Rent Increase

I currently live in PA in a building that has multiple code violations. One apartment alone has 25. I have only been here a little over two months and all the utilities have been shut off at least once. The landlord sent a notice to everyone saying that the rent will be raised and for most tenants the amount he is raising it is almost double what they currently pay. Can he legally raise the rent even though he hasn't done the repairs or satisfied the bills in over two years. Also the company that picks up the trash is planning to take to civil court because his $800 check bounced.

Has the LL been cited by the building inspector for these violation, or do you just know that he has these violations? If he has been cited, he has a set number of days to make repairs to the building. Otherwise, the city will take steps against him. If he hasn't been cited, you need to send him a written list of repairs for your unit. (Other tenants need to do the same for their units.) Send it by certified mail, return receipt requested and keep a copy. Please repost as to whether he has been cited by a building inspector for these violations or not.

Why were the utilities turned off? Was it for non-payment by the LL? Was it for an unsafe condition from the building inspector? Was it by a contractor to make repairs somewhere in the building? You really need to know why before I can comment on the implications of this. And how long were they off? An hour or two, 12 hours, a whole day?

Do the tenants have leases or are they month to month tenants? If they are on a current lease, the LL cannot raise rents until the lease ends. If tenants are MTM, the LL merely has to give tenants adequate notice of these increases. (There is no statute that requires 30 days notice for a rent increase in PA law. Nor is there any statute that says how much he is allowed to increase rents. These are left up to the LL.) He may raise the rents if he wishes and you have no lease. Whether or not he pays his bills. His financial issues are not your concern until the time when service is actually stopped by the trash company. The same as it is not his concern whether you paid your cable bill or credit cards.