After forming earlier this year, the Alden Park Tenants’ Association continues to expand, gaining the attention of City Councilmember Nicolas O’Rourke’s office.

In June, the Chestnut Hill Local reported tenants at the historic Alden Park Luxury Apartments in East Falls were dealing with safety concerns and slow maintenance responses. Residents alleged that they had to wait several months for maintenance requests, including those with serious concerns, such as mold and leaks.

Tenants Association President Kadi Ashby, who reported black mold and a leak in her apartment to Alden Park’s maintenance, had to hire a lawyer after waiting more than three months for a response.

Other Tenants Association members have dealt with a similar disregard from maintenance. (Read the Local’s June 11, 2025 article for more details on tenants’ complaints.)

In July, the Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I) issued several violations to the property owners, L3C Capital Partners, for issues including sewage leaking in the basement of one of the buildings and “cracked, fractured” concrete balconies. The tenants alleged the latter in the Local’s June 11 article and previously reported the issue to 311.

Despite these violations and continued growth of the Tenants Association, according to Ashby, nothing appears to have changed regarding the property’s management, RAM Partners, LLC. She told the Local, “There has been no notification sent to residents” about the potential for concrete falling from the balconies.

She added, “The first time residents alerted management to the dangerous structural defects was December of 2024, and they have not, to the best of my knowledge, alerted a single resident to the hazard.”

City code and L&I do not require landlords to notify residents of violations. L&I communications manager Kandyce Stukes said in an emailed statement, “We make every effort to communicate with tenants during our inspections, but ultimately, the property owner is responsible for complying.”

On Monday, July 28, Alden Park Tenants’ Association members met with O’Rourke’s policy director, Cade Underwood, who listened to their concerns and discussed some of the shortcomings of the L&I’s approach to code enforcement.

Underwood told the Local, “Sadly, much of what I saw and heard was par for the course, at least when it comes to unresponsive property management in Philadelphia. Too many tenants have to go to great lengths to have their landlord address clear health and safety concerns.”

Jo Winter, executive director of West Mount Airy Neighbors (WMAN), also attended, telling the Local she connected with the Alden tenants at WMAN and East Mount Airy Neighbors’ Northwest Tenants meeting in April.

Ashby said, “The tenants association is continuing to grow. We put a slight hold on actively attempting to gain new members as the organizing team attends the Tenant Union Federation’s intensive three-month tenant union training. But even still, the association has still continued to grow. And with some new training under our belt, we are now ready to actively engage new members.”

The Local reached out to RAM Partners, LLC, for comment on this article and previously for the June 11 article but did not receive a response.

L&I violations

At previous tenants’ association meetings, Ashby and several other residents described fallen chunks of the building’s masonry scattered around the complex. She compiled images showing up to 10-inch-long pieces of concrete, one of which appeared to have fallen from the top floor.

“The first time we noticed the balconies falling was in December of 2024, and at least two residents reported it to maintenance through our online portal,” Ashby said. “When there was no movement or notice to residents, we filed 311 complaints in January.”

On January 30, L&I issued Alden a violation for “spalling and falling” concrete, ordering the property owners to “obtain the services of a Pennsylvania Licensed Professional Engineer to serve as the design professional” to oversee their adherence to code.

L&I closed the violation, determining that the owners complied with their request, on April 4. However, in the following months, residents reported more instances of falling and cracked concrete around the buildings.

According to Stukes, the typical process is that a “Notice of Violation will state the time frame in which necessary repairs and/or corrective action must be taken. For violations that pose an imminent threat to the life, health, or safety of the occupants, the Department may issue a Cease Operation Order.”

The statement continued, “In cases that pose a significant threat to life safety, we may suspend a license and vacate a residential property. However, this is not something we typically pursue without due process. As previously stated, it is our goal to ensure the violations are rectified without adding undue hardships to tenants.”

Underwood and O’Rourke’s office believe L&I’s approach to enforcement can be improved, and that many Philadelphia residents are “failed by the current approach.” Underwood said, “Our office believes that shifting how L&I renews rental licenses can be a key tactic to achieving swifter compliance from negligent landlords.”

He added, “It’s certainly our office’s view that more can be done to protect tenants, particularly those earning under Philly’s median income. Low-income residents renting without any subsidy are the most cost-burdened Philadelphians when it comes to securing housing, per Pew [Research Center].”

In October 2024, O’Rourke introduced a bill banning algorithmic rental price-fixing (a process in which landlords use software algorithms to coordinate rent prices) in Philadelphia, proposed legislation that City Council later approved. However, his bills surrounding “Right to Safety and a Right to Repairs” for tenants were held in committee. Underwood said they hope to pass those bills in the fall.

O’Rourke said, “I’ve been proud to craft stronger legal protections for and with tenants because of the challenges they face when seeking accountability for unsafe living conditions.”

He added, “If the letter of the law were addressing the issues of landlord retaliation, poor code compliance, and safe relocation, their stories of systemic failure would not exist. Since they do, that tells me as a lawmaker that there’s work to be done.”

Unpaid charges

In March, the Community Life Improvement Program (CLIP) finished cleaning up a massive pile of trash dumped on Alden’s property. The section of Alden’s property, which runs between Valley Greene Apartments and parts of the Wissahickon, had become an illegal dumping site.

Valley Greene residents complained to Alden’s management, but claimed they were ignored. The Local then reported on the issue before city government got involved through CLIP, cleaning up the trash and billing Alden $11,448.52.

The charges remain unpaid as of press time Tuesday. In June, an L&I spokesperson confirmed that the city had the power to put a lien on the property. However, the city has not yet pursued that course of action. The debt has since been referred to a collection agency, the Revenue Collection Bureau.

Tommy Tucker can be reached at Tommy@Chestnuthilllocal.com.