PA Senate Democrats
FOR EVERY PENNSYLVANIAN
Housing is a Human Right
The 2026–27 Budget builds on that progress with a comprehensive set of investments and reforms to expand housing access, protect renters and homeowners, and strengthen coordination across state government.
2026-2027 HOUSING INVESTMENTS IN THE BUDGET PROPOSAL
Protecting Renters and Promoting Housing Stability:
Establishes a statewide cap on rental application fees tied to the actual cost of screening and prohibits fees before a property is viewed; affirms a tenant’s right to terminate a lease due to domestic violence without financial penalty; seals eviction records for individuals who were not actually evicted; and advances fair-chance housing reforms to limit when and how criminal history may be considered in rental decisions.
Supporting Manufactured Homeowners:
Limits annual lot rent increases in manufactured home communities and requires advance notice of increases, protecting residents – many of whom own their homes but rent the land beneath them – from sudden and unfordable cost spikes.
Addressing Tangled Titles and Preserving Generational Wealth:
Authorizes transfer-on-death deeds for primary residences, providing a streamlined way for homeowners to pass property to heirs, avoid costly probate, access home repair programs, and reduce blight in communities across the Commonwealth.
Strengthening Housing Coordination and Accountability:
Creates a Deputy Secretary for Housing at DCED to coordinate housing policy, oversee implementation of the Housing Action Plan, develop a digital one-stop shop for housing resources, and share model land-use ordinances and best practices with local governments.
Modernizing Local Planning and Permitting:
Updates the Municipalities Planning Code to reduce regulatory barriers to residential development, improve permitting processes, and incentivize county and regional planning that reflects the diverse housing needs of Pennsylvania’s communities.
These actions will expand housing supply, lower costs, and help ensure communities across the Commonwealth remain affordable places to live, work, and grow.
INVESTING IN HOUSING FOR EVERY PENNSYLVANIAN
- Expanding the Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Enhancement Fund (PHARE)
- Supporting over 1,000 projects to build or repair more than 8,200 housing units
- Launching a statewide Right-to-Counsel initiative
- Piloting the Commonwealth’s first middle-market housing development program
- Creating Pennsylvania’s first Housing Action Plan
BUILD AND PRESERVE PENNSYLVANIA’S HOUSING STOCK
- Make Pennsylvania a leader in new housing construction, becoming a top 3 state for new homes built relative to our neighboring states.
- Invest in Residential Site Infrastructure, Office-to-Residential Conversions, and Mixed-Use Development
- Restore Pennsylvania’s Aging Homes and Empower Homeowners and Landlords to Make Critical Housing Stock Repairs
- Boost the Production of Housing where Market Dynamics Make It Difficult to Build
- Support Pennsylvania’s Small and Emerging Residential Builders and Developers
- Monitor the Expiration of Affordable Units and Convene Developers and Housing Experts on Strategies to Preserve Affordable Housing
- Work with Labor Organizations, School Districts, and Post-Secondary Institutions to Train Pennsylvania’s Next Generation of Builders
EXPAND HOUSING OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL PENNSYLVANIANS
- Cut the equity gap for minority homeownership by 25%, and maintain our position as a top 3 state for homeownership among our neighboring states.
- Strengthen Legal Protections for Renters and Tenants
- Prevent and Remediate Tangled Titles through Commonsense Policy Reform
- Make It Easier for Pennsylvanians to Purchase their First Home
- Expand Housing Choices and Accessibility for Older Adults and People with Disabilities
- Create More Opportunities for Shared Housing
- Promote Employer-Assisted Housing Programs and Empower Pennsylvania’s Workforce to Attain Safe, Quality Housing
PROVIDE PATHWAYS TO HOUSING STABILIZATION AND SUSTAINABILITY
- Achieve the lowest rate of homelessness per capita among our neighboring states.
- Align Homelessness Support Programs and Help Pennsylvanians Transition into Safe, Stable Housing
- Expand Statewide Eviction, Foreclosure, and Displacement Prevention Efforts
- Protect, Support, and Stabilize Housing for Survivors of Domestic Abuse
- Protect Manufactured Housing Affordability from Private Equity
- Invest in Fair Housing Education and Enforcement
- Connect Unsheltered Medicaid Recipients to Stable Housing and Services through Investments in Health
- Reduce Household Energy Burden by Strengthening Consumer Protections
Legislation
Senate Resolution 260 - Recognizing April 2026 as Fair Housing Month in Pennsylvania
Sponsored by Senator Amanda Cappelletti and Senator Nikil Saval
This resolution recognizes April 2026 as “Fair Housing Month” in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Expanding the use of the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) for Housing
Sponsored by Senator Vincent Hughes
This bill would remove the cap on housing projects currently in the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) law. This would allow the program to better support the housing needs of the Commonwealth and make significant progress on closing our housing unit gap.
Landlord-Tenant Act Modernization
Sponsored by Senator Nikil Saval and Senator John Kane
This bill is designed to set clear guidelines for terms and conditions of a lease agreement. A landlord will be required to provide information regarding rent amount and due date, term of the lease, disclosure of a landlord’s rental license issued by a municipality as applicable, a utility and property maintenance disclosure, a reliable contact to act on behalf of the property. This legislation also sets clear rules for habitability and condition of a rental property and allows the landlord to set reasonable rules for the premise.
SB 1152 - End Housing Discrimination Based on Lawful Source of Income
Sponsored by Senator Katie Muth and Senator Carolyn Comitta
This bill would prohibit property owners from denying housing to individuals based solely on their lawful source of income, including housing vouchers, pension payments, child support, and public assistance.
