Citywide eviction moratorium proposal nears adoption by Pittsburgh Council

Feb. 24—Pittsburgh City Council members said Wednesday they are committed to enacting a citywide eviction moratorium when they meet next week.

Until then, council members will work with other city officials and Mayor Bill Peduto's administration to craft a law that temporarily protects people facing eviction, along with providing a way for landlords to be protected from a small amount of people who may be trying to milk the system.

Council took up the issue in a detailed discussion that lasted nearly two hours during its committee meeting Wednesday. It ended with unanimous sponsorship of the initial bill, introduced by Councilwoman Deb Gross, and a commitment to work out legal details in private meetings through Tuesday, when council members say they want to adopt a law that passes muster legally and covers all sides of the landlord/tenant equation.

It's been a problem that's festered for a year because of the coronavirus pandemic: People facing economic hardships because of covid who can't pay their rent or other bills.

Federal, state and local governments have enacted protections for those facing these hardships, but there are loopholes. The proposed law attempts to close some of them and protect people facing eviction from becoming homeless.

"We are trying to provide more expansive protection (for renters), but also allow for protection for landlords," Gross said. "We have valid cases on both sides."

Council members have heard from several volunteers with tenant advocacy groups urging them to act. They've also heard from landlords who have one or two rental properties who are hampered by tenants who are taking advantage of the now-yearlong excuse not to pay their rent while also allowing property damage and other lease violations to happen.

These landlords are not only owed back rent, which amounts to more than $10,000 in some cases, but also facing liens on their properties because of unpaid utility bills, they said.

The covid pandemic and the life-and-death risks associated with it have created a further urgency, Gross said.

"We're not through the emergency," she said.

Urging people to stay home and stay away from people outside of their immediate household is tough if someone is homeless, she said.

But there are also cases like one Councilman Anthony Coghill learned about recently, involving one of his constituents.

The man has a rental property and the rent on it is 10 months overdue — about $10,000 in total, Coghill said.

"He's not one to throw anyone out," Coghill said.

But his tax bills are coming due.

"What do I tell him?" Coghill asked during the discussion.

Help is on the way, Gross said, noting that Pittsburgh and Allegheny County are partnering with Action Housing and Dollar Energy on a rental assistance program that will provide at least $27 million in rental assistance directly to landlords under a program administered by the city's Urban Redevelopment Authority.

Details of the program are being finalized and should be in place by Monday. For information on it, click here.

The program will help people with back rent and rent owed moving forward, said Lindsay Powell, Peduto's assistant chief of staff.

There is no cap to how much money each qualifying household can use and more money for the program is expected to be included in future federal coronavirus relief packages, city officials said.

The moratorium would ban eviction proceedings in most, but not all, cases until the city-issued state of emergency expires. Last week, council extended the emergency through March 16. It has been renewed since the initial declaration on March 17, 2020.

The priority is to help those who are most vulnerable and these people are mostly tenants, Councilwoman Erika Strassburger said.

"If they lose their homes, that is a serious health and safety concern," she said.

Council is working with the Peduto administration and the city's Law Department to finalize the legislation and will vote on the measure when it meets Tuesday.

Tom Davidson is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tom at 724-226-4715, tdavidson@triblive.com or via Twitter .