Tenants are suing one of Philly’s biggest landlords after months of unsafe conditions
L&I declared a West Oak Lane apartment building unsafe in November, and tenants are suing Odin Properties and related companies for fixes and refunds on their rent.
Three tenants in West Oak Lane are suing their landlord, which owns or manages 2,000 apartment units in the city, for collecting rent while residents live in a building the city has declared unsafe.
On behalf of the residents, the nonprofit Public Interest Law Center and the Philadelphia-based Hausfeld law firm filed a class-action lawsuit last week against Philadelphia-based Odin Properties and related companies.
Philadelphia’s Department of Licenses and Inspections said in November that the 71-unit Bentley Manor apartment building was unsafe, saying property conditions presented an “immediate danger or hazard to health, safety, and welfare.” L&I cited loose and missing bricks on exterior walls and a leaning parapet.
On Thursday, a spokesperson for L&I said the building “has been declared unsafe,” and a permit for repairs has been issued. “Work needs to be completed for the violation to be marked complied,” the spokesperson said.
The Public Interest Law Center said repair work on the building’s facade began after the lawsuit was filed. The Law Center cited a Philadelphia law that prohibits landlords from collecting rent if they have a serious outstanding L&I violation 30 days after receiving notice of it. Plaintiffs are asking for a refund of rent and late fees paid.
“One of Philadelphia’s biggest landlords has let a building sit in unsafe status for months, collecting rent along the way,” Madison Gray, staff attorney at the Law Center, said in a statement. “The tenants are sending a clear message: Landlords must follow the law or face consequences.”
Philip Balderston, president of Odin Properties, said on behalf of Fernrock Apartments 2 LP, the owner of Bentley Manor, that they have been working with L&I to fix violations.
“The work required to correct the final violation is currently ongoing and expected to be complete by the end of March,” Balderston said in a statement. “The building was constructed in 1962 and due to its age requires regular repairs that we have made since our purchase and will continue to make for the duration of our ownership to ensure we maintain safe and high-quality affordable housing for our residents.”
Dawn Colbourne, one of the renters who is suing, moved into Bentley Manor in 2023. She said her window leaked, her lights flickered, the hallways had mold, and the front door of the building didn’t latch properly.
“We all deserve a safe place to live, no matter who we are or what road we’ve traveled to get here,” Colbourne said in a statement. “These landlord companies are quick to file an eviction when a tenant doesn’t pay rent, so it’s only fair that we hold landlords accountable when they don’t do what they’re supposed to do.”
Colbourne is a member of OnePA Renters United Philadelphia, a coalition of renters’ unions and advocates that, along with the advocacy group Philly Thrive, is asking L&I to proactively inspect the city’s rental units instead of relying on tenant complaints to trigger inspections. The groups are calling for $10 million in the city’s budget for L&I to start a pilot program for proactive inspections.
At a City Council hearing this week, Bridget Collins-Greenwald, commissioner of the quality-of-life division at L&I, said she was working with policy researchers at the Pew Charitable Trusts to establish best practices and look into how Philadelphia might be able to start proactively inspecting rental homes.