| The Landlord and Tenant Office of the city has been shut down by the Philadelphia Municipal Court, until further notice, due to insurance reasons. All evictions are now to be handled by the Sheriff's Office. Evictions that were started with the Landlord and Tenant Office will have to be restarted from the beginning of the process at a higher cost through the Sheriff's Office. For information about the new eviction laws, the requirements are in the Angel Davis Eviction Accountability Bill. Evictions will continue but may be delayed until further notice. |
How can I contact Landlord-Tenant Court?
Contact Landlord & Tenant Court at Municipal Court 1339 Chestnut St., 10th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107 or call (215) 686-7988, (215) 686-2901, (215) 686-7990, Mon, Tue, Thu and Fri 9 - 5 pm and Wed 9 - 4 pm.
You Should Know:
The city has enacted the Eviction Diversion Program. See What is the Eviction Diversion Program? The program enables landlords and tenants to arrive at an agreement that works for both parties, without having to go to Court. This program is required for all landlords evicting a tenant. Benefits of diversion and mediation include helping tenants avoid eviction, while also helping landlords avoid vacancies and unit turnover costs.To schedule a mediation, landlords must first submit an application through eviction-diversion.phila.gov. Once it is confirmed that the application is complete, the landlord and tenant will be scheduled for mediation within 30 days.
Further Information:
The Philadelphia Municipal Court hears cases involving a written or oral lease. The court has the authority to evict a tenant and to enter a money judgment.
There is no limit to the amount of a money judgment. The court cannot hear a case involving a squatter and cannot order a landlord to make repairs.
A landlord may bring an action to recover money due under a lease, including the cost of repairs for which the former tenant is responsible when any security deposit is insufficient.
A landlord may also bring an action to evict a tenant if:
- the tenant failed to pay any rent due after it has been demanded by the landlord;
- the tenant violated a material condition of the lease;
- the tenant failed to leave the leased premises in accordance with the lease.
Self-help (shutting off utilities, changing the door lock, taking the front door off) by a landlord is not permitted. A landlord may not change the locks, cut off utilities or remove a tenant’s possessions from the property. A tenant may sue a former landlord to recover a security deposit that has not been returned in a timely manner in accordance with the law. 
