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Council amends landlord-tenant security deposit bill to exempt owners of two or fewer units
Summary
Councilmember Carolyn Ruhlendahl offered and won an amendment to Bill 250044 to exempt landlords who own two or fewer units; the amended bill will be placed on the final passage calendar.
Councilmember Carolyn Ruhlendahl offered and the council adopted an amendment to Bill 250044, an ordinance amending Chapter 9-800 of the Philadelphia Code (Landlord and Tenant) to establish security-deposit requirements for residential rentals and remedies for violations. Ruhlendahl said the amendment, reached in consultation with Majority Leader Gil Gilmore Richardson, exempts landlords and property owners who own two or fewer units from the bill as amended.
"Based on a discussion and agreement I had with Majority Leader Gil Gilmore Richardson today that we are exempting landlords and property owners who have owned two or fewer units from the bill now," Ruhlendahl said during the session.
The amendment was moved for adoption by Ruhlendahl and approved by voice vote. The chair announced that the bill, as amended, "will be placed on the final passage calendar for our next session of council." The bill had been called up for reconsideration earlier in the session after a motion by Councilmember Rue Landau.
What the ordinance would do (as read into the record)
- Amend Chapter 9-800 (Landlord and Tenant) of the Philadelphia Code to establish requirements related to security deposits for residential rentals and to establish remedies for violations. Specific terms, penalty structures and effective dates were not specified in the committee reading and will be determined in later stages of the legislative process. - The adopted amendment exempts landlords/property owners who own two or fewer units.
Actions and next steps
- Rue Landau moved to call Bill 250044 up from the day's calendar for reconsideration; motion carried by voice vote. - Carolyn Ruhlendahl moved the amendment to Bill 250044 and moved for adoption; amendment adopted by voice vote. - The amended Bill 250044 was placed on the final passage calendar for consideration at the council's next session.
Why this matters
The ordinance, as read into the record, would set citywide standards for security-deposit handling and provide remedies for tenants for violations. The adopted exemption narrows the ordinance's coverage to exclude very small landlords (owners of two or fewer units). The transcript does not include the full text of the amendment, penalty amounts, effective date or enforcement details; those will appear in subsequent readings and committee reports.
