Philadelphia landlords · Safe Healthy Homes Act
What is scheduled to change for Philadelphia landlords on November 1, 2026
Safe Healthy Homes Act changes are enacted with a scheduled November 1, 2026 effective date. Free public access to the court file ended June 5, 2026, so later litigation status requires PACER or counsel verification.
The Safe Healthy Homes Act — City Council Bills 250329-AA and 250330-AA, signed May 7, 2026 — would amend parts of Philadelphia's rental-licensing, Certificate of Rental Suitability, violation, and lease-termination rules if the enacted provisions become operative as scheduled on November 1, 2026. The public docket source available to Philly Rental Compliance (PRC) does not establish later litigation status; verify current implementation and any later orders before relying on the schedule. This page is the short version; the full legal deep-dive walks through every provision with Code citations.
Countdown to the scheduled effective date
59 days 4 hours until stated effective date, November 1, 2026
The enacted bills state November 1, 2026 as an effective date; current status must be verified before relying on a future rule.
See where your property stands before the rules change
See your rental-license status and expiration date from City records, how many problems we found, the things only you can confirm, what to handle first, and when we last checked. New Compliance Watch enrollment is paused while its supported-source rechecks, owner answers, dated tasks, alerts, and history are prepared.
Check My Property FreeThree dates the enacted Act schedules
The enacted bills schedule phases over four years. The November 1, 2026 date would carry most of the day-to-day changes; later scheduled dates address public reporting and inspection planning.
November 1, 2026
in 60 days
Scheduled effective date
License-posting and renewal-eligibility changes, future CRS and filing-record duties, and the two bills' distinct remedy and good-cause provisions carry this stated date; verify current implementation and any later court orders.
December 31, 2027
in 485 days
First annual public report
L&I's first annual public report would list owners and addresses with open unsafe, unfit, or imminently dangerous violations or Cease Operations orders.
July 2030
in 1,398 days
Proactive inspections phase in
Bill 250329-AA would direct L&I to plan and phase a regular-cycle inspection program for licensed rentals by July 2030, subject to the enacted feasibility language.
These provisions are enacted and scheduled, but are not yet treated by this product as effective. Later litigation status requires current verification.
Scheduled for November 1, 2026. Verify current implementation and any later litigation or orders before relying on it. Details and Code citations in the full guide
Scheduled licensing changes — and more public visibility
Bill 250329-AA would tighten renewal eligibility: an applicant with a violation that meets the bill's disqualifying conditions would be expressly "not eligible" for issuance or renewal, and a license issued while an appeal was pending could be suspended after the violation is affirmed and relevant appeals are exhausted. The effect of a particular violation depends on its classification, status, appeal posture, and the Department's application of the enacted text.
Bill 250329-AA would also require an owner to provide the license and a specified Code restatement to tenants within 7 days of receiving the license, at each issuance or renewal, using the bill's stated methods. Its rent-recovery and possession language would expressly address expired and suspended licenses. How those provisions apply to a particular period, claim, or defense requires case-specific legal review.
Scheduled for November 1, 2026. Verify current implementation and any later litigation or orders before relying on it. Details and Code citations in the full guide
The two bills schedule different remedy frameworks
Bill 250329-AA remedy framework. In a private action under the amended licensing chapter, the bill would entitle a prevailing tenant to compensatory damages or $1,000 in liquidated damages per violation, whichever is greater. For a violation of the enacted bill's future-effective § 9-3901(4)(h), it separately lists abatement and refund of rent for the period defined there, along with other court-ordered relief and reasonable attorney's fees and costs.
Bill 250330-AA remedy framework. In a judicial proceeding under the amended landlord-tenant chapter, the bill would let a court award compensatory damages and restitution or, if the plaintiff elects before judgment, $1,000 in statutory damages per violation. It separately addresses punitive damages for a willful or wanton violation, attorney's fees and costs, license suspension or revocation, and an affirmative defense. Those triggers and formulas are not interchangeable with Bill 250329-AA's.
Bill 250329-AA includes a future 15-day renewal safe harbor for the bill's private-remedy analysis when its stated conditions are met. It is not an extension of the license expiration date, a validity grace period, or a general shield from City enforcement.
Scheduled for November 1, 2026. Verify current implementation and any later litigation or orders before relying on it. Details and Code citations in the full guide
Future CRS and filing-attachment duties
At the time of filing an eviction action, Bill 250329-AA would require an owner to provide the tenant and court a CRS issued no more than 30 days before the bill's stated "date of enrollment." The bill says "date of enrollment," not "filing"; how that phrase maps to court procedure is unresolved and requires current court guidance or counsel review.
