitute unlawful interference: failure to provide 24 hours’ notice for nonemergency repairs, failure to offer a reasonable justification for entering a tenant’s unit, unreasonably disruptive entry, reducing or eliminating housing services or amenities required by law or a lease, threatening to interfere with a tenant’s quiet enjoyment of the premises, misusing government processes to intimidate or retaliate against tenants, and improperly disclosing or threatening to disclose a tenant’s medical or health information.
Actions that were previously viewed primarily as poor management practices can now create additional legal exposure.
The Bottom Line
Taken together, these five changes represent a meaningful shift in how Philadelphia regulates the day-to-day relationship between landlords and tenants. The expansion of good cause to annual leases, the new evidentiary presumptions tied to code violations, broader anti-retaliation rules, tenant organizing rights, and stricter conduct standards all increase the complexity of managing residential rental property in the city.
With the November 1 effective date approaching quickly, landlords and property managers should review their current practices against each requirement now. Part two of this series covers the ordinance’s financial implications, including civil penalties, damages exposure, and attorneys’ fees provisions, and the specific steps landlords should prioritize before the law takes effect.
The information contained in this post is provided for general informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any matter. No attorney-client relationship is formed by reading this content. Always seek the guidance of a licensed legal professional regarding your specific circumstances.