When Philadelphia rental-unit counts disagree

Keep each number's meaning

Start by asking what was counted. A license count concerns the units or subdivisions covered by that license. A permit count belongs to that permit's work. The City's permit metadata labels that number self-reported and unverified. An assessment classification does not supply a missing count.

The methodology links to all three field definitions. Keep a record's status and date beside its number. Do not add together licenses or replace several records with a single preferred value.

City guidance also distinguishes a change in the number of units from a period when an owner is not renting some units. Those are different licensing questions. Read the Rental License FAQ's unit-count guidance.

Work through a fictional conflict

Illustrative only: imagine a three-unit listing, an active license with three units, and a completed permit describing two. A seller statement repeats three. An older zoning document says two.

What the comparison establishes

The available statements differ. You can identify the exact documents and passages that need an explanation.

What it leaves open

Whether later approvals changed the use, whether each record concerns the same part of the building, and what effect the history has today.

A certificate marked R-3 contributes an occupancy classification. The digit in that label is not evidence of three dwellings. The fictional comparison sample keeps that classification separate from its quoted counts.

Turn the difference into a question

Ask: “Which property-specific approval explains the third dwelling, and which plans show the approved arrangement?” Include the earlier permit number and the conflicting passage so the seller can respond to the actual issue.

If the response is another summary, request the underlying document. L&I provides routes for obtaining copies of available permits and certificates; plans can require owner authorization. City record-copy instructions.

A match across all retrieved numbers would remove this particular discrepancy. It would still not certify lawful occupancy or settle the property's continuing use.

Not legal advice or a title, lien or physical-condition inspection. Confirm material questions with the responsible City department or a qualified professional. The free checker compares records within its stated scope.