PA · Researched October 7, 2026
Pennsylvania caps deposits at two months' rent in the first year and one month after that, requires a damage list and refund within 30 days, and requires interest on deposits held more than two years. Evictions start with a notice to quit (10 days for nonpayment) unless the lease waives it, and Philadelphia and Pittsburgh add many local rules. Managing rentals for others requires a Pennsylvania real estate broker license, with rents kept in a separate rental management account.
Property must be managed by a licensed broker. A salesperson may help with property management only under the employing broker's supervision and may not independently negotiate or sign leases. Granting a power of attorney to a property manager to avoid licensing is treated as a circumvention of the law.
Owners managing their own property (for companies, limited to five partners or officers); employees of an owner of multifamily housing who manage or maintain the buildings but do not sign or negotiate leases or hold tenant money except for the owner; attorneys; court-appointed fiduciaries; holders of a recorded power of attorney not used to evade the law.
Brokers must deposit security deposits and other money belonging to others into an escrow account by the end of the next business day. Rents collected as a property manager do not go in escrow but must go into a rental management account separate from the escrow and general business accounts.
After a tenant has been in place five years or more, a rent increase cannot trigger a higher deposit. A tenant cannot waive these limits.
Give a written list of damages with the refund. If no list is sent within 30 days, you lose the right to withhold for damages and to sue for them. Failing to refund the balance on time exposes you to double the amount wrongfully withheld. Withholding for unpaid rent is still allowed. If the tenant gives no forwarding address in writing, you are relieved of these penalties.
Use a regulated bank and notify the tenant in writing of the bank's name and address and the amount deposited. Starting with the second anniversary, deposits must earn interest; the landlord may keep 1% a year for administration, and the rest is paid to the tenant each lease anniversary. A bond can be posted instead of escrowing.
The Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 has no late fee section. Keep fees reasonable and written in the lease, and check city rules.
The Landlord and Tenant Act has no application or screening fee section. Check local rules.
The Landlord and Tenant Act has no rent increase notice section. To change terms on a month-to-month tenancy, give at least the notice needed to end it (15 days under § 501 unless the lease sets more). Philadelphia and some other cities add rules.
The Landlord and Tenant Act does not regulate rent amounts, and we did not find a state law that expressly preempts local rent control. Check local law.
Serve personally, leave it at the main building on the premises, or post it conspicuously. A written lease can shorten or waive the notice. The tenant can stop the eviction for nonpayment by paying the back rent and costs any time before the writ of possession is executed.
The same periods apply when a term ends. Illegal drug activity listed in the Act allows a 10-day notice. The lease can shorten or waive these notices.
Month-to-month is a tenancy of one year or less or for an indeterminate time, so the 15-day notice applies at the end of a term. Many leases require 30 days, and Philadelphia and other cities may require more.
After the notice to quit, file with the magisterial district judge (Philadelphia uses Municipal Court). The statute sets the hearing 7 to 10 days from the summons. After judgment, the landlord may request a writ of possession after the 5th day; it is served within 48 hours and executed on the 11th day after service. Court rules may set slightly different timing.
Property counts as abandoned only in listed situations, such as move-out after a written lease ends, after an eviction order is executed, or after the tenant leaves with rent more than 15 days late and you post a notice. Use the statutory notice wording and send it first class to the unit and any forwarding address. Violations carry treble damages and attorney fees. If you know of a protection from abuse order, wait 30 days. A written lease controls if it conflicts with this section, except for the abuse order rule.
The Landlord and Tenant Act has no entry or notice section. Give reasonable notice and enter at reasonable times, and put the entry terms in the lease.
Pennsylvania courts recognize an implied warranty of habitability, which can support rent withholding or repair claims. The Landlord and Tenant Act itself only makes landlords of buildings with 3 or more households responsible for reasonable care of common areas, and requires the certifying agency to send landlords monthly statements when tenants pay rent into escrow under the City Rent Withholding Act. Local housing codes also apply.
When a deposit goes into escrow, tell the tenant in writing which bank holds it and how much. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh require additional documents, such as a rental license or certificate of rental suitability.
The Pennsylvania Human Relations Act covers race, color, familial status, age, religious creed, ancestry, sex, national origin, disability, and use of guide or support animals. Commission regulations define sex to include gender identity or expression and sexual orientation. Since January 24, 2026, race includes hair texture and protective hairstyles, and religious creed includes religious head coverings and hairstyles. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh add source of income and more.
The Landlord and Tenant Act now defines "tenant" and says the Act, including the notice to quit, does not apply to a person who is not and never was a tenant, so owners can remove unauthorized occupants without a landlord-tenant eviction. Approved July 17, 2024, effective in 60 days.
The Human Relations Act, which covers housing, now defines race to include hair texture and protective hairstyles and religious creed to include religious head coverings and hairstyles. Approved November 25, 2025, effective in 60 days.
Walk through how these rules fit your renewal, collections and maintenance process with Julian. 20 minutes.
With Julian Calvo, who works with property management companies at LeadSimple.
Compare with other states: security deposit limit, deposit return deadline, deposit interest and holding rules, late fees, application and screening fees, rent increase notice, rent control, notice for unpaid rent, notice for lease violations, ending a month-to-month, eviction timeline, abandoned property, landlord entry, repairs and habitability, required disclosures, state fair housing protections.