More than 24,000 Philadelphians were sued last year in Landlord-Tenant Court. While 81% of landlords had lawyers, most tenants--over 90%--did not. This disparity, repeated with similar figures each year, results in a dramatic power imbalance, leaving low-income families afraid of complaining about the poor conditions of their homes, lest they risk facing an eviction lawsuit in which they will likely have to fend for themselves. We are working to upend this power dynamic through advocacy and litigation. 

 

First,  we are representing people like Gerrell Martin, whose landlord tried to evict her and her family even though he violated city law. He did not obtain a rental license, he neglected to fix violations on the property like the lack of heat, and he failed to secure a certificate verifying the property was in good condition. We are suing her landlord's collection lawyer for making misleading claims in the eviction filings, in hopes that other collection lawyers will take notice and force their clients to obtain proper certifications, and make repairs, before they file evictions. Second, we are partnering with our clients to advocate for housing rights. On March 20, Gerrell Martin and one of our other clients, Yazmin Vazquez, testified before City Council as part of a hearing on the eviction crisis. In a city where thousands of people are living in housing that is making them sick and the eviction rate is four times higher than the foreclosure rate, we are calling on the City to fund additional lawyers for low-income tenants.