Philadelphia City Council Considering Implementing Rent Control

Local legislators say that in Philadelphia -- and throughout the entire state of Pennsylvania -- there are no meaningful protections in place that keep landlords from raising rents exponentially.

But Philadelphia City Council and state legislators are working on ways to change that.

On Wednesday, council's committee on housing, neighborhood development, and the homeless held a hearing to allow local residents, experts and fellow legislators to provide input on council exploring the idea of bringing rent control to Philadelphia.

A resolution that facilitated the hearings notes that, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, a minimum wage worker "would have to work 3.4 full-time jobs in order to afford a two-bedroom apartment in Philadelphia."

"We are letting landlords raise rents whenever they want by whatever amount they want," argued councilwoman Jamie Gauthier (D-3rd dist.)

If implemented, rent control would put limits on how much a landlord could ask for rent and how much a rent could increase for renters. And, while there was no mention on Wednesday of what limits might be if rent control is implemented, the majority of participants in the hearing seemed to support the idea.

In fact, Cynthia Dutwin, a renter in the city's Mount Airy neighborhood, said that without rent control her landlord has been able to make demands that have made living in the city difficult for her.

And, as her job requires that she live in the city, Dutwin worried if she couldn't afford her apartment or if she was evicted, she could lose her job, as well.

"This is our home. Please protect us. We are not disposable," Dutwin told the committee.

And, City Council isn't alone in it's concern for protecting renters.

Democratic State Senator Jimmy Dillon, of the state's fifth district, said he plans to introduce legislation in the near future that would "help stabilize rent across the state."

As a newly elected legislator, Dillon said that he's just getting used to a steady stream of constituents who have been visiting his office, a majority of which, want to discuss the impact that inflation has had on their household.

"Although every story is different, the root cause is very simple, and remains the same for everyone. Their household income has not been able to keep up with the prices they are being charged and are facing these days," said Dillon.

He said that, from constituents in Northeast Philadelphia, he's heard of landlords recently raising rents by as much as 50-percent, often to recoup losses incurred while rent collections were paused during the pandemic with no concern over whether a tenant can afford the price hike or not.

"Currently, there's no regulation in this space," argued Dillon.

He noted however, that the legislation -- which he did not want to go into too much detail on -- would be aimed at, what Dillion called "corporate landlords" who own 15 units or more to ensure they set rents across a year "at reasonable standards."

Along with testimony in support of rent control, several individuals who identified as landlords or property owners, argued rent control could hurt property values or could limit real estate investment and new development in the city.

Wednesday's hearing was only an effort to explore what rent control might look like in the city. Any plan to implement rent control would need to be proposed and approved by City Council.