Violations & License and Inspection

[Pat Hamilton]

I own a property in Philadelphia which is managed by a professional management company.  My tenant had not been paying rent for months due to maintenance issues.  The property management company says that the tenant always reschedules maintenance requests and implies that the tenant is just avoiding paying rent.  They recommended starting the eviction process, which I did.  Apparently the tenant called the city of Philadelphia and I now have a ton of violations to resolve.  They property management company is very slow in responding to me and the clock is ticking.  It appears there are hefty fines for not resolving the issues within 30 days.  30 days is quickly approaching and I don't know what to do.  I call my property management company frequently and they keep saying "we are in the process of sending a vendor out"....Even getting an estimate for the repairs is like pulling teeth.  I'm disappointed in my tenant and the property management company.  Should I call the city inspector directly and request an extension?  How are these things handled in practice?  Some of the violations are simple fixes.    I have very little experience, but as the owner I am ultimately responsible for the cost....no one else seems to care!!!!!!

[Eric Greenberg]

You’ve been in a Philadelphia court before and had the judge side with a tenant in a similar situation?

This happens quite often in Philadelphia when folks need to get lead inspections/maintenance/meters replaced/etc, as folks know how the system works. Even if the law states that a landlord must give tenants 24 hours notice before entering the property except in emergencies, does not mean your PM or most hired workers will barge into a house that someone isn’t letting them have access to and/or being problematic. 

Resources that may be helpful:
https://www.phila.gov/media/20...

https://www.phila.gov/media/20...