How do I obtain/renew a Housing Rental License?

• A Housing Rental License is required for the following: multiple-family dwelling, rooming house, dormitory, condominium, or hotel, or offering for rent a one- or two-family dwelling or rooming unit. Each space rented in a property is considered a unit. Each unit in the property must be listed on the license at the time of application, as the fee is paid per unit in the property and not just the units actively rented.
• Vacant Property Licenses are required for vacant commercial and residential properties and lots.
• The fee is $63 per unit for residential properties and $185 for vacant properties or vacant lots. A new shopping cart feature in eCLIPSE is now ready. This allows customers to make payments on multiple licensees by consolidating them into a single transaction. A How-to Guide is already posted on the website on the ‘Help using eclipse’ page. After payment, licenses should be valid within 5 business days for new licenses or immediately for renewals, barring any other issues.
• A City of Philadelphia Business Tax Account (BIRT) and a Commercial Activity License (CAL) are required before applying for a Housing Rental License.
• Everyone listed on the deed must be listed on the business tax account and business license.
• If the property is an owner-occupied duplex, the owner does not need to obtain a Commercial Activity License (CAL) but is required to obtain a School Income Tax (SIT) from the Revenue Department and must only pay the fee for the one unit that is rented but still must claim two units. For the owner to qualify for this exemption, the owner's name must be the same on the title deed, the license application, and some independent verification which indicates that this is the owner's legal address (driver's license, current utility bill excluding water). This exemption is only valid for owner-occupied properties with 2-4 family dwellings. Although no CAL is required, you are still required to obtain a SIT (School Income Tax) from the Revenue Department.

• Agent qualifications: Agent must be a person over the age of eighteen (18) who lives in Philadelphia or is regularly available at a Philadelphia address.
• If the agent's address is a business address, a Commercial Activity License must be registered there.
• An agent terminating their services must give notice to L+I, License and Issuance Unit, and include in the notice the owner's name and address, the address of the property, and the license number. The owner is required to designate a new agent within thirty (30) days.
• The owner can designate an agent at any time by filling out an amended application with the signature of the agent. There is no additional charge for a change of agent.
• An owner who does not live in Philadelphia and is not regularly available at a Philadelphia address is not permitted to act as an agent.
• If the rental property was purchased within the last six months, you must provide a signed settlement sheet or recorded deed.
• For complete information and application, visit http://www.phila.gov/li/Pages/Licenses.aspx

• Commercial Activity License
• Business Income and Receipts Tax Account Number
• Federal Employee (Tax) Identification Number (FEIN) or Social Security Number (for an Individual)
• Zoning Approval (for two or more units)
• Lead Paint Disclosure and Certification

• Certificate of Rental Suitability
• Rental Property Lead Certificate
• Bed Bug Control Plan
• Copy of “Partners in Good Housing”
• Lease

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