“Every tenant in Philadelphia deserves notice of the date and time of an impending lockout. The landlord-tenant officer’s proposal to provide notice to tenants only upon request does not address widespread, grave concerns about tenants being surprised at their door by armed private contractors who allow only ten minutes before locking families out of their homes. Notification of date and time must be provided directly to every tenant for every eviction in order to protect the safety of all parties and ensure that families can exercise their legal rights or make plans to find alternate housing. Surprise lockouts increase the likelihood of conflict and threaten the lives and safety of everyone involved in the eviction process, especially elderly tenants and tenants with disabilities and complex medical needs.
“Outsourcing the responsibility for evictions to out-of-county constables acting as private contractors does not make the system accountable to Philadelphians. While constables are elected officials, they are not elected by or beholden to Philadelphians. Oversight and accountability for this public responsibility must reside within Philadelphia and be led by Philadelphians. We look forward to continuing to work with the Municipal Court and other stakeholders to achieve this. The people of Philadelphia, including the two women who were shot during evictions, expect and deserve meaningful reforms to this office that will bring full accountability for our system of evictions.”
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