Fair Housing Commission

The Fair Housing Commission (FHC) is the City of Philadelphia body that enforces the city's Fair Housing Ordinance and helps tenants and landlords understand their rights and responsibilities. Despite its name, it is not the main agency for discrimination claims, which are handled by the Commission on Human Relations; rather, the FHC focuses on landlord-tenant practices, such as retaliation, improper lease terminations and licensing compliance. The FHC is a city body, not a court, and its powers are those given by the ordinance.^[1]

1 Structure

The FHC consists of five commissioners appointed by the Mayor, supported by a small staff that handles intake, scheduling and information. Commissioners hold hearings and issue decisions. Like other city boards, its public hearings are subject to open-meetings rules (see Sunshine Act and Open Meetings). The commission sits in the municipal services area of Center City and offers walk-in assistance on weekdays.

2 What the Commission does

According to the City, the FHC works to ensure that renters have safe housing and that landlords comply with housing laws. Its functions include enforcing the Fair Housing Ordinance, conducting hearings on unsafe or poorly maintained properties, verifying that landlords have the required rental licenses and certificates, educating tenants and landlords about rights and responsibilities, and connecting both sides to other resources.^[1] It complements Licenses and Inspections, which issues licenses and code violations, and the courts, which decide eviction and money claims.

3 Types of complaints

The FHC accepts two broad kinds of complaint: unfair rental practices by landlords, and housing or property discrimination. Examples of unfair rental practices listed by the City include terminating a lease or changing its terms while there are open code violations reported on the unit, terminating a lease because the tenant is a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault, terminating a lease with a term of under one year without good cause, retaliating against a tenant for exercising legal rights, and self-help eviction (for example, lockouts without a court order).^[2] Complaints about lead paint, heat or structural defects are normally directed first to L&I through 311.

4 The complaint and hearing process

To file a complaint, the City says a person must be a Philadelphia resident currently living in the rental unit. Complaints can be made using the FHC intake form or in person. When a complaint is accepted, the tenant and landlord receive a copy of the signed complaint, instructions, and a notice of the hearing date and time.^[2] At the hearing both sides can present evidence. The ordinance gives the Commission authority to hold hearings and conduct investigations; the possible outcomes and remedies, and any appeal rights to the Court of Common Pleas, are set out in the ordinance and the FHC's notices and should be confirmed there rather than assumed. The FHC is not a substitute for legal advice, and parties may wish to consult counsel (see Legal Aid and Public Interest Law).

5 Rental suitability and education

The FHC publishes information on the Certificate of Rental Suitability that landlords must give to new tenants, which confirms licensing and the absence of serious code problems. It also distributes guidance for owners and renters, drawing on the "Partners for Good Housing" materials that landlords must provide with leases. Landlord and tenant organizations frequently refer people to the FHC (see Tenant and Housing Advocacy Groups and Landlord and Property Owner Associations). For an overview of the legal framework, see Rental Licensing and Landlord-Tenant Law in Philadelphia.

6 Relationship to other bodies and recent law

The FHC is separate from Municipal Court landlord-tenant proceedings, though a tenant may raise the same underlying facts in more than one forum. The Safe and Healthy Homes Act, passed in 2026 and expected to take effect in November 2026, expands anti-retaliation, good-cause and licensing rules, and may affect how the FHC's work is structured; readers should check phila.gov for updated procedures. For general complaint routing, see How to File a Complaint.

See also: Commission on Human Relations, Department of Licenses and Inspections, Safe and Healthy Homes Act.

References

1. City of Philadelphia, "Fair Housing Commission," phila.gov/FairHousingCommission (accessed October 2026).
2. City of Philadelphia, "File a complaint about unfair rental practices," phila.gov/services.
3. Philadelphia Code, Chapter 9-800, Fair Housing Ordinance.