About

Our Story

The Allentown Tenant Association has been created to tackle the city’s current renting issues. The association aims to educate residents of the city on their rights as a tenant and to assist with tenant-landlord disputes. We are currently working with city agencies to improve rental conditions throughout the city. Membership is open to all people living in the city of Allentown who accept the aims and goals of the Association, irrespective of nationality, race, religion, or political belief, ethnic or national origin, sex or color. Facebook: Allentown Tenant Association

T H E T E A M

Our Founders

Julian Kern - President

Kenneth Heffentrager - Vice President

Deceased
12/06/1970 - 02/12/2023

Julian Kern's Story:

Julian Kern was born Nov.16.1985 in Allentown, PA. He has lived in Allentown since he was born and lived in several locations throughout the city. Growing up he witnessed his parents and others have landlord problems. He started to learn some of the rights renter’s have then. He and his family rented from Joe Clark in 2010 which is when he experienced first hand how a slumlord runs their business. While renting from Joe Clark he dealt with numerous situations ranging from violation of quiet enjoyment, safety hazards, city issues, and more. He got tired of how nothing was being done about illegal activity and violation of rights. He started an invisionfree forums website to expose what was occurring. Then Ken Heffentrager (Currently the VP) found the forums website and they both started talking and decided to start a tenant association for the city in December of 2011.

(Deceased) Kenneth Heffentrager's Story:

Ken Heffentrager was born Dec. 6, 1970 in Quakertown, PA. But has lived a majority of his adult life in Allentown, mostly in the center city area which happens to be the majority of slumlords and urban blight. Through the years Ken has witnessed and been subjected to the direct effects of slumlords having dealt with a John Moore(deceased) in the 90's and more recently with Charles Koury and Joe Clark. In October 2011, Ken started researching Joe Clark and came upon a website called invisionfree and attending City Council meetings trying to address the problem of slumlords. In his dealings with invisionfree he met Julian Kern, the two talked and created in December 2011 the Tenant Association of Allentown now changed to the Allentown Tenant Association in which Julian is president and Ken is the vice-president. As VP of the Association he has made it a point to attend most City Council, Zoning and other various city meetings to expose the problem of slumlords and city blight. Ken is the public relations member for the association. Ken has become very knowledgeable on issues regarding landlord-tenant laws as well as city codes and zoning ordinances that cover residential renting in the city. Also having applied for several seats on council left open by departing council members, a relative newcomer to politics he was passed over but maintains a good working relationship with City Council. He believes now is the time for a center city resident to be elected for the at large position, a true voice for the lower income families that face the slumlords day in and day out, he states "I believe this is a quality of life issue that effects every single resident in the City of Allentown".