Philadelphia Rental Rules Taking Effect November 1, 2026: Landlord Checklist

Two major Philadelphia rental ordinances take effect November 1, 2026. Bill 250329-AA changes rental-license, tenant-notice, Certificate of Rental Suitability, rent-collection, eviction-document, and proactive-inspection rules. Bill 250330-AA expands good-cause, anti-retaliation, habitability, organizing, and remedy provisions.

This checklist separates what landlords can prepare now from what L&I has not yet announced.

November 1 at a glance

Philadelphia landlord preparation checklist

1. Verify every rental license against the live City record

Record the license number, covered property and units, current status, issuance date, and expiration date. Do not rely only on a receipt, an application confirmation, or last year's PDF.

Bill 250329-AA makes clear that rent cannot be collected under a required license that has expired or been suspended. The ordinance includes a narrow provision protecting an owner from being deemed noncompliant solely for late renewal during the first fifteen days after expiration, but only if the owner obtains a valid renewal within that period.

Practical file to keep:

• current license PDF;
• screenshot or export of the live status;
• renewal submission and payment record;
• notices or requests from L&I; and
• proof of the actual issuance date.

2. Build a seven-day license-delivery procedure

After receiving a new or renewed rental license, provide it to tenants with the required statutory information within seven days. Bill 250329-AA allows posting in a conspicuous place visible to tenants or delivery personally or by certified mail.

For properties with one or two dwelling units, email is also permitted when the tenant affirmatively consented in writing to email delivery, supplied an email address for that purpose, and has not revoked consent.

The operational record should show:

• what was delivered;
• which statutory restatement accompanied the license;
• the delivery method;
• the delivery or posting date; and
• written email consent, if email was used.

3. Create procedures for violation and suspension notices

Certain serious violation and license-suspension notices must reach impacted tenants on defined timelines. Bill 250329-AA addresses notices involving unsafe, unfit, imminently dangerous, and Philadelphia Fire Code conditions.

The ordinance generally requires the affected violation notice to be posted or delivered no later than twenty-four hours before the correction deadline stated in the notice, unless the condition is fully corrected within the permitted period. A license-suspension notice generally must be posted or delivered within seven days after receipt.

Owners and managers should designate who receives City notices, who decides which tenants are impacted, and who preserves proof of posting or delivery.

4. Audit Certificate of Rental Suitability procedures

A Certificate of Rental Suitability is a separate City document, even though it depends on a valid rental license. The City does not charge for the certificate. HubKey obtains it as part of the rental-license service when applicable, but the owner remains responsible for required tenant delivery and owner attestations.

The November amendments include different timing rules for different moments:

• start of tenancy: provide a certificate issued no more than sixty days before the tenancy begins, together with the required owner attestation and City documents;
• certain eviction filings: provide the tenant and court a certificate issued no more than thirty days before filing;
• tenant request during a tenancy: provide a certificate issued no more than thirty days before the request, within ten days after the request; and
• request frequency: the ordinance limits a tenant request to one certificate in a ninety-day period.

Do not treat an old certificate from the original lease as automatically sufficient for a later filing or request.

5. Resolve violations and organize appeal records

Open violations can affect license issuance, renewal, suitability-document eligibility, and the owner's position in a rent or possession case. Track each violation through correction, reinspection, appeal, or final disposition.

Keep:

• the original notice and cure date;
• contractor invoices and dated completion evidence;
• requests for reinspection;
• appeal filings and decisions;
• tenant notices; and
• the updated City record after clearance.

If a pending tax, lien, fine, fee, or violation appeal is relevant to licensing, the final ordinance contains detailed disclosure and filing requirements. Get property-specific legal advice rather than assuming every appeal creates the same protection.

6. Have counsel review lease termination and complaint-response workflows

Bill 250330-AA extends Philadelphia's good-cause framework to actions terminating any lease and broadens retaliation, harassment, habitability, and tenant-organizing protections. A standard non-renewal template created under the earlier rules may no longer fit the final ordinance.

Before November 1, review:

• notices of non-renewal and termination;
• written reasons supporting a lease action;
• repair-request intake and response documentation;
• notices and records for non-emergency property access;
• tenant-association communications;
• handling of health information; and
• escalation to Pennsylvania counsel.

This is the portion of the checklist where legal review matters most. HubKey can handle license filing and property records; it does not provide legal representation.

7. Prepare for proactive inspections without inventing a schedule

Bill 250329-AA authorizes L&I to establish a proactive program and sets a goal of regularly inspecting licensed residential rentals by July 2030 where feasible. The ordinance also requires future public reporting.

As of August 23, 2026, the City had not published a universal first-inspection date, ZIP-code sequence, or final field checklist for the new program. Landlords should prepare the existing compliance record now and watch for official L&I instructions.

Useful preparation includes:

• active license and legal occupancy records;
• cleared or actively managed violations;
• current lead certification where required;
• working fire-protection and smoke-detection equipment;
• documented repair and maintenance workflows; and
• accurate owner, agent, and emergency contact information.

A separate rule that is already effective: physical addresses and Local Agents

Bill 250980-A took effect July 6, 2026. It requires verifiable physical addresses for certain property-related licenses, prohibits P.O. boxes, mail drops, virtual addresses, and other non-verifiable addresses for that purpose, and requires a qualifying Local Agent for a non-resident landlord.

That is not a November 1 change. If it applies to an owner, the information should already be current. Read the separate physical-address and Local Agent guide.

What HubKey can and cannot do

HubKey can check City records, prepare and submit a Philadelphia rental-license application, coordinate required lead testing, and obtain the Certificate of Rental Suitability when applicable. The automatic portfolio discount applies only to HubKey service fees for property two and later—not City fees or lead-testing charges.

HubKey is an independent filing service. It is not the City of Philadelphia, is not endorsed by the City, cannot guarantee approval, and does not provide legal advice. Lease, eviction, retaliation, and disputed-compliance questions belong with a Pennsylvania attorney.

What to monitor next

The official records above are the recheck baseline. This page will be updated when L&I publishes material implementation guidance. The next items to watch are:

• L&I's proactive-inspection sequence and owner-notice process;
• the field inspection checklist;
• forms or eCLIPSE changes for new tenant-delivery duties;
• official guidance on the required statutory restatement accompanying licenses; and
• litigation that changes implementation or enforceability.

Material changes will appear in the update history below rather than being silently rewritten.