We are living in extraordinary times. The wheels of justice are, for a time, pausing. On April 1, 2020, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued the Second Supplemental Order (“Order”) relating to judicial operations as affected by the coronavirus crisis through April 30th. This Order affects every landlord, mortgage holder and taxing authority in Pennsylvania.
One of the most striking parts of the Order is this:
“no officer, official, or other person employed by the Pennsylvania Judiciary at any level shall effectuate an eviction, ejectment or other displacement from a residence based upon the failure to make a monetary payment. Such payments include rent and loan payments….they also include property tax payments. As such, this temporary prohibition encompasses, inter alia, dispossessions predicated on a mortgage foreclosure, a failure to pay rent, or a failure to pay property taxes. Order, at 6 (emphasis added).
You can read the entire Order below. If you have questions, email me.
I cannot overstate how extraordinary this development is. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has effectively suspended - on a temporary basis - the Landlord Tenant Act, as well as the enforcement provisions of every lease and mortgage on real property in the Commonwealth.