One service to handle your Philadelphia rental license

A PHTIN (Philadelphia Tax Identification Number) is required for every landlord in Philadelphia. It's your unique ID for the Philadelphia Tax Center. If you don't have one, we'll guide you through the setup process — it takes about 15 minutes online.

The Philadelphia rental license application is filed through L&I after your owner tax account, property details, and required compliance items are ready. We check the property, confirm PHTIN/CAL status, collect the RLSI signature, coordinate lead paint items when needed, and submit the application for you.

Most owners need a Philadelphia Tax Identification Number (PHTIN), a Commercial Activity License or proper tax account setup, no blocking L&I violations, the correct owner/property information, and lead-safe certification if the property was built before 1978. The exact requirements depend on the property, which is why the address check comes first.

Once we have all your information and your tax account is set up, we typically submit within 3–5 business days. The most common delay is waiting for PHTIN setup or tax clearance, which we help you resolve.

You can actually check this right now — the free compliance preview above pulls live data from Philadelphia's violations database for your address. Open violations must be resolved before L&I will issue a license, but we flag them upfront so there are no surprises. If anything shows up, we'll walk you through the fastest path to resolution before we submit the application.

If your property was built in 1978 or earlier, a lead-safe certification is required. We coordinate the testing with our certified inspectors. Cost depends on bedrooms per unit ($130–$280/unit).

The city rental license fee is $69 per unit, paid directly to Philadelphia L&I. Our flat service fee is $500 per property for the done-for-you application support. Lead paint testing is separate when required, and the address tool shows the estimated total before you start.

The $69 per unit fee is the City of Philadelphia's licensing fee — it goes directly to L&I. This is mandatory regardless of who files your application. Our service fee covers everything else.

If you're already working with HubKey for tenant placement, the rental license can be bundled at a reduced rate. Just let us know when you get started and we'll apply the discount.

Our guarantee: if we can't get your rental license approved, you don't pay our $500 service fee — period. City fees ($69/unit) and lead paint testing costs (if already performed) are non-refundable because they're paid to third parties (L&I and the inspector), not us. That's the only carve-out. If we drop the ball on our end, you owe us nothing.

Yes! After you submit your information, you'll have access to real-time status updates showing exactly where your application stands — from compliance checks to L&I submission to license issuance.

Rental licenses are tied to the owner and property — they don't transfer when a property changes hands. The new owner has to apply for their own license before renting. If you're buying a property with an existing rental license, budget for a fresh application.

Philadelphia can fine unlicensed rentals up to $2,000 per day per unit. Worse, rent collected without a license isn't legally enforceable — if a tenant disputes it, you may not be able to recover it. Evictions also get complicated without a valid license.

Yes. The entire intake is online — you don't need to be in Philly. We e-sign the RLSI, coordinate lead paint testing with on-site access via your tenant or contractor, and submit everything to L&I on your behalf. Most of our clients never set foot in a city office.

Short-term rentals in Philadelphia have a separate licensing path (Limited Lodging) on top of the standard rental license. We can handle the standard rental license — for short-term-specific compliance (zoning permit, Hotel Tax registration), we'll flag what else you need and refer you if it's outside our scope.

Yes. Multi-property portfolios get discounted lead paint testing through our inspector partner (10% off retail). Our $500 service fee still applies per property, but we set up a single point of contact and bundle status updates so you're not chasing each one separately.

Yes. Philadelphia rental licenses renew annually. Your free bonus includes a 60-day renewal alert so nothing slips. Rental license renewal pricing is the same $500 flat service fee + city fees — but we already have your file, so it's faster the second time around.

Just an address and a way to pay. We'll ask for owner info, PHTIN (or help you set one up if you don't have one), property details, and signature on the RLSI form. The whole intake takes ~10 minutes.

If your PHTIN is set up and you have no open violations, we typically submit to L&I within 3 business days of receiving your intake. L&I issues licenses in 1–2 business days after submission. The most common delays: setting up PHTIN (1–7 days), tax clearance issues, or open violations on the property.

Common situation — and not a deal-breaker. We submit the application as a new license; the city does not retroactively fine if you come into compliance proactively. The faster you get licensed, the smaller the exposure window.

We share your property + owner info only with the Philadelphia Department of Licenses & Inspections (required for the application) and with our lead paint inspector partner (only if pre-1978). We don't sell, share, or use your info for marketing. Full privacy details on request.

Yes — for portfolio clients (3+ properties) we'll send a single invoice payable by ACH or check. For single-property applications, we use Stripe checkout (card) for fastest turnaround. If you have a strong preference, just reach out before you submit.

Attorneys typically charge $1,500–$3,000 to do exactly what we do — and they don't specialize in this. Most property managers in Philly outsource rental licenses to a service like ours and mark it up. We're the source: 100+ licenses processed, Philly-only, flat $500, guaranteed.