Philadelphia Tenant Rights Under the Safe Healthy Homes Act (2026)

What Is the Safe Healthy Homes Act?

The Safe Healthy Homes Act is a package of three Philadelphia City Council bills — 250329, 250330, and 250331 — introduced by Councilmember O'Rourke in 2025. Bill 250331 was enacted in March 2026. Bills 250329 and 250330 remain in committee. Together, they amend Philadelphia Code Chapter 9-3900, which governs landlord-tenant relations in the city. The enacted and pending provisions strengthen tenant protections that have existed in Philadelphia law for years but that many tenants — and some landlords — don't know about.

The system's greatest advantage over tenants is not the law itself. It's the information gap. Most tenants facing eviction don't know they have defenses. This page closes some of that gap.

Good-Cause Eviction Protection — What It Means in Practice

Under Philadelphia Code Chapter 9-3900 and §9-811, a landlord cannot terminate your tenancy or refuse to renew your lease without a valid legal reason — what the law calls "good cause." This is not a technicality. It is a substantive right.

Good cause in Philadelphia includes: non-payment of rent, material violation of the lease after written notice, the landlord or a family member seeking to occupy the unit for primary residence, and a few other enumerated reasons. What is not good cause: the landlord simply wanting you out, wanting to renovate and raise the rent, or disliking you as a tenant.

The Safe Healthy Homes Act tightens these definitions and adds enforcement teeth — specifically, allowing tenants to raise good-cause violations as affirmative defenses in eviction proceedings before Philadelphia Municipal Court.

Rental License Requirement — Philadelphia Code §9-3902

Every residential landlord in Philadelphia is required to hold a valid rental license issued by the Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I). This is not optional. Philadelphia Code §9-3902(1) makes it a condition of operating as a landlord.

The practical consequence for tenants: an unlicensed landlord may be barred from collecting rent and from pursuing eviction in Municipal Court. Philadelphia courts have dismissed eviction cases where landlords could not produce a valid rental license.

Bill 250330 (currently in committee) would strengthen this requirement by expanding the circumstances under which a license violation can be raised as a defense and increasing the penalties for unlicensed operation. If you receive an eviction notice, the first thing to verify is whether your landlord has a current rental license. The Philadelphia rental license lookup guide explains exactly how to do this.

Anti-Retaliation Protections — Philadelphia Code §9-3903

Philadelphia Code §9-3903 prohibits a landlord from retaliating against a tenant for exercising their legal rights. Specifically protected actions include: complaining to L&I or any other city agency about housing conditions, filing a habitability complaint, organizing with other tenants, and asserting any rights under the Philadelphia Code.

Retaliation includes eviction, rent increases, reduction of services, and harassment. The law creates a rebuttable presumption of retaliation if adverse action occurs within 90 days of the tenant exercising a protected right. That means the burden shifts to the landlord to prove the eviction wasn't retaliatory.

Bill 250331 (enacted March 2026) expands the scope of protected activity and increases the remedies available to tenants who successfully prove retaliation, including attorney's fees and treble damages in some circumstances.

Habitability and the Rental Rebate

Under the PA Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 (68 P.S. §§ 250.101–250.602) and Philadelphia Code Chapter 9-3900, landlords are required to maintain rental units in a habitable condition. This means working heat, functioning plumbing, no significant mold, structurally sound walls and roof, working locks, and more.

When a landlord fails to maintain habitability and a tenant has complained — either to L&I or in writing to the landlord — the tenant may have grounds for a rental rebate: a reduction in rent proportional to the impact of the code violation on the unit's livability. This can be raised as both a counterclaim and an offset in eviction proceedings.

The Safe Healthy Homes Act strengthens the rebate process by requiring landlords to respond to written habitability complaints within a defined period and by expanding the conditions that qualify for rebate relief.

The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA)

Federal law provides additional eviction protections for active-duty military members under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. If you or a member of your household is on active military duty, you may be entitled to a stay of eviction proceedings and other protections regardless of the basis for eviction. These protections apply citywide and statewide, including in Philadelphia Municipal Court.