Philadelphia Eviction Diversion Program: Notice, Mediation, and Aid

Philadelphia’s Eviction Diversion Program is a mandatory step every residential landlord must complete before filing an eviction for unpaid rent. Under Philadelphia Code § 9-811, the landlord has to enroll in the program, deliver a written Notice of Diversion Rights to the tenant, and participate in good faith for at least 30 days before there is any lawful basis to file in Municipal Court.¹ The program pairs both sides with mediators and housing counselors, and in some cases direct rental assistance, at no cost.

What the Law Requires

Section 9-811 makes diversion a pre-filing requirement for residential evictions in Philadelphia. The Department of Planning and Development runs the program, though the Mayor may designate a different office. As long as the city operates a mandatory diversion program, no landlord has a lawful basis to evict a tenant without first completing the process.¹

Two conditions have to be met. The landlord must enroll and provide the tenant with a written Notice of Diversion Rights, and the landlord must participate in good faith for no fewer than 30 days.¹ If either step is skipped, the tenant can raise it as a defense in court under § 9-811(6), and the court may dismiss the case. The tenant cannot waive this protection, even if the landlord pressures them to do so.

Who Has to Use the Program

The program covers residential rental properties inside Philadelphia where the landlord is seeking to evict a tenant. Commercial leases and non-residential arrangements sit outside it.

There is one narrow exception. Diversion is not required when eviction is necessary to stop or prevent an imminent threat of harm by the person being evicted, including physical violence or harassment.¹ Every other residential eviction has to go through the program first.

What Landlords Have to Do

Deliver the Notice of Diversion Rights

Before enrolling, the landlord has to give the tenant a written Notice of Diversion Rights. The notice explains the tenant’s right to participate and how to do so. Delivery must be by hand or by mail with proof of mailing.¹ The city publishes a standard form, and the program portal instructs landlords to use the current version, the 2022 Notice of Diversion Rights.²

Apply Through the Portal

Landlords enroll by completing an application on the city’s Eviction Diversion Portal at eviction-diversion.phila.gov. The application requires proof that the tenant received the Notice of Diversion Rights, a rent ledger or rent roll showing the arrears, and a proposed payment agreement.³ The rent ledger has to include the property address, landlord name, tenant name, and dates for all payments made and balances owed.

Watch one common trap. The application asks for the current monthly rent, and that field should not include arrears or past-due amounts.³ Lumping everything together creates discrepancies that slow the case down. Keep the current rent figure clean and put arrears on the ledger.

The 30-Day Good Faith Window

After enrollment, the landlord has to participate in good faith for at least 30 days before filing.¹ The program assigns a housing counselor or mediator during this window and tries to bring the sides together. Good faith means responding to communications, attending scheduled sessions, and engaging with proposed solutions. Enrolling and then ignoring every outreach attempt does not meet the standard.

What Tenants Should Do

Tenants do not submit the diversion application. The landlord files it, and the program then contacts the tenant.² If you have received a Notice of Diversion Rights, the single most important thing you can do is respond when the program reaches out. Tenants who engage with mediation and counseling are far more likely to reach an agreement that avoids court.

Questions about participation, resources, or case status can go to the Eviction Diversion Program Tenant Hotline at 215-523-9501.² The program is free. Gather your rent payment records, bank statements, and any written communication with the landlord before your mediation session. Walking in with documentation strengthens your position.

Mediation and Reaching an Agreement

A neutral mediator helps both sides discuss the debt and explore repayment options or lease adjustments. When the parties reach a deal, the mediator writes it up, both sides confirm it orally, and the written version is provided to each party by the mediation manager.⁴ Terms often include a payment plan for the arrears, repairs the landlord agrees to make, or changes to how the tenant accesses the property.

If either side spots an error in the written agreement, contact the program at EvictionDiversionProgram@coraservices.org within 24 hours or the next business day.⁴ Both parties should keep a copy of the signed agreement. It documents compliance with the diversion requirement and governs the relationship until the arrears are resolved.

Evaluation data from earlier phases of the program gives a sense of what participation delivers. When cases completed mediation, roughly 56% to 69% resulted in agreements depending on the period, and cases that reached an agreement had significantly lower subsequent eviction filing rates than cases that ended without a resolution.⁵

Targeted Financial Assistance

Some cases qualify for direct financial help through Targeted Financial Assistance, or TFA. To be considered, the total arrears listed on the landlord’s application must be $3,500 or less, and that amount must match the uploaded rent ledger or rent roll.² TFA funds, when available, go toward covering the outstanding rent balance.

Availability depends on program funding, so TFA is not guaranteed even when a case meets the threshold. The authorizing ordinance acknowledges this: the city council noted that the diversion program could be discontinued if sufficient funding is not available.¹ For tenants, applying and participating is the way to reach whatever funds exist. For landlords, TFA can mean payment arriving faster than it would through court.

If Diversion Does Not Resolve the Case

If the 30-day participation period ends without an agreement, or the tenant does not engage, the landlord can file an eviction case in Philadelphia Municipal Court. The program issues documentation confirming the landlord’s participation, which satisfies § 9-811. Filing fees for a landlord-tenant eviction in Municipal Court are $14.30 plus $27.00 for each service address within the city.⁶

Landlords should hold on to every piece of program paperwork, including the confirmation of participation and any correspondence with counselors or mediators. If the tenant later argues non-compliance as a defense, that documentation is what protects the case from dismissal.

Why the Program Matters for a Tenant’s Record

One of the biggest reasons to engage with diversion is what it prevents: a court filing on the tenant’s record. Eviction court cases can appear on tenant screening reports for up to seven years from the date of filing, even if the tenant is never actually evicted.⁷ Because diversion resolves disputes before anything is filed, a successful outcome leaves no eviction record for screening companies to find.

That protection is written into the statute’s design. The city council noted that the pre-filing program could be replaced by a post-filing system only if that alternative allowed disputes to be resolved “without an eviction filing against a tenant becoming known to third parties.”¹ For a tenant weighing whether to respond when the program calls, that alone is often reason enough.

1
American Legal Publishing. Philadelphia Code 9-811 – Eviction Diversion Program
2
City of Philadelphia. Eviction Diversion Program
3
City of Philadelphia. How to Apply for the Eviction Diversion Program
4
City of Philadelphia. Eviction Diversion Program – Frequently Asked Questions
5
City of Philadelphia. Eviction Diversion in Philadelphia – Evaluation of Efforts
6
Philadelphia Municipal Court. Philadelphia Municipal Court Filing Fees
7
Federal Trade Commission. Disputing Errors on Your Tenant Background Check Report