This would not be a case for district justice (where evictions are heard) and there is no "Small Claims Court" in PA. 

In Texas evictions are handled at the Justice of the Peace(Small Claims Court) level and property managers can represent the landlord before the court

Because of widespread racial and ethnic disparities in the U.S. criminal justice system, criminal history-based restrictions on access to housing are likely disproportionately to burden African Americans and Hispanics.

My code of ethics is of honor to do justice as I serve. 

https://www.traviscountytx.gov/justices-of-peace/j...    

Justice!

The previous owner in possession is another issue altogether, and just icing on the degree of difficulty cake.  

Upon passage of the bill out of Committee, Councilmember McDuffie remarked: “The use of criminal history-based restrictions on access to housing results in the same racial and ethnic disparities in housing that we see in our criminal justice system.

Then, when you hopefully are able to raise rents (never guaranteed to work) that is just icing on the cake! 

The court system is built around pain, not justice.