Rabb: College students should be able to terminate apartment leases without penalty if their school cancels on-campus instruction because of COVID-19

Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus    September 8, 2020 | 11:23 AM

HARRISBURG, Sept. 8 – State Rep. Chris Rabb has introduced legislation to provide relief to college students trapped in a lease agreement if their college cancels on-campus instruction because of COVID-19. 

“The young people this legislation seeks to help did everything right to get themselves prepared for higher learning by securing housing and have found themselves the unfortunate victims of a global pandemic,” Rabb said. “This legislation would allow students attending a college that has canceled in-person learning because of COVID-19 the opportunity to terminate the lease agreement they have on an apartment they no longer need, without penalty. 

“Providing these students the commonsense relief to avoid additional hardship, since COVID-19 eliminated their need for an apartment close to a campus they cannot access or use, is simply the right thing to do,” Rabb added.  

Rabb, D-Phila., introduced this legislation, H.B. 2827, with fellow Philadelphia state Rep. Morgan Cephas. 

With colleges across the commonwealth seeing the effects of COVID-19 – including Temple University, which announced on Thursday that it is suspending in-person learning of most classes for the remainder of the fall semester after a recent outbreak of the virus – Rabb said it is crucial that we do not make life harder for college students. 

“As legislators, we have a duty to make sure our constituents come first,” Rabb said. “And our college students are no exception. Without assistance, the financial roadblocks college students already face will only grow.” 

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