Pa. lawmakers sponsor bills to fight slumblords' practices

The Associated Press The bills surfaced yesterday, three days after a fire caused by faulty electrical wiring in a Philadelphia row house killed five people. City officials closed five other buildings owned or managed by the same landlords, after inspections found similar code violations. Under the bills considered by the Senate Urban Affairs and Housing Committee, third-class cities like Harrisburg and Erie could impose larger fines and more jail time on landlords who repeatedly ignore building codes. Slumlords "make living conditions unsafe for tenants and life unpleasant for those who must live in the neighborhood," said one of the sponsors, Sen. Jeff Piccola (R-Dauphin). Part of the legislation would increase maximum fines from $1,000 to $10,000 for owners with repeat violations of building codes. Also, repeat offenders could go to jail for five years instead of the current 90-day maximum. Other provisions would close loopholes in current state law that let landlords avoid paying taxes and utility bills. Landlords of the site of the tragic fire in Philadelphia assumed control of the property after the previous owners died several years ago, Fran Egan, commissioner of the Department of Licenses and Inspections, told The Philadelphia Inquirer. They converted the three-story row house into eight studio apartments, which housed 18 people, the Inquirer said. Egan said members of her staff did not learn about the situation sooner because her staff of 45 housing inspectors is responsible for ensuring code compliance in about 38,000 multi-unit dwellings across Philadelphia. "We do the best we can with the resources that we have," she said. "We also depend on residents and tenant organizations to notify us about problem landlords." At yesterday's hearing at the Capitol, city officials from around the state told lawmakers that taxpayers end up paying to keep abandoned buildings safe. The city of Harrisburg spent $8 million in state and local funds, or 10 percent of its total budget, to board up or demolish blighted homes last year, said Mayor Stephen Reed. Erie Mayor Joyce Savocchio said her city's redevelopment authority spent state grants worth $1.4 million on housing rehabilitation and demolition. Both mayors said their estimates don't reflect the total cost to taxpayers, because delinquent landlords rarely pay back taxes and utility bills. In Harrisburg, the 10 worst building code violators owe more than $1 million for back taxes and utilities, Reed said. Opposition to the legislation came from representatives of rental property owners, who said the bills would give municipalities too much power to harass landlords for minor violations.