Philly tenants are waging a war against ‘junk’ fees. City Council may help

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Philadelphia City Council is expected to consider legislation that would bar landlords from charging tenants what they consider “junk fees” — required payments that fall outside of the monthly rent.

At a news conference Thursday, renters and elected officials railed against the fees while formally launching the “End Rental Ripoffs” campaign. Standing in front of City Hall, they said tenants rarely benefit from these fees and that they’re largely used to enrich landlords.

The fees are sometimes assessed to help cover trash removal and internet service, as well as to maintain some shared amenities, including swimming pools.

“What we’re actually paying for is the privilege of lining our landlord’s pockets with our hard-earned cash,” said Gavin Bartlett, who rents a studio apartment at The Emerson in West Philadelphia.

For now, it’s unclear when the measure will be introduced, but tenant organizers say it may be part of a legislative package aimed at cutting costs for renters amid an ongoing affordable housing crisis.

The campaign, launched by the Philadelphia chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, also seeks to limit property managers’ use of artificial intelligence for tasks that have typically been handled by humans. In some buildings, the technology is being used to collect rent payments and field maintenance requests.

“It’s hell,” said Larice Hill, a renter at Kings Ferry Square Apartments in South Philadelphia. “Nobody gets your message. Nobody calls you back. Not unless you go to the office between their new hours.”

The new campaign comes as Philadelphia experiences a resurgence of tenant unions. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of unions in the city has grown from about five known associations to upward of 20.

These groups, largely composed of working-class residents, have contributed to a string of high-profile legal and legislative victories — victories that housing advocates hope will empower more tenants to organize to protect their rights.

That includes a class-action lawsuit and legislation aimed at strengthening renter protections and reducing instances of landlord retaliation, a pervasive fear among low-income tenants in the city.

The fight against junk fees is an extension of that work, and there are at least three City Council members who are standing behind the tenant groups: Jamie Gauthier, Rue Landau and Nicolas O’Rourke.

“Philly is already in an affordability crisis. When people are paying unnecessary fees just to put a roof over their head, that crisis deepens. And that crisis creates stress, creates financial burden, creates a question of affordability,” Landau said during Thursday’s news conference.

Bartlett, who works in the information technology department at a local university, said tenants at The Emerson are charged $25 a month for a so-called resident benefits package.

Renters at Florence Gardens Apartments, a nearby apartment building operated by the same property management company, must make the same payment each month, generating about $30,000 a year across the two buildings, according to tenants.

“From any angle, this is a scam,” said Terence Washington, a member of the Florence Gardens Tenant Association.

On Thursday, both tenant associations announced that members will no longer be paying that fee as the groups negotiate with ownership to amend all of their leases.

New Age Realty, the property manager for both buildings, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the junk fee strike.

HAPCO Philadelphia, the city’s largest advocacy group for property owners and landlords, declined comment, saying it would wade into the debate at a later date.

“It’s hard to comment on something when we haven’t seen the legislation,” said Paul Cohen, general counsel for HAPCO.