{"id":11142,"date":"2023-10-05T10:02:04","date_gmt":"2023-10-05T14:02:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/archive-lynchlaw.pfgsandbox.com\/?p=11142"},"modified":"2023-10-31T10:57:45","modified_gmt":"2023-10-31T14:57:45","slug":"new-pittsburgh-residential-rental-ordinance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive-lynchlaw.pfgsandbox.com\/?p=11142","title":{"rendered":"New Pittsburgh Residential Rental Ordinance"},"content":{"rendered":"

Attorney Krista Kochosky Shares Details About a New Pittsburgh Residential Rental Ordinance<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

What Landlords Need to Know<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Pittsburgh’s City Council recently made waves in the rental community by unanimously passing a new ordinance affecting all residential rentals within the city, both long-term and short-term. This comes despite the reversal of a similar rental registry program in 2015. <\/span>Here\u2019s<\/span> a breakdown of what landlords should be aware of:<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Background of the Ordinance<\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n

A similar rental registry program was enacted in 2015. However, it faced legal challenges and was reversed by the Commonwealth Court. The matter, *Landlord Serv. Bureau v. City of Pittsburgh, 2023 Pa. LEXIS 1180, 1 (Sept. 1, 2023), is currently under review by the PA Supreme Court.\u00a0Should they decide to reverse,\u00a0the more stringent ordinance rules would exist requiring a landlord training academy and inspection without consent.<\/p>\n

Key Provisions<\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n
Rental Permit Requirement<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n

Every landlord or their designated agent must secure a rental permit with the City’s Department of PLI (Permits, Licensing, and Inspections). Without this permit, landlords cannot legally collect rent.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Property Inspections<\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

All rental properties must undergo inspections. For existing rental units as of the ordinance’s effective date, a provisional permit will be issued once the License Officer <\/span>deems<\/span> the unit compliant with regulations and the permit registration fee has been settled. <\/span>Subsequent<\/span> inspections will be <\/span>required<\/span> every three years, excluding lead inspections. A Certificate of Occupancy is necessary unless the structure is exempt under Titles 9 and 10 of the Pittsburgh City Code.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Permit Renewals<\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

Landlords must renew their permits annually or within <\/span>60 days<\/span> following any real estate title transfer.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Contact Person Registration<\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

Landlords must register a contact person with the city. However, in a change from <\/span>previous<\/span> rules, this contact information will not be public.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Removed Requirements<\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n

Notably, the new legislation has eased certain mandates. Landlords no longer <\/span>have to<\/span> attend a training academy, and the city no longer has the right to conduct inspections without consent. However, if access is denied for an inspection, the License Officer can obtain an administrative warrant per Section 104.3 of the International Property Maintenance Code.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I<\/span>mplementation & Potential Legal Challenges<\/span><\/h4>\n

The Department of Permits, Licensing, and Inspections is tasked with crafting <\/span>a<\/span>ppropriate regulations<\/span> to put this ordinance into action. The ordinance becomes effective once these regulations are posted. Given its nature, legal experts <\/span>a<\/span>nticipate<\/span> potential lawsuits challenging its enforcement. If this occurs, a similar enforcement injunction might be imposed until the challenge is settled.<\/span><\/p>\n

P<\/span>enalties<\/span><\/h4>\n

Violations carry a summary offense penalty, and landlords could face fines of up to $500 per violation.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Rights to Appeal<\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n

If aggrieved by any License Officer action, individuals have the right to appeal as per Section 701.15 of this Title. This penalty provision <\/span>doesn\u2019t<\/span> restrict the rights of the City, tenants, or any other legally standing individuals to seek lawful actions or remedies available to them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n

The new ordinance <\/span>represents<\/span> a significant shift in Pittsburgh’s rental landscape. Landlords should be proactive in familiarizing themselves with the changes to ensure compliance and avoid potential legal complications. If you’d like to learn more about the new residential rental ordinances, contact Krista Kochosky<\/a> at kkochosky@archive-lynchlaw.pfgsandbox.com or by calling 724-776-8000<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Attorney Krista Kochosky Shares Details About a New Pittsburgh Residential Rental Ordinance What Landlords Need to Know\u00a0 Pittsburgh’s City Council recently made waves in the rental community by unanimously passing a new ordinance affecting all residential rentals within the city, … →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11143,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56,102,232],"tags":[487,488,169,482,258],"class_list":["post-11142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-news-updates","category-real-estate","category-regulatory","tag-investment-property","tag-ordinance","tag-real-estate","tag-regulations","tag-rental-property"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive-lynchlaw.pfgsandbox.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11142","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive-lynchlaw.pfgsandbox.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive-lynchlaw.pfgsandbox.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive-lynchlaw.pfgsandbox.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive-lynchlaw.pfgsandbox.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11142"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/archive-lynchlaw.pfgsandbox.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11142\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11161,"href":"https:\/\/archive-lynchlaw.pfgsandbox.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11142\/revisions\/11161"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive-lynchlaw.pfgsandbox.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11143"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive-lynchlaw.pfgsandbox.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive-lynchlaw.pfgsandbox.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive-lynchlaw.pfgsandbox.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}