A rental license is required on a per unit basis for all rental properties. (The Rental License is formerly known as the Housing Inspection License). The initial application may be submitted by online through the City of Philadelphia’s eclipse system or in paper form, (view the Eclipse Brochure.) The rental license fee is $55 per unit. A single-family home, for example, would be considered 1 unit.
If the property is owned by more than one person, you should each first have separate commercial activity licenses, and then once you do, you will put both owners’ names on the same Rental License application, along with both of your license numbers.
If you as the owner of the property reside outside the City of Philadelphia, you are required to list an agent on the Rental License application. This agent will receive city notices, orders, & summonses. A representative of JG Real Estate will sign section 16 of the application to act as agent as part of our property management service.
Rental Licenses need to be renewed annually which can most easily be done through your eclipse login. Each time a tenant rents your unit, you are required to provide them with a Certificate of Rental Suitability (free and easy to get here), but if you don’t have a current Rental License, you will not be able to obtain the certificate, so it is important to keep it up to date.
For a guide on how to obtain each license mentioned above, visit the Licensing Section of this page, or click here.
