County Executive Innamorato Signs Anti-Retaliation Bill to Protect Tenants from Unlawful Evictions
PITTSBURGH – Today County Executive Innamorato signed Allegheny County’s new anti-retaliation bill. The “Residential Tenant Protections for Retaliation” ordinance was co-sponsored by Councilmen Jordan Botta and Alex Rose and passed County Council by a vote of 11-1 earlier this week.
This bill further aims to protect tenants who faced retaliation from landlords for exercising legal rights such as filing complaints with local government, creating or joining a tenant union, or talking to the media about building conditions. While current law already is supposed to protect tenants who take those actions and prohibit retaliatory evictions, the burden was on the tenants to prove that they were evicted because of retaliation.
Under the new law, landlords must show evidence that an eviction is not retaliatory, which means landlords may still evict a tenant who fails to make rent, causes damage to the unit or property, or any other legitimate reasons for eviction. Other counties in Pennsylvania, including Centre, Erie, and Philadelphia already operate under the structure that Allegheny County has now adopted.
“I want to thank Councilmembers Botta and Rose for their sponsorship of this important tenant protection. 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,” said County Executive Sara Innamorato.
"Housing is a basic human need, and everyone deserves safe, healthy living conditions. I applaud the administration for taking up this issue and recognizing the importance of protecting tenants who speak up,” said Councilman Jordan Botta, who co-sponsored the legislation. “When I came to Council, I made it a priority to focus on equitable housing and ensuring our system works for everyone. This legislation makes clear that tenants can raise concerns without fear of retaliation -- it's not anti-landlord, it's about fairness and accountability"
"This ordinance makes it clear that the law protects all. Tenants will be protected from retaliation when they exercise their lawful rights. I am proud that we are strengthening accountability here in Allegheny County,” said Councilman Alex Rose who co-sponsored the legislation.
"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,” said Program Manager Tim Murphy, with the Housing and Community Environment Program. "If there's an unsafe condition in your rental unit that your landlord is not addressing- we want to know about it." The Housing and Community Environment program enforces public health regulations to ensure safe housing in Allegheny County. Landlords who do not comply with orders may face civil penalties.
“This ordinance is a major step forward for housing justice in Allegheny County. It affirms renters' right to safe and healthy housing, that they have the right to speak up, organize, and take lawful action to secure safe and healthy housing conditions, and it also acts as a deterrent to unscrupulous landlords against violating those rights”, said Maddy McGrady, co-chair of the Pittsburgh Housing Justice Table. “Thank you to the County Executive for making housing Justice a priority and working to ensure that all families in Allegheny County can enjoy their right to a stable and healthy home.”
“My landlord hasn’t been fixing anything. Part of how they’ve gotten away with it is the threat of retaliation keeping people silent,” said Patrice Aaron, a tenant of Bedcliff Apartments in the Hill District. “This ordinance will open doors for tenants to advocate for our right to safe, livable housing. It means we can report violations without fear of retaliation. It means when we invite neighbors to get involved, we can tell them they don’t need to be afraid to speak out.”
County Executive Sara Innamorato, Councilman Jordan Botta, and community advocates gathered to sign the bill on March 26.
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