In the aftermath of 2008, Philadelphia emerged as a model of mortgage foreclosure prevention. Now it is leading the way on eviction prevention.
Philadelphia is on the verge of upending evictions as we know them.
Last Wednesday, the Municipal Court of Philadelphia, which houseslandlord-tenant court, released a new order following the extension of the CDC’s nationwide eviction moratorium through June. For the next 45 days, landlords are required to apply to PHLRentAssist, the city’s rental assistance program, and enroll in the Eviction Diversion Program before filing an eviction for nonpayment.
The order is a game changer.
Before the pandemic, landlords filed 20,000 evictions a year in Philadelphia’s landlord-tenant court. That’s despite the devastatingly long list of harms associated with eviction, harms that start with the court filing, a record of which is publicly accessible forever — regardless of the outcome.
In Philadelphia, Black renters face eviction, and its damage, at more than twice the rate of white renters.
In the order, President Judge Patrick Dugan wrote that the program, “saved the court’s resources, prevented negative consequences of eviction during a pandemic, and benefited landlords and tenants.”
The leadership of Municipal Court deserves much credit for securing a new reality in Philadelphia: one in which an eviction filing can’t be used as a threat, tenants are less likely to lose their home, and landlords are more likely to recover rent.
https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/editorials/philadelphia-eviction-diversion-rent-20210405.html