While HAPCO Philadelphia commends the Landlord-Tenant Office for resuming evictions, HP says the fee hike for evictions from $140 to $350 further injures rental owners. HAPCO Philadelphia’s members should not be footing the increased cost for the LTO’s new expenses.
The LTO says lockouts will now be performed by a team of two officers, one of which will undergo new safety training. The LTO will also swear-in new Pennsylvania constables from outside Philadelphia.
There is also a Landlord Safety Affidavit which now has to be completed. You can get a copy below.
Below is the official statement from the Landlord-Tenant Office:
8/18/23
“After training addressing use of force and de-escalation tactics, the Landlord and Tenant Office of Philadelphia Municipal Court will resume evictions in the city on or after August 21, 2023.
New protocols and procedures in the performance of future evictions have been designed after input from numerous stakeholders. They are intended to eliminate violence in the eviction process and to increase the safety of tenants, city residents and deputy LTO officers during execution of court orders.
Over the past half century, the LTO has performed hundreds of thousands of evictions in Philadelphia in a safe and professional manner. It has done so without cost to taxpayers, relying solely on service fees paid by landlords.
By updating its protocols and procedures, the LTO is seeking to build on its record of outstanding service to Philadelphia Municipal Court while simultaneously ensuring that evictions are conducted in a safe, effective, and respectful manner. The new protocols and procedures are as follows:
1. Evictions will be conducted in teams of two Landlord Tenant Officers, at least one of which will have received all training required for certified Pennsylvania Constables.
2. New Deputy Landlord Tenant Officers with experience serving as Pennsylvania Constables will be sworn to service in Philadelphia by the President Judge of Philadelphia Municipal Court in accordance with applicable Pennsylvania law.
3. In the future, schedules showing dates and times of evictions for the following week will be shared via email with any tenant action group or other interested stakeholder wishing to receive it and with all tenants who make inquiry of the office. At the request of tenant advocates, the date and times of evictions will also be placed on the Court’s docket. Tenants may learn the date and time of their particular eviction, therefore, either from their counsel, by checking the court docket, or by calling the LTO, whose contact information is provided to tenants together with service of the writ of possession giving the tenant notice that an eviction is imminent.
4. Landlords will be required to submit information to the LTO office in the form of an affidavit before future evictions will be scheduled. The information will require disclosure of known issues that otherwise might not come to light until an LTO eviction is in process. All such issues will need to be addressed in a reasonable manner prior to eviction scheduling. Pending applications for alias writs must be updated to include the affidavit before being scheduled.
5. All deputies will be reminded to cease and desist from evicting, as the personal safety of officers permits, if unexpected issues arise. Postponed evictions will only be rescheduled after the issues presented are resolved.
6. Total LTO fees for an eviction will increase from $145 to $350 to cover added expenses related to hiring additional staff, training, and insurance costs, etc.”
Mike Neilon
Bellevue Communications Group
610-613-2664