Philly landlords can't rely as heavily on eviction records anymore

New guidelines around how Philadelphia landlords can use eviction records went into effect this week.

• It's part of an effort to encourage more individualized assessments.

Why it matters: Evictions have long-term consequences. Tenants who are evicted can lose housing subsidy vouchers, become ineligible for public housing programs and be screened out of private housing.

Context: Philadelphia was averaging 20,000 evictions per year before the pandemic. It ranked fourth in total eviction filings among the largest U.S. cities.

• And Black single mothers disproportionately feel the brunt.

Under the new guidelines, landlords can't outright deny potential tenants based solely on eviction records or credit scores.

• They also can't deny anyone because they failed to pay rent during the state's COVID-19 emergency declaration period.

What else: Landlords must disclose their criteria for potential tenants publicly.

• If they reject a tenant, they must notify the person within three business days and provide a reason.
• If landlords violate any of the guidelines, they'll have to pay up to a $2,000 fine.

What they're saying: Councilmember Kendra Brooks, who's behind the legislation, said this is about making the renting process more equitable and transparent.

• "[This] is setting a nationwide precedent for what it means to eliminate structural barriers that keep working class people of color out of the private rental market," Brooks said in a statement.

The other side: Paul Cohen, a lawyer for the Homeowners Association of Philadelphia, said he doesn't believe it's possible to ask landlords to do individualized assessments while also requiring them to disclose uniform criteria.

• "It's confusing and puts landlords and property managers in a difficult position because they don’t know how to comply with the law," he told Axios. "They don’t understand, and neither do I."