The Philadelphia Fair Housing Ordinance protects tenants against certain unfair rental practices by landlords. If you believe that your current landlord is engaging in an unfair rental practice, you may be able to file a complaint with the Fair Housing Commission.
Not all complaints can be accepted by the commission. For legal advice, consult with an attorney.
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Who can file a complaint
To file a complaint, you must be a Philadelphia resident. You must also be currently living in the rental unit.
The Fair Housing Commission doesn’t accept complaints regarding:
- Commercial rental properties, such as a location rented for a store or office.
- Rental units or properties operated by Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) or Housing and Urban Development (HUD). If you have a Housing Choice Voucher, the commission will review your lease to determine if your complaint can be accepted.
If your landlord has already filed a complaint against you in the Philadelphia Municipal Court (Landlord and Tenant), the Fair Housing Commission won’t be able to accept your complaint.
Types of unfair rental practices
Common illegal actions by landlords include:
- Terminating a lease or changing its terms while there are open property code violations reported on the rental unit.
- Terminating a lease due to an incident of domestic violence or sexual assault or based on a tenant’s status as a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault.
- Terminating a lease that has less than a one-year term without good cause.
- Retaliating against a tenant for exercising their legal right.
- Self-help evictions.
Some actions by your landlord may not be covered under the Fair Housing Ordinance. To learn more about unfair rental practices, see the Fair Housing Commission’s website or refer to Chapter 9-804 of the Philadelphia Code.
How to file a complaint
It’s helpful to have:
- A copy of your written lease. (Verbal leases are also accepted.)
- Copies of written communications between you and your landlord, including letters, emails, and text messages. For example:
- A copy of your landlord’s written notice that attempts to end or change your lease. This might include a notice of lease termination, an eviction notice, a notice to quit, or a rent increase notice.
- A copy of your written communication to your landlord that shows you asked for repairs or exercised a tenant right.
- Other useful documentation might include:
- Receipts for repairs you made to the unit.
- Proof of a rent withholding account or an escrow account.
- Proof of mailings if you sent letters from a post office.
If you need help with filing your complaint, contact the Fair Housing Commission at (215) 686-4670 or fairhousingcomm@phila.gov.
By online form
The online form will take about 30 minutes to complete.
By mail, email, or fax
You can fill out the Fair Housing Commission intake form and mail it to:
Philadelphia Fair Housing Commission
The Curtis Center
601 Walnut St., Suite 300 South
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Alternatively, you can email your form to fairhousingcomm@phila.gov or fax it to (215) 686-4684.
If your case is accepted, you’ll be asked to sign a formal complaint.
You should confirm that the commission has your current email address so that you can receive further information. Alternatively, you can choose to have the commission send information to you by mail.
What happens next
Arranging a hearing
After you complete the intake process, a copy of your signed complaint and other instructions will be sent to you and the landlord. You’ll also receive a hearing notice with information on the date and time of the hearing.
If your landlord files against you in court after you’ve filed a complaint, contact the Fair Housing Commission immediately. You should also email or fax a copy of the court notice to the commission.
How the hearing works
Currently, Fair Housing Commission hearings take place online. You’ll be provided with more information on how to participate closer to your hearing date.
At the hearing, the commissioners will listen to testimony from both the tenant and the landlord. Both sides can present evidence, such as letters and receipts, as well as witness testimony.
The tenant and the landlord may have an attorney present. (The commission doesn’t provide attorneys or legal advice.) After both sides have presented their case, the commissioners will decide if an unfair rental practice has occurred. The commissioners will then issue an order based on the evidence presented at the hearing.