What are the steps to evict a tenant for unpaid rent in Pennsylvania?

In Pennsylvania, an eviction for unpaid rent runs through 5 steps, each set by the statute or court rule beside it: (1) Serve a 10-day notice to quit for nonpayment — 68 P.S. § 250.501(b); (2) File a landlord/tenant complaint — Pa. R.C.P.M.D.J. 502; (3) Hearing, 7 to 15 days after filing — Pa. R.C.P.M.D.J. 503; (4) Ten days to appeal, then an order for possession — Pa. R.C.P.M.D.J. 1002, 1008; (5) Order for possession — 10 days’ notice — Pa. R.C.P.M.D.J. 515, 518. The ten-day notice for nonpayment may be waived by the lease, and many Pennsylvania leases do waive it. Read the lease before serving. Philadelphia adds requirements of its own. The procedure as a whole is set by 68 P.S. §§ 250.501, 250.502, 250.503; Pa. R.C.P.M.D.J. 501–521.

WhatPennsylvania
CourtMagisterial District Court for the district where the property is. In Philadelphia, the Municipal Court.
Steps with a citation5
Cities with their own rules on filePhiladelphia

Notes

The ten-day notice for nonpayment may be waived by the lease, and many Pennsylvania leases do waive it. Read the lease before serving.

Source

68 P.S. §§ 250.501, 250.502, 250.503; Pa. R.C.P.M.D.J. 501–521 — last checked 2026-09-16.

This is a summary of the published procedure, not legal advice. Courts, local rules and the facts of a tenancy change what applies, and a defect in a notice or a filing can end a case. Have a lawyer review anything before it is served or filed.

How Seayora uses this rule

Seayora does not file, serve or appear in an eviction, and is not anybody’s lawyer. When a tenant has stopped paying, it lays out these steps for the property’s own state and city with the statute beside each one, holds back any step that would come too early, keeps an append-only record of the case — and shows the resident what would end it, legal-aid links included.

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