Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania: West Oak Lane Tenants of 71-Unit Building Win Class-Action Settlement; Landlord Forgives About $67,000 in Back Rent and Refunds $75,000
Tenants of the Bentley Manor apartments in West Oak Lane, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, have reached a class-action settlement under which landlord Odin Properties will forgive about $67,000 in unpaid rent and late fees and refund a total of $75,000 to 68 renters.
The lawsuit was filed in March 2025 by the Public Interest Law Center and the Hausfeld law firm. It followed a November 2024 determination by the city's Department of Licenses and Inspections that the 71-unit building was unsafe, citing loose and missing bricks and a leaning parapet on the roof that presented an immediate danger to health and safety.
A Philadelphia judge approved the settlement earlier this week. The deal is reported to be the largest known per-tenant award in a class-action lawsuit under Philadelphia's rental license and certificate law. Refunds will be allocated according to each tenant's share of rent paid between December 14, 2024, and April 28, 2025. Odin Properties, which owns and manages roughly 2,000 housing units in Philadelphia through affiliates, is no longer connected to the building at 1410 72nd Avenue.
Source: GSM News
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 费城西橡树巷社区 / West Oak Lane, Philadelphia
