Pittsburgh's 2022 Right-to-Counsel pilot funds free legal representation for low-income tenants facing eviction, deterring landlord harassment, illegal lockouts, and retaliatory filings that would otherwise pressure tenants to leave.
City Council established the Right-to-Counsel program in 2022 to give qualifying low-income Pittsburgh renters access to free attorneys in eviction, illegal lockout, and habitability cases. The program partners with Neighborhood Legal Services and similar providers and funnels referrals through the magisterial district courts. By guaranteeing representation, the pilot reduces landlord leverage to harass tenants out of regulated units, retaliate against complaints to PLI, or file unsubstantiated nonpayment cases. Pennsylvania law separately bars retaliatory eviction following good-faith code complaints.
Retaliatory filings after a code complaint, illegal lockouts, utility shutoffs to pressure tenants, or harassment to evade legal eviction can trigger Right-to-Counsel defense, damages, and PLI enforcement actions.
Pittsburgh, PA
Pennsylvania's Landlord and Tenant Act, not a Pittsburgh ordinance, controls no-fault tenancy terminations, requiring written notice tied to lease length and...
Pittsburgh, PA
Pittsburgh does not have a just cause eviction ordinance. Pennsylvania landlord-tenant law allows landlords to terminate tenancies for various reasons includ...
See how Pittsburgh's tenant anti-harassment rules stack up against other locations.
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