West Oak Lane tenants and landlord Odin Properties agreed on rent refunds in class-action lawsuit
West Oak Lane tenants will receive rent refunds and forgiveness after a settlement with landlord Odin Properties over unsafe building conditions.Summary
In a preliminary settlement approved by Philadelphia’s Common Pleas Court, West Oak Lane tenants of the 71‑unit Bentley Manor building are set to receive approximately $67,000 in rent forgiveness and $75,000 in refunds. The agreement follows the city’s Department of Licenses and Inspections’ 2024 declaration that the building was unsafe due to loose bricks and a leaning parapet, violations that made the landlord liable to stop collecting rent for the period from December 14, 2024 to April 28, 2025. Odin Properties and its affiliates, which own about 2,000 units in the city, carried out the required repairs before the lawsuit and sold the property for over $6.2 million in December. The settlement, the largest per‑tenant award under Philadelphia’s rental license law, still awaits final court approval, but tenants have been notified and can object or opt out before the October 26 hearing.
(Source：The Philadelphia Inquirer)