Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato signs amendment that would hold negligent landlords accountable

Allegheny County leaders gathered on Thursday to push forward legislation to hold negligent landlords financially responsible for dangerous living conditions, saying that safe and healthy housing is a fundamental right for all. 

County Executive Sara Innamorato said that over the past two years, the county has seen too many instances where tenants have been forced from their homes because of unsafe conditions. 

Now, when that happens, the county typically steps in to make sure residents have a safe place to stay, but Innamorato said those costs shouldn't fall on taxpayers when it's the result of a landlord's negligence. 

On Thursday, she signed an amendment to Article VI of the county's public health code. The legislation holds property owners accountable for the cost of emergency relocation. 

Bethany Hallam, who is chair of the committee on housing and homelessness, said it gives the county a clear process to step in and act quickly. 

"When our neighbors are forced out of their homes because a neglected HVAC fails in the middle of winter, it should not fall on the public to shoulder that burden," Hallam said. "The owners must be held responsible. When a long-identified but unaddressed sewage problem worsens, displacing families for health and safety reasons, the costs cannot be the responsibility of the tenants themselves, nor the government or charitable organizations. The landlord will have to pay."

County leaders said a gap in the law was exposed after the 2025 fire at the Midtown Plaza apartments in McKeesport, when residents had gone weeks without heat, and the property was in disrepair and unsafe. 

Taxpayers were left footing the bill to put residents up in temporary hotel rooms. 

Under the new legislation, the health department can issue an emergency order when unsafe conditions force tenants to vacate. 

It requires the property owner to correct the issue or rehouse residents. 

Now, if the county is required to step in, the landlord will have to repay the county, plus an administrative fee and any civil penalties.