Separately, the enacted bill's future-effective § 9-3901(4)(h) would require an owner, in an eviction or rent-collection action, to attach the license, the CRS records required by § 9-3903, and code-violation records for the relevant tenancy. The bill also schedules a tenant-request process. These are future-effective provisions, not currently operative requirements on the August 24, 2026 review date.
Already law today: failing to fix violations covered by your CRS attestation (fire protection and smoke-detection equipment, operating systems, and fit-and-habitable conditions) within 30 days after receiving the notice, or sooner as indicated by L&I, is CRS noncompliance under current § 9-3903(2)(d). New on November 1: Bill 250329-AA narrows that rule to unsafe, unfit, or imminently dangerous violations and excuses a timely-appealed notice. The bill's future-effective § 9-3901(4)(h) connects defined noncompliance to specified rent-recovery and possession restrictions. Whether and when those affect a particular period, claim, filing, or defense is case-specific.
Scheduled for November 1, 2026. Verify current implementation and any later litigation or orders before relying on it. Details and Code citations in the full guide
Good-cause expansion is scheduled, not currently operative
On the August 24, 2026 review date, Philadelphia Code § 9-804(12) applies upon expiration of a residential lease of less than one year, including a month-to-month tenancy. Bill 250330-AA is scheduled for November 1, 2026 and would extend that good-cause rule to expiration of any residential lease while broadening covered conduct to specified actions to terminate a tenancy.
The bill would add a good-cause ground for a bona fide arm's-length sale to a purchaser who intends to owner-occupy within 90 days of closing, with an executed agreement of sale, the purchaser's signed statement, and at least 60 days' notice of non-renewal. PRC recommends reviewing any planned termination or non-renewal with a licensed Pennsylvania attorney before relying on a future provision.
Scheduled for November 1, 2026. Verify current implementation and any later litigation or orders before relying on it. Details and Code citations in the full guide
Litigation status requires current verification
A federal case challenged the legislative process and later pleadings. The public copy of the court docket linked by this site currently exposes entries only through June 5, 2026. That snapshot does not support a claim about what happened later, whether the case remains pending today, or whether a later order affects implementation. Check PACER or ask counsel to verify the current docket before relying on the November 1 date in a filing, notice, or dispute.
The public copy of the Floyd court docket we can see stops at June 5, 2026. Nothing automatic — no date arriving, no old snapshot — can establish the current litigation posture.
Status last reviewed August 23, 2026. Full litigation timeline in the guide
PRC preparation recommendations before November 1
PRC recommends organizing around three questions: is your rental license active, do you have open L&I violations, and is your CRS current for the tenancy in place. The steps below are workflow advice, not a statement that the future provisions are currently operative or a legal conclusion about a property:
Confirm your rental license status and renewal date for every address, not just the ones you think are current.
Look up open L&I violations by address and clear anything outstanding well before the 30-day and license-renewal clocks matter.
Check that your mailing address on file with L&I is current — notices, and eventually proactive-inspection scheduling, go to whatever address the City has.
Pull a fresh Certificate of Rental Suitability before a new tenancy, and review the City's renewal guidance for tenancies you are extending.
If you rely on month-to-month or short-term non-renewals, review how the scheduled November 1 good-cause and owner-occupant-sale changes could affect a future notice.
Safe Healthy Homes 2026 Readiness Checklist. What the Act changes for landlords, item by item, with the prep steps in order. The full checklist is included in Compliance Watch. See what the plan includes
Scheduled for November 1, 2026. Verify current implementation and any later litigation or orders before relying on it. Details and Code citations in the full guide
Put scheduled changes into a dated workflow
Compliance Watch starts with a supported-record baseline, then keeps owner confirmations, dated tasks, recurring checks, annual reminders, and resolution history together. New customers have one annual software path; no separate audit or monthly purchase is offered.
The enacted bills state November 1, 2026 as an effective date; current status must be verified before relying on a future rule.
See plan pricingSee where your property stands before the rules change
See your rental-license status and expiration date from City records, how many problems we found, the things only you can confirm, what to handle first, and when we last checked. New Compliance Watch enrollment is paused while its supported-source rechecks, owner answers, dated tasks, alerts, and history are prepared.
Check My Property FreeWant every provision with Code citations, safe harbors, and the full litigation timeline? Read the full legal deep-dive
This page summarizes enacted Philadelphia legislation and the litigation information available on the last-reviewed date above. The public copy of the court docket available to PRC ends June 5, 2026, so verify later orders and current implementation through PACER or counsel before relying on the scheduled November 1, 2026 date. This page is general information, not legal advice. For decisions tied to a particular property, tenant, or filing, talk to a licensed Pennsylvania attorney. Philly Rental Compliance is an information and software-workflow service. We report what supported City of Philadelphia public records show about your property and organize owner-provided information. We are not a law firm, filing service, property manager, or inspector, and we do not provide legal advice. For legal questions, consult a licensed Pennsylvania attorney.