{"id":61298,"date":"2025-12-15T12:30:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T12:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/61298\/"},"modified":"2025-12-15T12:30:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T12:30:09","slug":"landlord-tenant-program-to-launch-soon-in-easton-what-to-expect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/61298\/","title":{"rendered":"Landlord-tenant program to launch soon in Easton. What to expect."},"content":{"rendered":"

Easton<\/a> officials hope a new program will educate not only landlords in the city, but their tenants.<\/p>\n

Easton officials announced at a press conference<\/a> that the city\u2019s new landlord-tenant engagement program will launch on Jan. 1, 2026. The initiative is designed to strengthen relationships between landlords and tenants while improving rental property standards across city neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

Michael Brett, deputy director of Easton\u2019s Redevelopment Authority, described the program as the evolution of a former landlord training effort that ran from 2015-17. He said the updated version is significantly more robust, incorporating manuals, interactive components and a new digital learning platform.<\/p>\n

When announced in February<\/a>, the program was proposed as a requirement for all landlords. In June, Easton City Council passed an ordinance to launch the program without the requirement.<\/p>\n

Landlords who complete the program will receive a $25 discount off their landlord application or license renewal fee. The total fee without the discount was raised<\/a> from $25 to $50.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis program is something I know we\u2019ve all heard of a lot over the last year, it\u2019s been kind of a labor of love,\u201d Brett said.<\/p>\n

Councilman Frank Pintabone, who originally proposed the program, said community feedback while campaigning reinforced the need for better support for both landlords and renters.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of times in certain parts of our community, those residents aren\u2019t being afforded that quality of life, and it could be just because the landlord who inherited the building doesn\u2019t know how to be a good landlord,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The program will include guidance on legal compliance, property maintenance, applicant screening and communication strategies between landlords and tenants. It will be managed full-time by Home Easton<\/a> project manager Mark Hammerstone, who will serve as the city\u2019s landlord-tenant liaison.<\/p>\n

Haley Weber, program manager for the Redevelopment Authority who led much of the development, said the program emphasizes the role landlords and property managers play in neighborhood stability.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt serves to inform business practices that adhere to state and local law and take it a step further by encouraging proactivity with forming better relationships between tenants and landlords in the city of Easton,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The program includes monthly community workshops held in various Easton neighborhoods, starting with a session on fair housing and eviction in January. Officials said the workshops are designed to be both educational and conversational, giving participants a chance to ask questions directly.<\/p>\n

Digital materials, including landlord and tenant \u201cbest practices\u201d manuals, will be available through a new app developed by the Redevelopment Authority. The city plans to use the app to communicate directly with landlords.<\/p>\n

Brett said the initiative supports both sides of a rental relationship by reducing conflict, improving housing quality and helping owners navigate property management challenges.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I found in my experience as a practicing Realtor, is that there are more good landlords, more well intended landlords that don\u2019t know how to be good landlords and they want to be,\u201d Brett said.<\/p>\n

Tenants will also have access to educational materials outlining their rights and responsibilities. These resources are intended to help prevent issues such as unsafe living conditions, improper lease terms and misunderstandings that lead to avoidable property damage.<\/p>\n

Mayor Sal Panto Jr. said the program reflects changes in housing trends and the need to support residents in a city where rental demand continues to grow.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe paradigm has shifted, so we need to shift with it,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Easton officials hope a new program will educate not only landlords in the city, but their tenants. Easton…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":61299,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[153,155,154],"class_list":{"0":"post-61298","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bethlehem","8":"tag-bethlehem","9":"tag-bethlehem-headlines","10":"tag-bethlehem-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61298","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61298"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61298\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}