Pennsylvania Landlord Compliance
Everything you're responsible for as a landlord in Pennsylvania
Rent control, just-cause eviction, deposits, entry, repairs and recordkeeping, written for people who own or manage a few units, checked against the official sources, and kept current when the rules move.
Jurisdiction
key details
Rent cap · Detail
No state law limits rent or rent increases; rent may not be changed during a lease term without written agreement. No municipality in PA has rent control.
Deposit cap · Detail
Deposit may not exceed two months' rent in the first year of a lease and one month's rent from the start of the second year; from year three deposits over $100 must be escrowed in an interest-bearing account (or bonded).
Rent increase notice · Detail
No state statute sets a rent-increase notice; the only state minimum is the 15-day notice to quit that ends a lease of a year or less (waivable). Philadelphia Code §9-804(11) requires 60 days' written notice (tenancy ≥1 yr) or 30 days (<1 yr).
City rules · Detail
No state statute preempts local rent control (preemption bill HB 136 pending), but no PA municipality has rent control. Philadelphia regulates good-cause non-renewal and rent-increase notice (Code ch. 9-804); Pittsburgh has neither.
Just cause · Detail
No statewide requirement: a lease may end at term's end on a 15-day (lease ≤1 yr) or 30-day (>1 yr) notice to quit, waivable in the lease. Philadelphia Code §9-804(12) requires good cause to non-renew leases under one year (incl. month-to-month).
Return deadline · Detail
Within 30 days after lease termination or surrender and acceptance the landlord must return the deposit or send an itemized damage list with any balance; tenant must give a written forwarding address (§250.512(e)). Failure forfeits deductions.
Nonpayment notice · Detail
Notice to quit giving 10 days for nonpayment of rent before filing in magisterial district court; the statutory notice may be shortened or waived if the lease so provides (§250.501(e)), which many leases do.
What are you trying to do?
Start from the task. Each route gathers the guides, checklists and forms that apply to it in Pennsylvania.
Essential local guides
If you're new to owning here, these five cover most of what will come up in your first year.
View All GuidesSan Francisco Security Deposits, Fees and Interest: key questions
A landlord returns a deposit, deducts a reasonable amount for real damage, and mails the itemized statement well within California's 21-day window. Then the tenant disputes it, and the landlord discovers they're missing timestamped photos from three specific points in the tenancy, a requirement in force only since January 1 this year. This guide walks through California's post-2024 one-month deposit cap, the new AB 2801 photo-documentation mandate and its real evidentiary consequences, and San Francisco's own separate interest obligation under its Rent Ordinance, recalculated every March, layered entirely on top of the statewide rules most guidance stops at.
Guide
Pennsylvania HOA Laws: A Comprehensive Guide
Guide
10 min
Pennsylvania Squatter's Rights & Adverse Possession Laws
Protect your property! Learn how Pennsylvania’s 21-year adverse possession law works and how to legally remove squatters before they claim ownership.
Guide
6 min
Recent changes
Only substantive changes, not copy edits.
15 Sept 2024
Notice-to-quit rule clarified for non-tenants
Act 88 clarifies that statutory notice to quit does not apply to a person who is not, and never has been, a tenant of the property.
Full Pennsylvania collection
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| Resource | Type | Task | Reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
San Francisco Security Deposits, Fees and Interest: key questions A landlord returns a deposit, deducts a reasonable amount for real damage, and mails the itemized statement well within California's 21-day window. Then the tenant disputes it, and the landlord discovers they're missing timestamped photos from three specific points in the tenancy, a requirement in force only since January 1 this year. This guide walks through California's post-2024 one-month deposit cap, the new AB 2801 photo-documentation mandate and its real evidentiary consequences, and San Francisco's own separate interest obligation under its Rent Ordinance, recalculated every March, layered entirely on top of the statewide rules most guidance stops at. | Guides | Return a deposit | Sep 27, 2026 |
Pennsylvania HOA Laws: A Comprehensive Guide | Guides | Keep the right records | Jun 2, 2026 |
Pennsylvania Squatter's Rights & Adverse Possession Laws Protect your property! Learn how Pennsylvania’s 21-year adverse possession law works and how to legally remove squatters before they claim ownership. | Guides | End a tenancy | Apr 20, 2026 |
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What you read about
Rent increase dates and notice
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Obligation tracking with reminders
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Move-in and move-out photos
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Records kept per unit, per tenancy
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Repair requests and responses
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Maintenance log with timestamps
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Everything a hearing could ask for
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