“Is Your Landlord Legal?” Check
We pull city records on your rental: current rental license, Certificate of Rental Suitability status, and open L&I violations — explained in plain English, not city jargon.
Renting in Philadelphia? Make sure your landlord is legal.
PhillyTenant.com is a private consulting service for tenants and landlords, run by George Cahill — retired Philadelphia firefighter, certified lead inspector, and longtime Philly real estate professional. Tenants: before you sign, renew, or pay another month of rent, find out whether your landlord is following the law. Landlords: find out whether you are — before a tenant’s lawyer does.
Everything is handled in writing — text or email. Send your address and your situation, and you get a written report and your options in writing. Text only — no phone calls. Prefer to talk it through? A 30-minute phone consultation is available by appointment for $150.
- Retired Philadelphia firefighter
- Certified lead inspector
- Longtime Philly real estate professional
For tenants: what we check for you
Services built on one question: is your rental legal — and can you prove it?
Certificate of Rental Suitability
Philadelphia law requires your landlord to hand you one at move-in, issued within 60 days before your lease starts. Never got one? We explain what that means and your options.
Lead-Safe Verification & Testing
Certified lead dust-wipe testing for homes built before 1978 — especially important for families with children under 6. Know for sure whether your home is lead-safe.
Move-In Documentation
A documented condition walkthrough with photos when you move in — so your security deposit comes back to you when you move out.
Should You Even Be Paying Rent?
A written review of whether your landlord is legal — license, certificate, violations — and whether you may be owed a refund under the November 2026 law. If your landlord collected rent while they weren’t legal, the answer might be no — and you get that answer in writing, with your options spelled out.
For landlords: get legal before a tenant’s lawyer calls
Most Philly landlords learn these rules the hard way — from a tenant’s lawsuit. The only people who know them cold are landlord-tenant lawyers. A compliance audit is the affordable way to learn them first.
Landlord Compliance Audit
We check every unit you own: rental license status, Certificate of Rental Suitability status, and open L&I violations — so you know exactly where you stand, in writing, before anyone else checks for you.
Get Legal Before November 2026
Help obtaining your rental license and issuing the Certificate of Rental Suitability correctly — issued within 60 days before the lease starts, the way the law requires. Done right, once, before the new law takes effect.
Lead-Safe / Lead-Free Certification
Certified lead testing and certification for your rentals through Philly Lead Inspections — the paperwork tenants, courts, and the city all ask for, handled by a certified inspector.
What’s at Stake
Collect rent while unlicensed or without a certificate, and under the new law your tenant can sue for rent collected while unlicensed from November 1, 2026 on — plus $1,000 per violation and attorney’s fees. Getting compliant now costs a fraction of defending that lawsuit later.
How consulting works
Three steps — all in writing. No forms, no portals, no phone tag, no callbacks.
Text or email your address
Send your address and your situation by text to (215) 783-8731 — text only, no phone calls — or by email. Tenant or landlord, tell us which side you’re on.
We check the records and the property
We pull the city records — license, certificate, violations, and lead status — on the property in question.
You get a written report
What we found, what it means for you, and your options — in writing, in words anyone can understand. Any fee is confirmed in writing before you commit.
Everything is handled in writing, by text or email. You send your address and situation; you get a written report and your options in writing. No phone tag, no callbacks, nothing lost in a conversation you can’t refer back to.
Prefer to talk it through? A 30-minute phone consultation is available by appointment for $150 — the one premium option, booked in writing. See pricing below.
Pricing
Flat fees, known up front — no hourly billing, no surprises.
Written Consultation
$75 flat — one address
For tenants checking whether their landlord is legal, and landlords checking a single property. City-records check plus a written report with your options.
Landlord Compliance Audit
$125 per property
A full audit of a property you own: rental license, Certificate of Rental Suitability, and open L&I violations — with a written report on where you stand and what to fix.
30-Minute Phone Consultation
$150 by appointment
The premium option: talk your situation through live with George for 30 minutes. Booked in writing — everything else stays text and email.
Prices subject to change without notice.
New law · November 2026
Illegal landlord? You could get your rent back
Under Philadelphia’s Safe Healthy Homes Act, if your landlord collected rent without a valid rental license or Certificate of Rental Suitability, you can sue for a refund of rent collected while unlicensed — from November 1, 2026 on — plus $1,000 per violation in statutory damages and attorney’s fees. If your landlord never handed you that certificate — or you’re a landlord who never issued one — it’s worth finding out where you stand, in writing, before the law takes effect.
Questions tenants and landlords ask us
Did my landlord have to give me a Certificate of Rental Suitability?
Yes. Philadelphia law requires your landlord to give you a Certificate of Rental Suitability at the start of every tenancy, and it must be issued no more than 60 days before your lease begins. If it was issued too early — or you never received one at all — it may not count.
What if I never received one?
Your landlord may be barred from collecting rent until they comply. And under the Safe Healthy Homes Act, taking effect November 2026, you can sue for a refund of rent you paid after November 1, 2026 during any period your landlord collected rent without a valid rental license or Certificate of Rental Suitability — plus $1,000 per violation in statutory damages and attorney’s fees. Every situation is different — text us your address and we’ll check your landlord’s records and explain your options in writing.
How do I know if my home is lead-safe?
Homes built before 1978 may have lead paint, and you can’t see lead dust. Certified dust-wipe testing is the way to know. As a certified lead inspector, George can test your home and explain the results — especially important if you have children under 6.
I’m a landlord. What happens if I’ve been collecting rent without a license or certificate?
Under the Safe Healthy Homes Act, taking effect November 2026, a tenant can sue for a refund of rent paid after November 1, 2026 during any period you collected rent without a valid rental license or Certificate of Rental Suitability — plus $1,000 per violation in statutory damages and attorney’s fees. Most landlords have no idea these rules exist until a tenant’s lawyer explains them. A compliance audit tells you where you stand on every unit you own, and we can help you get legal — license obtained, certificate issued correctly — before that happens.
Do you take phone calls?
Consulting is handled in writing — text or email — so everything is documented and you can refer back to it. Text your address and situation to (215) 783-8731 (text only) or email us, and you’ll get a written report and your options in writing. If you’d rather talk it through, a 30-minute phone consultation is available by appointment for $150.
Is this legal advice?
No. PhillyTenant.com provides consulting and inspection services — checking records, testing for lead, and documenting your home. For free legal help, call the Philly Tenant Hotline at (267) 443-2500.
Tenant or landlord — find out where you stand
Start your written consult: text or email your address and your situation. No phone calls — you get your report and your options in writing.
Text only: (215) 783-8731 — no phone calls