SB 1148 - Protections for Older and Disabled Tenants
Sponsored by Senator John Kane and Senator Amanda Cappelletti
When an individual is unable to safely remain in their rental unit and needs to relocate to a facility with the services and accommodations they need, they are often unable to break their rental lease without penalty. This bill would allow a tenant who is older or disabled to break their lease without penalty when they are unable to safely remain in their home.
Senate Bill 497 - Radon Protection
Sponsored by Senator Christine Tartalione
This bill would require all residential rental properties, schools, and newly constructed properties in the Commonwealth to receive proper radon testing. If the property is found to have an unsafe level of radon, mitigation will be required to abate the toxic level of radon that exists.
Statewide Rental Rate Protections
Sponsored by Senator Amanda Cappelletti
This legislation would enforce rental rate protection measures to help combat unfair and predatory rental increases. It is important to note that this legislation exempts small landlords with less than 15 units.
Public Database of Affordable Housing
Sponsored by Senators Vincent Hughes and Nikil Saval
This bill would create a publicly accessible database of affordable housing projects in the Commonwealth under PHFA.
Mixed-Use Development Tax Credit (MUDTC) Program Increase
Sponsored by Senator Jay Costa
This bill would amend the Tax Reform Code to increase the cap on the amount of available tax credits under the Mixed-Use Development Tax Credit (MUDTC) Program from $4.5 million to $15 million. The program is administered by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) to fund the development of projects in targeted areas of the Commonwealth that are often underserved and have significant need.
Senate Bill 1216 - Rental Application Fee Cap
Sponsored by Senator Judy Schwank
To create a more equitable housing market for all Pennsylvanian renters, this bill would provide for rental application fee caps. Landlords should not be permitted to utilize the application process as an opportunity for additional revenue. Excessive rental application fees can rapidly become an inadvertent obstacle to renters.
Optional Affordable Housing Trust Funds (Act 137) Enhancements
Sponsored by Senator Amanda Cappelletti
This bill would enhance the Optional Affordable Housing Funds Act. This program, known as Act 137, allows Pennsylvania counties to raise revenues for affordable housing needs by increasing fees charged for the recording of deeds and mortgages. These funds are an important source of revenue and contribute to a wide range of affordable housing projects in the 54 counties that have them in place. This bill will increase the maximum fee counties can impose under the Act 137 program and index it for inflation. It will also establish a Local Housing Trust Fund Community of Practice, to offer regular opportunities for information exchange among Act 137 contacts around the state.
Protect Pennsylvania Homeownership from Wall Street Act
Sponsored by Senator Maria Collett and Senator Nikil Saval
This legislation would restrict tax breaks for large investors and private equity firms planning to buy more of the state’s existing stock of homes and aims to help more families achieve homeownership across the Commonwealth.
Creating the “Survivor-centered, accessible, fair and empowering” (SAFE) Housing Trust Fund
Sponsored by Senator Vincent Hughes
This bill would establish the SAFE housing trust fund that will benefit survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, human trafficking and stalking. The “Survivor-centered, accessible, fair and empowering” (SAFE) Housing Trust Fund will provide much needed funding to increase resources to domestic violence programs, transitional housing programs and permanent housing solutions to better respond to the needs of these survivors. It will ensure we do more to provide real support to the individuals leaving dangerous situations and ensure there are enough resources to meet shelter and housing needs.
Senate Bill 1267 - Increasing Penalties for Housing Discrimination
Sponsored by Senator Vincent Hughes and Senator Art Haywood
This legislation would increase the penalties for housing discrimination violations. It also increases the time an individual has to file a complaint from 180 days to 365 days.
Senate Bill 1203 - Removing Unnecessary Barriers to Homeownership
Sponsored by Senator James Malone
Homeownership has long been one of the most reliable pathways to financial stability and the creation of generational wealth. Yet for far too many Pennsylvania families, the ability to pass a home on to the next generation is hindered by “tangled” or unclear property titles. This legislation creates a framework for counties to resolve unclear titles with small estate primary residence affidavits. These affidavits would apply to primary residences with an assessed value under $150,000, ensuring that families with limited means have a practical path to securing legal ownership.
Homelessness and Housing Stability Council
Sponsored by Senator Maria Collett
This bill would create a Homelessness and Housing Stability Council dedicated to addressing homelessness and housing instability. This council will collaborate with the Department of Community & Economic Development to develop a comprehensive strategy that includes actionable policy recommendations.
SB 1256 - Increasing the Number of Accessory Dwelling Units
Sponsored by Senator Maria Collett
This legislation would remove unnecessary barriers to building Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). ADUs can be built without purchasing land and can be a more affordable source of housing. Some ADUs are newly constructed, stand-alone structures; others may be an addition to an existing home.
SB 1089 – Shelter First Act
Sponsored by Senators Nikil Saval, Amanada Cappelletti, Vincent Hughes, Timothy Kearney and Judith Schwank
This bill would require that municipalities provide adequate indoor spaces for people experiencing homelessness before the municipality can enforce any ordinance that would criminalize living outside.
Property Tax Constitutional Amendment for Seniors (formerly SB1075)
Sponsored by Senator Marty Flynn
This bill would empower local officials to make decisions related to property taxes that best fit their locales, while also providing opportunities for much needed property tax relief to senior citizens.
Fair Records for Renters
Sponsored by Senators Nikil Saval, Jay Costa, Judy Schwank and Camera Bartolotta
This bill would require courts to seal eviction case files unless and until a renter loses the case in court, at which point the records would be unsealed. In instances in which a tenant has lost their case, records will be sealed after seven years, similar to bankruptcy. The bill would require no additional costs or requirements for landlords or renters, as the courts would be responsible for sealing and unsealing eviction records.
Ensuring All Residential Homeowners Have Access to Solar Energy
Sponsored by Senator Katie Muth
This bill would ensure homeowners’ associations (HOA) allow for the installation of solar panels and solar energy systems on homes within their communities.
