Landlord-Tenant Rules Change Slightly

Landlords, not the city of Pittsburgh, will keep records to prove they're encouraging responsible behavior from their tenants. The Pittsburgh Council has already approved legislation requiring landlords to inform tenants of the city's trash schedule. Councilman Bruce Kraus says that came following complaints that renters in Oakland were setting out their trash on the wrong days. The legislation requires landlords to review a fact sheet on the trash schedule with their tenants and have them sign it. Originally, those forms were going to be housed in Pittsburgh's Bureau of Building Inspection. But due to the tens of thousands of forms the regulation is expected to generate, a new bill would require instead that landlords keep the forms themselves.

The new rules are scheduled to take effect April 1st. Kraus says landlords who feel they've been cited unfairly will be able to make their case to an appeals board.