HB 225 establishes tax-advantaged savings accounts in Pennsylvania for first-time home buyers. It allows individuals who haven’t owned a home in the past three years to open accounts with financial institutions, designating themselves or another person as the "qualified beneficiary" for down payments and closing costs on a single-family residence. Account holders can deduct up to $5,000 annually (or $10,000 for joint filers) from their taxable income, with a lifetime cap of $150,000 total contributions across all accounts. The bill directly affects eligible Pennsylvania residents seeking to purchase their first home, providing a state-level tax incentive to save for homeownership.
HB 584 creates a program to help Pennsylvania homeowners address lead paint hazards in older homes. It establishes a Lead Abatement Grant Program, where municipalities receive competitive grants to fund lead hazard control work (like paint removal or soil cleanup) for single-family homes and rental properties. The program prioritizes low-income households (under 50% of median income) and homes with children under six. Funding comes from a 50¢ surcharge on each gallon of architectural paint sold to consumers, deposited into a dedicated Lead Abatement Assistance Fund. The surcharge applies to standard interior/exterior paint for homeowners or businesses, not industrial or aerosol products.
HB 2023 amends Pennsylvania's Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 to update eviction procedures. It directly affects tenants facing eviction and landlords seeking to regain property by requiring courts to hold hearings before eviction judgments, setting specific deadlines for issuing writs of possession, and clarifying how tenants must pay rent during the legal process. The bill adds new procedural requirements for each step in eviction cases, including detailed rules for rent payments to prevent or resolve disputes. These changes aim to standardize and clarify the eviction process without altering core tenant or landlord rights. The bill is currently referred to the Housing & Community Development committee.
SB 34 authorizes Pennsylvania to sell approximately 1.71 acres of land at 2100 West Girard Avenue in Philadelphia to the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) for $50,000. The bill requires PHA to develop the property exclusively as senior housing and mixed-income affordable housing within five years (with a possible 10-year extension), including a certificate of occupancy for each component. If development isn’t completed on time or the property is used for other purposes (like licensed facilities), the land must revert to the state. This transfer affects PHA’s housing projects and future residents of the planned development.
HB 1650 establishes Pennsylvania's Home Preservation Grant Program, administered by the Department of Community and Economic Development. It provides grants to local governments (counties, cities, townships) to fund repairs and improvements on existing owner-occupied homes, targeting households earning 80-120% of the area median income. Grants can cover up to $50,000 per unit for habitability fixes, energy/water efficiency upgrades, or accessibility modifications, with local governments allowed to use up to 10% of funds for administration. Applications must demonstrate experience in housing rehabilitation and include plans for using funds per the bill's requirements, with priority given to projects leveraging additional funding sources.
HB 843 amends Pennsylvania's Manufactured Home Community Rights Act to strengthen residents' ability to purchase their community when it faces closure. It requires community owners to provide 120 days' written notice to residents, local authorities, and the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency before closing, with residents given at least 180 days to vacate. The bill mandates that owners negotiate in good faith with resident associations representing 25% of spaces or nonprofits acting on residents' behalf, and establishes a process for residents to match competing offers or use a mutually agreed appraiser to set purchase prices if negotiations fail. This ensures residents can prevent displacement by buying the community, with the option to assign purchase rights to local housing authorities to maintain affordable housing.
This bill allows land banks to acquire blighted or abandoned properties under specific conditions. Municipalities must verify properties have been vacant/blighted for 5 years (with exceptions for unimproved land), have building code violations or tax delinquency, and send three certified mail notices to owners. Property owners can appeal by submitting a redevelopment plan with financing, architectural details, or developer contracts; if approved, they get 6-month extensions but must meet redevelopment timelines. Land banks must pay owners the property's appraised value minus fines or liens, directly affecting land banks, municipalities, and owners of distressed properties.
SB 87 requires members of Pennsylvania's housing authorities to complete an 8-hour mandatory training program within 180 days of taking office or reappointment. The training, developed by the Department of Community and Economic Development and covering topics like fair housing, budgeting, ethics, and building codes, must be provided at no cost to authorities. This applies to all current and new housing authority members, including those appointed after the law takes effect. The program aims to improve governance and accountability for local housing authorities managing public housing projects. The bill takes effect 180 days after enactment.
Senate Bill 670 amends the Housing Authorities Law to establish new procedures for public housing applicants with criminal records and expands requirements for landlords in the Housing Choice Voucher Program. It creates Public Housing Safety Committees, comprising the Authority's Executive Director, District Attorney, and President Judge, to review applicants with certain criminal offenses on a case-by-case basis, evaluating potential threats to resident safety. The bill also broadens requirements for all Housing Authorities (previously limited to first-class cities) to ensure compliance with federal criminal activity rules for tenants and to deny Housing Choice Voucher Program approval to landlords with delinquent property taxes. Additionally, it requires law enforcement agencies to provide background checks to landlords in the Housing Choice Voucher Program upon request.
HB 1037 amends Pennsylvania's Municipalities Planning Code to allow municipalities to permit the replacement of demolished one- or two-family homes with structurally similar residential buildings using the original property's setback standards. This provision directly affects homeowners seeking to rebuild single-family or duplex properties and local governments issuing building permits. The key mechanism requires municipalities to provide these original setback standards to applicants when approving such replacements, streamlining the rebuilding process while maintaining consistent lot coverage. The bill does not change zoning requirements but offers flexibility for residential reconstruction within existing development patterns.
