In Philadelphia, landlords are required to have a valid rental license in order to rent out their properties. They must have a rental license for your building specifically. If your landlord does not have a valid rental license for your building, then they cannot collect rent from you. Landlords without valid rental licenses also cannot go to municipal court and request an eviction.
The Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I) makes sure that buildings are in line with safety and other code requirements. If your building needs repairs, and your landlord is not fixing them, there may be an L&I violation here. For example, defective electrical cords, high weeds, poor exterior sanitation, unremoved graffiti, and unsafe exterior structures are all L&I violations.
If you suspect your rental unit is in violation of L&I requirements, there are actions you can take to get your landlord to make the repairs. See Philly Tenant for more information: https://phillytenant.org/repairs/