We were supposed to be living in a rental registration world by now.
But the original deadline for property owners to register rentals, December 31, 2022, has come and gone, and we are still without a system to ensure safe living conditions for renters in Pittsburgh.
A lawsuit filed in May 2022 by the Apartment Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh (AAMP) challenged the program’s fees and the lead inspection requirement. After much delay, a hearing is scheduled for January 17.
“We’re just asking for safe rental accommodation,” says Liz Gray, Neighborhood Quality Consultant at OPDC. “We’ve had apartment fires, house fires, incidents where people have died in rentals.”
Also in limbo is quality of life (QOL) ticketing, a strategy that would make it easier for the city to cite refuse, weeds, and debris violations—a huge win for all of the work that Oakwatch has done over the past decade.
Gray explains it this way: “When you park a car illegally, you get a ticket. It’s the same for when you leave your cans on the sidewalk for five days or if your grass is over a foot tall. You get a ticket and pay a fine, or go to court.”
Don’t worry—the cops won’t be coming to your door. “The Department of Public Works will be enforcing the ordinance, primarily for weed and debris violations at problem properties.”
Join Let’s Talk: Rental Registration + QOL Ticketing on Wed, Jan 18.