Landlord forced to refund tenants $200k after collecting rent on unsafe apartment

A group of Philadelphia renters has reached a settlement in one of the largest per-tenant recovery class action suits in the city’s rental law history. A preliminary approval of the settlement, which requires Odin Properties LLC to provide the tenants at Bentley Manor apartments with rent forgiveness and refunds for wrongly collected rent, was finalised by a Philadelphia judge last week, Realtor reports. The aggregate settlement amount exceeds $US140,000 ($A200,000), and individual renters will receive varying amounts based on their payment history, with the average refund estimated at about $US1,200 ($A1,700). Three residents of Bentley Manor, located in West Oak Lane, filed a class-action suit in March 2025 against Odin Properties and related companies for allegedly illegally collecting rent after the building was designated “unsafe” by the Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections (L & I), according to The Public Interest Law Center. Philadelphia law prohibits a landlord from collecting rent if a serious L & I violation if not corrected within 30 days. However, the plaintiffs alleged that Odin Properties continued to charge, demand, and collect rent each month,...