Are there any free or cheap legal attorneys, lawyers, etc for tenants in Philly?

Submitted by rosecolured t3_yee8bd in philadelphia

I’m in a dispute with my landlord currently. The building was deemed unfit by the city and tenants aren’t allowed to move in until all problems are resolved. One of my issues is an emergency that should’ve been handled within 24 hrs but has now gone on for weeks. My landlord is now emailing me at random times seemingly attacking me, calling me ungrateful, etc.

I know what I am legally allowed to do as a tenant, but I would prefer some sort of legal help in the case my landlord tries to fight back. I assume this will end up in court, unfortunately. If anyone knows free, cheap, reduced-fee legal help, I appreciate it in advance!

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fingleMcCringleberry t1_itxv7ws wrote

Google "community legal services" they're downtown but do help in my experience

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reggitor t1_itybdkk wrote

You’re going to spend a lot of time and money on a lawyer only to have them say put your money in escrow. If you feel like your lease isn’t being honored, simply put your rent in an escrow account, send the info to your landlord, and tell them you will continue to do so until the repairs are made. (Im going to assume it’s something black & white) Do it all over email so that you have a record of everything. Don’t respond to threats or get into pissing contests about who said what or being grateful. The landlord MIGHT try to evict you, but it’s unlikely. Even at that point the landlord can’t just kick you to the curb, and it’s an expensive process in terms of time and money for them. 99/100 times, as soon as you threaten their income the problems magically get resolved quickly.

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Disastrous-Spray6290 t1_itybo4d wrote

Yeah hi, I’m an attorney and it’s always better to get counsel involved if you can. Just giving this person boilerplate advice based on nothing isn’t doing them any favors and it doesn’t make you look knowledgeable.

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reggitor t1_ityd18c wrote

When I rented, one place had a leak and another had a non functioning A/C despite it being in the lease. Landlords dragged their feet and would send out handyman’s to do band-aid repairs. Getting a lawyer cost ~$700 on both occasions, and they both did the exact same thing. Sent a certified letter and told me to put the rent in escrow. And then poof, the problems were fixed. Surely that makes me semi knowledgeable on the subject? Again, I’m making an assumption here that the “emergency situation” is something that’s illegal or clearly violates the lease. There’s also plenty of info online about how, why and when to withhold rent in Philly. If my assumption is correct, and if OP has limited resources, what would make an attorney worth $700? At the very least OP can withhold now and hire a lawyer if it escalates.

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Disastrous-Spray6290 t1_ityfe20 wrote

Because the legal resources people are sending her are free, and ultimately don’t actually know the things you are assuming. It’s why I - a qualified professional- don’t give advice here.

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reggitor t1_itz7n8e wrote

I too recommended free resources. I’m going to assume you’re a practicing real estate attorney because you said you’re a “qualified professional”. Here’s more details from op:

https://www.reddit.com/r/philadelphia/comments/yee8bd/are_there_any_free_or_cheap_legal_attorneys/itz5x1a/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3

Can you share any insight about what you would do here? Have any of your rental clients had similar experiences?

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Disastrous-Spray6290 t1_iu00hge wrote

Absolutely not- the advice I am giving is to call the resources I posted. Anything else would be inappropriate.

OP, do not simply take this person’s advice and attempt to do this on your own. The resources posted here will connect you with either free or low cost assistance, and this will be a simple matter for them more likely than not.

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reggitor t1_iu016h9 wrote

Ok, how about this. Can you describe a situation in your professional experience with Philly real estate law where a client withheld rent and it backfired?

Not asking for you to give legal advice, more looking to understand why you vehemently oppose OP using tools and resources neatly laid out online by the state for these exact situations.

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Disastrous-Spray6290 t1_iu0a39f wrote

I will do no such thing. We have ethics rules and I’m not stretching them for you.

When people come to see a lawyer, they often do not know what their issues actually are. They think they have one issue, but we can see that they actually have 2 or 3 that we can help with to set them up for success.

It’s like going to webMD to see how to treat a headache- the internet will tell you “take an aspirin.” The doctor will figure out why you have a headache and help you with underlying issues or collateral issues you don’t realize you have.

OP is right to ask for actual legal assistance.

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rosecolured OP t1_itz5x1a wrote

I appreciate the advice! I have read a lot about putting money into an escrow and sending a certified letter, but I thought the certified part had to be from an attorney. I don’t know shit about law lol. I’m very worried about this escalating and the landlord trying to evict me for not paying rent, as they have already tried to tell me to “leave if I don’t like it so much”. The issues involved are a pretty bad mice infestation (by lease they had to keep the apartment mostly free of pests, by law they have to fix ports of entry in the infrastructure). The second is my radiator not working, which really sucked the couple nights it was in the 30’s.

I can perfectly understand why withholding rent is within my right and necessary if I want the repairs done, but I don’t feel like the people who are still not fixing my issues for over a month, even after the inspector deemed the building “unfit for humans”, will have the same understanding. Common sense is lacking in some departments on their end. I feel like they will try to evict me and I don’t have anywhere to go or to put my stuff should this happen, so I was hopeful to find a reduced-cost or free lawyer in case, as I moved from a city that had some organizations like that.

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GreenAnder t1_itzdj34 wrote

So they can't just evict you. Eviction is a lengthy and expensive process, but if you're worried about any of this you absolutely should get an attorney involved.

Think of if like this. If you had a broken leg and were worried about how to treat it people here would tell you to go to a doctor. If you had an issue with the electrics in your house you'd call an electrician. Lawyers are professionals, and only one who has a chance to listen to your situation is going to be able to give you real advice. It will also help to get them involved now so that if this does go to court you're not playing catch up.

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rosecolured OP t1_iu0bdfu wrote

Thank you for this!

As the end of the month is approaching and I have to get an escrow account set up, I was worried about having to find an attorney last minute. But what you said about eviction being a long process makes sense. This is my first apartment on my own so I was really worried I would be out on the streets or something within the next few weeks. I would assume, though, if they evict me I would have time to find a lawyer of some sort. I think I will be sending a letter saying I’ll be withholding rent today and should they respond in any way that’s retaliation I’ll give a call to the Philly tenant hotline, which gives free legal advice and such. Thanks again!

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Disastrous-Spray6290 t1_iu00oe3 wrote

Good thinking asking for resources to help, OP!

Good luck and we hope it works out for you!!

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