April 12th Hearings In Harrisburg Affecting Urban Blight & Land Banks

Hapco Philadelphia and its lobbyists at the Pennsylvania state capitol continue to monitor proposed bills affecting Philly rental property owners.

The latest legislation deals with ongoing issues in Philadelphia of urban blight and use of land banks.

The PA House Urban Affairs Committee is holding hearings Tuesday April 12th.

by Doug Shimell

MARK YOUR CALENDAR: Hapco Philadelphia Virtual Membership Meeting March 15 @7pm

Hapco Philadelphia is bringing together rental housing experts along with movers and shakers at City Hall for this online, annual membership webinar.

HP’s legal experts will be tackling Philadelphia’s Eviction Diversion Program

City Councilmember Curtis Jones addresses possible rent control in Philadelphia.

And City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart will give a State of the City talk.

Registration is required.

by Doug Shimell

Bills Affecting Rental Owners Work Their Way Through Harrisburg

To access this post, you must have the following level of membership: Investment & Rental Property Owner Level or Investment & Rental Property Owner Renewal.

by Doug Shimell

Philly Affordable Housing Hits One Obstacle After Another

Hapco Philadelphia has seen rental owners get out of the affordable rental housing market due to years of city regulation, costs, and fees.  Not to mention all the unpaid rent from the eviction moratorium.

So, just when a new Philly pilot program gets underway to encourage developers to include low-to-moderate-income housing in their developments, more complications.

by Doug Shimell

Last Gasp Of Philly Pandemic Rent Relief?

Hapco Philadelphia has been pressing City Council for months to keep funding the PHL Rent Assist program rather than letting the nationally recognized system go to waste.

The city has apparently gotten another small infusion of cash which isn't expected to last long.

You can read the Axios Philadelphia story below.

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1 big thing: Remaining rent relief won't clear backlog
Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Philadelphia has received the final influx of state and federal money the city requested for its emergency rental assistance program, according to a city email obtained by Axios.

  • It's expected to last two weeks.

Why it matters: While the flow of money won't cover the need, it will help nearly 3,300 households whose applications to the city's cash-strapped rent relief program have already been approved.

State of play: The U.S. Treasury sent $8.3 million to Philly for its rent assistance program two weeks ago. Days later, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services distributed $9 million to the city.

Catch up fast: The city has provided more than $253 million in rental assistance to nearly 40,000 households since May 2020.

  • Philadelphia requested a total of $485 million from the state and federal governments last fall, after the Treasury announced it wanted to reallocate billions in rent relief.
  • In January, the city announced that it was shuttering its program due to low funds.

Details: The new funding will be directed to the backlog of applications from individuals who sought aid prior to the program closing in early January.

  • Philly will give priority to applicants at risk of lockout and those participating in the city's eviction diversion program, the landlord-tenant mediation initiative that emerged in the pandemic as an alternative to court.

By the numbers: City staffers have completed reviewing about 70% of the more than 81,000 applications in the latest phase of the program.

  • Of the roughly 56,000 reviewed this round, only about half have been approved, according to the city's dashboard, last updated Friday.

What's next: The city will disburse the funds until they're depleted, spokesperson Jamila Davis told Axios.

  • After that, staff will still complete the review of all applications so that the city knows how many individuals are in need should it receive more funding in the future.

by Doug Shimell

Bills Introduced In Harrisburg Would Restore Funding For Emergency Rent Help

Hapco Philadelphia doesn’t want to get rental property owners’ hopes up, BUT…

Two pieces of legislation are being sponsored in the PA House and Senate that would do what Hapco Philadelphia has been calling for ever since PHL Rent Assist ran out of money last year.

They would reallocate $500 million in unused American Rescue Plan funds to landlords and tenants for back rent accrued during the COVID eviction moratorium.

Hapco Philadelphia is asking our lobbyist at the state capitol if these bills have a realistic chance of becoming law.  We’ll keep you updated!

 

by Doug Shimell