Evictions
You got an eviction notice. Here’s the next week.
What the notice means, what it doesn’t, and the one date you can’t miss.
Rashad Merriweather6 min read
Free legal help for Philadelphia renters
Every tenant on the block deserves a lawyer
We’re a nonprofit clinic of tenant lawyers on Girard Avenue. If you rent your home and a landlord has filed, stopped fixing things or kept your deposit, start with a guide, or call and talk it through with us.
Start here
Guides for the week the letter comes
Written by our lawyers in plain words, for the questions renters bring to the walk-in desk most.
DepositsHow to get your security deposit back
Photos, a forwarding address and a letter: the steps that make a landlord return it.
Pauline Szeto5 min read
The clinicWhat happens after you call us
From the first phone call to the courtroom, step by step, so nothing surprises you.
Henrietta Pilarski3 min read
What we take on
Four kinds of trouble at home
We represent tenants only, never landlords. These are the cases our lawyers handle from first notice to final order.
Eviction defense
A notice, court papers or a hearing date. We answer, prepare and stand with you in Municipal Court.
About eviction defenseRepairs and unsafe homes
No heat, leaks, mold, lead paint or a landlord who won’t fix it. We put the law on your side of the repair.
About repairs and unsafe homesSecurity deposits
Moved out and the deposit never came back, or came back with deductions you don’t owe.
About security depositsFair housing
Turned away, harassed or treated differently because of who you are, your family or your voucher.
About fair housing
Watch the talk
Renting a rowhouse, your rights in twelve minutes
Our managing attorney walks through the notice, the hearing and the repairs your landlord owes, the same talk she gives at block meetings across the city.
Tenants’ rights talk with Henrietta Pilarski
Recorded at a block meeting in Strawberry Mansion.
Asked at the desk
What renters ask before calling
Is it really free?
Yes, for tenants who qualify. We’re funded by grants and donors, so we never send you a bill and never take a share of anything you recover.
Who qualifies?
Philadelphia renters whose household income is within our limits, which are on the Get help page. If you have a hearing date, call anyway: we’ll talk with you even if we can’t take the case.
My hearing is in two days. Is it too late?
No. Call today. We can often appear with you or ask the court for more time, but only if we hear from you before the hearing.
Do you help landlords?
No. We represent tenants only, so you never sit across from a landlord we also advise.
Will my landlord find out I called?
No. What you tell us stays with us. We only contact your landlord once you’ve agreed that we should.
Talk to a tenant lawyer
Bring the notice, we’ll read it with you
Walk in Tuesday or Thursday mornings, call during the week, or send us a short note and we’ll call you back within two working days.