BETHLEHEM, Pa. — In a housing market where rents remain high and eviction filings continue to climb, a single court record can follow a tenant for years, even if they were never forced from their home.
That dynamic is part of a broader rental landscape in the region that LehighValleyNews.com will examine in depth next week, exploring how eviction filings, rental vacancies and affordability pressures are colliding in Lehigh and Northampton counties.
In Pennsylvania, when a landlord files for eviction, that case immediately becomes part of the public court record. It remains there even if the tenant ultimately wins, the case is withdrawn or the parties reach an agreement.
Unlike some other states, Pennsylvania does not automatically seal eviction filings.
As a result, the existence of a filing can remain publicly accessible indefinitely through magisterial district court dockets.
Housing advocates say that visibility can create lasting and insurmountable barriers for renters. Tenant screening companies routinely collect court filing data, and landlords often use those reports when evaluating applications.
Even without a judgment against a tenant, the presence of an eviction filing can affect future housing opportunities.
Legislation circulating in Harrisburg would change that.
'Just perpetuates a cycle'
Referred to committee last spring, Senate Bill 549 would require courts to seal eviction cases unless a landlord obtains a judgment against a tenant.
Even in cases where a judgment is entered, the record would be sealed after seven years under the proposal.
It's the latest attempt by lawmakers to automatically seal no-fault or dismissed evictions, with many prior efforts facing opposition from landlord advocates citing safety and risk assessment, combined with a divided legislature.
Lehigh County Executive Josh Siegel said Wednesday that eviction filings can create long-term barriers for renters.
“We know nearly half of renters are cost-burdened. So when someone ends up in eviction court, it’s usually not happening in a vacuum. It’s happening because they’re already struggling.”Lehigh County Executive Josh Siegel
“When you have an eviction filing, even if you don’t ultimately get evicted, that filing can follow you,” Siegel said. “It can make it harder to find your next apartment. It can show up in tenant screening reports.”
Siegel said many tenants facing eviction already are under financial strain.
“We know nearly half of renters are cost-burdened,” he said. “So when someone ends up in eviction court, it’s usually not happening in a vacuum. It’s happening because they’re already struggling.”
He said the lasting visibility of court records can compound that instability.
“If that record limits their ability to secure housing in the future, it just perpetuates the cycle,” Siegel said.
Siegel advocated for creating a designated housing court in Lehigh County.
He argued that specialized judicial oversight and expanded right-to-counsel access for tenants could help ensure more balanced outcomes.
He said sealing certain eviction records fits within broader efforts to address structural pressures in the rental market.
Housing dynamic across the region
The idea of a housing court has been raised before, most notably in 2021 when Allentown officials announced plans to collaborate with Lehigh County on one system to handle landlord-tenant disputes, code compliance and evictions.
Eviction cases in Pennsylvania still are filed in magisterial district courts and appear in publicly searchable dockets maintained by the Unified Judicial System.
In counties such as Lehigh, eviction filings have exceeded the statewide average for much of the past year, even as rental vacancy rates have fluctuated.Lehigh County records
Tenant screening companies compile information from those public records into reports that landlords may use when reviewing rental applications.
Because filings are public at the outset, high eviction rates can translate into a growing number of renters with court records, regardless of whether they ultimately are removed from their homes.
In counties such as Lehigh, eviction filings have exceeded the statewide average for much of the past year, even as rental vacancy rates have fluctuated.
That apparent contradiction — rising vacancy estimates alongside persistent eviction volume — is part of a broader housing dynamic playing out across the region.
Anna Smith, director of Community Action Development Bethlehem, said the persistence of evictions, even as vacancies rise, reflects a market that remains fundamentally misaligned with renters’ incomes.
The full picture of how vacancies, affordability and evictions are converging in the Lehigh Valley lands next week on LehighValleyNews.com.
