Allegheny County joins Centre, Erie, and Philadelphia counties that protect tenants for speaking out against unsafe living conditions or joining a tenants union.
Allegheny County is taking steps to protect tenants from unlawful evictions from landlords after County Executive Sara Innamorao signed a new bill into law on Friday.
The bill, which passed the Allegheny County Council by a 11-1 vote earlier this week, prevents landlords from retaliating against tenants for exercising their legal rights by filing complaints with local governments, creating or joining a tenant union, or talking to the media about unsafe living conditions.
“One of the biggest challenges the [Allegheny County] Health Department faces in enforcement is tenant fear of retaliation for filing a complaint against a landlord,” Innamorato said in a statement.
“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.”
The new law will require landlords to show evidence that an eviction is not retaliatory, meaning landlords will still be allowed to evict a tenant for failing to pay rent, damaging a rental unit or property, or other legitimate reasons for an eviction.
“Housing is a basic human need, and everyone deserves safe, healthy living conditions,” Councilman Jordan Botta, one of the bill’s co-sponsors, said in a statement.
“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”
Other counties that have similar tenant protections in place include Centre, Erie and Philadelphia counties.
Patrice Aaron, a Pittsburgh resident living in the Bedcliff Apartments in the city’s Hill District, explained how her landlord would use threats of retaliation against her and her neighbors.
“My landlord hasn’t been fixing anything. Part of how they’ve gotten away with it is the threat of retaliation keeping people silent,” Aaron said.
She added, “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.”
