Pittsburgh bars landlords from discriminating based on homelessness

Pittsburgh landlords can no longer turn down potential tenants because they are or have been homeless.

City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a measure that bars housing discrimination based on homelessness and a variety of other types of housing status, including lack of rental history and having previously lived in shelters, public housing and medical facilities.

The city’s Commission on Human Relations — which advocated for the legislation — will investigate allegations of such discrimination.

Councilwoman Deb Gross, D-Highland Park, before a preliminary vote last week said it was “shocking” to learn some landlords look at potential renters’ housing history when deciding whether to consider them as a tenants.

“I would not want to account for every single moment of my life the way you do for an employment resume,” she said.

Councilman Khari Mosley, D-Point Breeze, said he had once signed a lease for his mother, knowing she wouldn’t have been accepted by a landlord herself because she had a record of housing instability.

Mosley said such a protection would keep people in similar situations from being turned away if they could otherwise pay for housing.

Some council members had been skeptical ahead of a preliminary vote last week, though they supported the effort Tuesday.

Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith, D-West End, last week said she feared the new rules may deter some landlords from offering housing in the city.

“My only concern is the more restrictions we put on landlords, the less rentals we’re going to have in the area,” she said.

Councilman Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview, ahead of last week’s preliminary vote called the measure an “overreach.”

“To a certain degree, a landlord’s got reason to have red flags,” Coghill said during last week’s meeting.

Coghill Tuesday said he agreed with the spirit of the bill.

“I don’t want anybody discriminating against anybody who was homeless,” he said.

Last week, Coghill cast a preliminary vote against the measure. He said the commission claimed housing discrimination was particularly problematic in neighborhoods he represents but had no data to back up that assertion.

Coghill also questioned how effective the measure will be. He noted the commission does not have enough staff to proactively investigate landlords for discrimination.

Landlords could still deny housing based on other factors, like eviction history or bad credit.

Pittsburgh already bans housing discrimination based on many factors including race, religion, sex, sexual orientation and disability.