(1) Whenever any premises are found in violation of any provision of The Philadelphia Code and a notice of violation has been issued by any department or agency of the City, it shall be unlawful for any owner, landlord, agent or other person operating or managing such premises to:

(a) terminate the lease with the existing tenant unless the tenant has failed to pay rent, committed a nuisance, committed waste or caused the premises to have been in such violation under The Philadelphia Code;

(b) offer, tender, give, exchange or transfer possession or the right to possession to any person not in possession of the premises upon any terms or conditions until the violation has been corrected; or

(c) make, alter, amend or modify any term or condition of any existing lease or arrangement of tenancy with any person in possession of the premises at the time notice of violation is issued until the violation has been corrected;

(d) make, alter, amend or modify any term or condition of any existing lease or arrangement of tenancy with any tenant for a period of one year after correction of any violations where the action against the tenant is intended to collect the cost or value of making any or all of the corrections necessary to comply with The Philadelphia Code and where also any violation has remained uncorrected, whether or not recorded by the Department of Licenses and Inspections, for a period of one year or more prior to the date of correction. The burden shall be on the landlord to show that the violation has not existed uncorrected for a period of one year or more prior to the date of correction in any legal proceeding in which the provisions of this ordinance shall be relevant.

(2) It shall be unlawful for any owner, landlord, agent or other person operating or managing premises to terminate a lease with a tenant or make, alter, amend or modify any term or condition of any existing lease or arrangement of tenancy with a tenant in retaliation for:

(a) any violation having been found against the premises;

(b) the filing of a complaint alleging a violation;

(c) The joining of any lawful organization, or any other exercise of a legal right. It shall be unlawful for any owner, landlord, agent or other person operating or managing premises to refuse to lease any premises to a prospective tenant because he believes the prospective tenant has exercised any such right.

In any civil proceeding involving this provision in which the notice of termination or alteration of a term or condition of the lease was given within one year after a violation was found, a right of the tenant against the landlord, agent or other person operating or managing premises was exercised, or a correction made, whichever is the latest, it shall be the burden of the owner, landlord, agent or other person operating or managing such premises to prove that the notice was not given in retaliation for the exercise by the tenant of his legal rights.

(3) The provisions of this section shall not apply to:

(a) Any bona fide transfer of title incident to a sale of the premises, but any subsequent owner, landlord, agent or other person operating or managing such premises shall be subject to the provisions of this Chapter.

(b) Any owner, landlord or agent or other person operating or managing any premises against which a notice of violation has been issued who desires to terminate an existing occupancy in order that the premises may be rehabilitated and the violation cured, and the Department of Licenses and Inspections issues a certification that such work requires that the premises be vacated.

(4) No owner, landlord, agent or other person operating or managing any premises shall unlawfully retain any security deposit, however styled in a lease.

(5) No owner, landlord, agent or other person operating or managing any premises shall accept any rental payment under any written lease on the premises until he has given a fully executed copy of the lease to all the parties to the lease.

(6) No provision of this section can be waived or made subject to a contract between the parties depriving a tenant of the benefits of this section.