Pittsburgh-area landlords sue Penn Hills over rental registration program

A group of Pittsburgh-area landlords are suing Penn Hills over what they describe as an overly-broad and restrictive rental registration program passed earlier this year, and are asking the court to block its enforcement.

According to the complaint, Penn Hills passed a $50-per-unit rental registration fee and a list of requirements for landlords and tenants in March, but the 185 property owners in the Apartment Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh say the ordinance's requirements are unconstitutional.

Among other things, the landlords say the ordinance requires them to pay to evict tenants deemed “disruptive” by the standards of the ordinance, regardless of whether the landlord wants to evict them, and requires that landlords get two forms of identification for all their tenants to be registered with the municipality. If the occupancy changes -- a roommate or family member is added or subtracted, including by birth or by death -- the landlords have to update their registration, the lawsuit contends.

The suit, which the Association filed Monday in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, asks the court to temporarily block enforcement of the ordinance until the civil case is resolved. A hearing on the injunction is scheduled for Dec. 30.