Philadelphia may crackdown on M.I.A. landlords

The Philadelphia City Council is cracking down on bad landlords who live outside the city limits.
The legislation approved this week would force out-of-town landlords who own at least three residential properties, or an apartment house with four or more units to do a better job maintaining their units.
Absentee landlords will be required to have local agents in place to deal with complaints and violations.

The Philadelphia City Council is cracking down on bad landlords who live outside the city limits.

The legislation approved this week would force out-of-town landlords who own at least three residential properties, or an apartment house with four or more units to do a better job maintaining their units.

Absentee landlords will be required to have local agents in place to deal with complaints and violations.

Councilwoman Marian Tasco says she’s heard plenty of complaints about nuisance houses owned by people from outside the city, “Some years back a number of investors came into the lower Northeast which is part of my District – around Oxford Circle – purchased houses when the market was booming, and began to rent those properties out.  But when there were complaints about noise or trash we never could reach the owner.”

Tasco says she may introduce separate legislation that would fine these landlords, if there are too many noise complaints made to police.