Anti-retaliation law provides extra protection for tenants

It’s similar to laws that already exist in other parts of the state.

County Executive Sara Innamorato recently signed a new anti-retaliation bill that would give tenants in Allegheny County additional protections against landlords.

Under the new law, landlords must provide evidence that an eviction is not retaliatory. This means they can still evict tenants for reasons such as unpaid rent, property damage or other legitimate causes, but must provide details about the eviction.

Several counties in Pennsylvania, such as Centre, Erie and Philadelphia, already follow the framework that Allegheny County has adopted.

Innamorato stated that the bill also seeks to protect tenants from retaliation for exercising legal rights, including filing complaints with local authorities, forming or joining tenant unions or speaking to the media about building issues. Although current law is supposed to shield tenants from retaliatory evictions, tenants bear the burden of proving that their eviction was retaliatory.

The Residential Tenant Protections for Retaliation ordinance was co-sponsored by county councilmen Jordan Botta and Alex Rose.

“I want to thank Council members Botta and Rose for their sponsorship of this important tenant protection,” Innamorato said. “One of the biggest challenges the Health Department faces in enforcement is tenant fear of retaliation for filing a complaint against a landlord. If we can bring more safeguards to tenants who speak up, we can improve the quality of housing and safety standards across Allegheny County.”

Tim Murphy of the county Housing and Community Environment Program said some tenants in Allegheny County have been hesitant in the past to report landlords.

“We have seen tenants who are hesitant to file a complaint with our program for fear of retribution from their landlord. We hope that further protections against retaliation will encourage more tenants to come forward,” Murphy said. “If there’s an unsafe condition in your rental unit that your landlord is not addressing, we want to know about it.”

There are about 161,000 renter-occupied households in Allegheny County, according to the legislation.

Allegheny County Council approved the bill in March by an 11-1 margin, with Councilwoman Suzanne Filiaggi casting the lone dissenting vote.

“This ordinance makes it clear that the law protects all,” said Rose, who co-sponsored the bill. “Tenants will be protected from retaliation when they exercise their lawful rights. I am proud that we are strengthening accountability here in Allegheny County.”

County residents needing to report a rental property can submit concerns at the county’s online complaint portal. The portal can be found at https://www.alleghenycounty.us/Services/ Health-Department/Housing-and-Community-Environment/ Property-Concerns-and-Complaints.