In recovery of possession, further providing for hearing, judgment, writ of possession and payment of rent by tenant.
HB2023 would amend Pennsylvania’s Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 to require a justice of the peace to temporarily stay the execution of a writ of possession during certain extreme weather conditions. The stay would apply day-to-day when temperatures are 32 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, or when the National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning, blizzard warning, hurricane warning, tropical storm warning, or excessive heat warning affecting the property.
The bill also gives the eviction enforcement priority once the weather emergency ends, requiring the writ of possession to be completed within five days after the extreme weather conditions cease. In addition, the protection is limited to tenants who are enrolled in specified public assistance or benefit programs at the time the writ is served, including LIHEAP, Medicaid, Medicare, SSDI, WIC, SNAP, and SSI.
HB2023 would add a new subsection to Section 503 of the Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, changing the rules governing post-judgment eviction enforcement in Pennsylvania magisterial district courts. It would not alter the underlying landlord-tenant rights to obtain possession, but it would delay physical eviction during defined weather emergencies for tenants in listed assistance programs and require expedited execution afterward. Landlords, tenants, and justices of the peace would be directly affected, with the bill creating a weather-based procedural safeguard in the eviction process.
The available vote suggests the bill has meaningful support but also notable opposition. In the House Housing & Community Development Committee, the bill was reported as committed by a 14-12 vote, indicating a narrow and divided committee outcome rather than broad consensus. No committee transcript is available, so the discussion record does not show detailed arguments, but the close vote suggests the measure is viewed as a policy tradeoff between tenant protection and landlord enforcement interests.
The main point of contention is likely whether eviction enforcement should be paused for weather-related safety reasons and, if so, how broad that protection should be. Supporters would likely emphasize preventing dangerous displacement during freezing, storm, or extreme heat conditions, especially for low-income and benefit-receiving tenants. Opponents may argue that the bill delays lawful possession orders, adds administrative complexity for courts and landlords, and ties relief to a limited set of public assistance programs that may exclude other vulnerable tenants. The narrow committee vote indicates disagreement over both the scope of the weather triggers and the class of tenants covered.