Housing Law Commons^™

Substandard Housing: The New Pennsylvania Rent Withholding Act As A Solution, Frank Intrieri, Samuel Pasquarelli

Duquesne Law Review

In many large cities the problem created by substandard housing seems nearly insurmountable. These slums constitute physically rundown and neglected dwellings where little or no sanitary or other facilities exist. The 1950 census of housing indicated that 18.7 percent of all urban dwelling units were either dilapidated or lacked a flush toilet or private bath for exclusive use. In essence, most of these individual and collective units can be factually certified as "unfit for human habitation," yet these areas and dwellings are inhabited.