Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-03-22
S. RENT ADVANCE
ROUSES TENANTS
Hadfield Avenue Residents
in $500 Block Ordered
to Move
DENY ADVANCE Is JUST
Properties Occupied at $2l
Last Year Have Rate of
$50, They Say

Househoders on Hadfeld avenue be
tween Fifty-third and Fifty-fourth
streets, West Philadelphia, are aroused
because of the receipt of notices from
their realty agent that the rental on
their homes will be increased s. IT the
end of the curernt month.
This. II is alleged, is the second in
crease for most Of the tenants within
a year. They have the alternative OF
leaving If they refuse 10 sign the new
monthly lease, they say.
These houses originally rented for
S21. Last Marsh the tenants were
asked to pay ono dollar more: and
in September the rent mounted to
twenty-five dollars. The agents say the
householders assert, that the increase
has been made necessary because of the
increase of property expenses in the
form of taxes and repairs. But, accord
ing to the tenants, there have been no
repairs.
The notices that many of the tenants
received were in the form Of two letters
dated March IA. The first was from the
owner of the property, G.. A. F'laith 2l3
North Seventh street. It reads in part:
you are hereby notified that 1t is my
desire to have possession Of said de-
missed promises at the expiration of the
current term Of one month. being April
Is. 1919. You are. therefore, requested
to vaCate and deliver possession of said
demised premises to me AT the time
named
Notice from Agent
Along with the notice from the owner
came a letter from the agent of the
property. Samuel T. Hall. Inc, real es-
tate broker. 3O1 Liberty Building, Broad
The inclosed notice. which is given
to you by me as agent for the present
owner OF property occupied by YOU, will
explain itself
We find that it is impossible for us
to carry the house at the existing rental,
and make even reasonable return on
investment.
Upon the expiration Of the time fixed
by the inc.osed notice il will be incun-
bent upon you to move unless before
that time you arrange with us to con-
tinue your occupancy on monthly
lease at $50 per month. and sign a writ
ten lease to that effect. If you sign s,.-r
monthly lease. it is with the understand
ing that the house is for sale"
As is expressed in the agents letter.
tenants who agree to pay the So increase
and those who have moved recently into
the houses on lIadtield avenue at $40 a
month. remain in the houses with the
understanding that the houses are for
sale, so that they do not know definitely
how long they will be permitted TO live
in the houses
They sign a lease each month for a
month. and If the owner sells a house
the occupants must Vacate at the eX-
piration of the month OF their lease
They. of course are given some previ-
Gus notification of the sale. But there is
nothing for them TO do but to get out
Collectors Statement
Eugene l.. Townsend. real estate agent
at Forty-ninth street and Baltimore
avenue. represents Mr.. Hall as rent COL
lector for some of the houses on Had
field avenue. He said: Il have nothing
to do with the increase excepting that
] must collect ii from the tenants of
some of the houses on Hadfield avenue
1t Is fact, however. that the rise in
the cost of repairs make it entirely
obligatory to raise the rents For in
stance. a plumbing job costs twice and
three times as much as it used to. The
rental in this city has been entirely too
low. TIE tenants have an opportunity
to buy their houses. if they SO desire
but they don't want to buy them. II
seems to be cheaper to pay rent"
Mr.. Hall refused to say anything otber
than that he would get in touch with
Mr.. Elaith. the owner of the propertv
to learn whether Mr.. Flaith wished to
make ~ statement.