The Board of Commissioners of the Township of Lower Merion hereby makes
the following legislative findings of fact:
A. In order to protect the health, safety and general welfare of the citizens and inhabitants of the Township of Lower Merion, the Board of Commissioners has adopted a comprehensive Fire Prevention Code as Chapter
78 of this Code and a comprehensive Housing-Property Maintenance Code as Chapter
92 of this Code.
B. The enforcement of these protective legislative measures
has been seriously hampered because the owners of property against whom tenants
have filed complaints with the appropriate township authorities, revealing
Fire Prevention Code violations or Housing-Property Maintenance Code violations,
have developed practices of evicting complaining tenants for these reasons
or upon other convenient and spurious pretexts and of withholding services
which are required by existing leases or arrangements of tenancy or by law
or ordinance from complaining tenants for these reasons or upon other convenient
and spurious pretexts.
C. Fearful of eviction or of the withholding of services,
tenants have been hesitant to report violations and have been compelled to
live under conditions which are in violation of existing ordinances and which
create situations dangerous to the health and safety of the tenants and the
entire community.
D. The provisions of this chapter are necessary to eliminate
the aforesaid practices, all for the protection of the public health, safety
and welfare.
This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Lower Merion Fair
Housing Code."
This chapter shall be enforced by the Director of Inspection Services
and by his duly authorized representatives.
[Amended 8-3-1988 by Ord. No. 3104]
Any person, firm or corporation who shall violate any of the provisions
of this chapter shall be liable, on conviction thereof, to a fine or penalty
not exceeding $600 for each and every offense; and whenever such person, firm
or corporation shall have been notified by the Director or his duly authorized
representatives by regular, certified or registered mail, verbally or by service
of process that he is committing such violation of this chapter, each day
that he shall continue such violation after such notification shall constitute
a separate offense punishable by a like fine or penalty. Such fines or penalties
shall be collected as like fines or penalties are now by law collected.
In addition to the penalty provisions of this chapter, any appropriate
action or proceeding, whether in law or in equity, may be instituted or taken
by the Township of Lower Merion or by any aggrieved person against any person,
firm or corporation who is in violation of or has violated any of the provisions
of this chapter in order to cause such violation to cease or to redress such
violation.