Pennsylvania landlord and tenant rules

Seayora publishes 9 Pennsylvania rules, covering security deposits, notice periods, evictions, contractor sales tax. Every one is composed from the statute it cites and links to that statute on the state’s own code site.

Pennsylvania at a glance

RulePennsylvania
Does a landlord have to pay interest on a security deposit in Pennsylvania?Deposits over $100 must be escrowed; interest (less a 1 % fee) is paid after the second year.
How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in Pennsylvania?30 days
How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Pennsylvania?2 months of rent
How many days does a tenant get to pay late rent in Pennsylvania?10 days (notice to vacate)
How much notice must a landlord give to end a tenancy in Pennsylvania?30 days
Can a landlord change the locks to force a tenant out in Pennsylvania?Only a constable or sheriff executing an order for possession may remove a tenant.
How long does a tenant have to respond to an eviction case in Pennsylvania?A hearing is scheduled 7 to 15 days after the complaint is filed.
What are the steps to evict a tenant for unpaid rent in Pennsylvania?Serve a 10-day notice to quit for nonpayment
Do contractors charge sales tax in Pennsylvania?Consumer of materials

Security deposits in Pennsylvania

Does a landlord have to pay interest on a security deposit in Pennsylvania?

Yes. Pennsylvania requires a landlord to pay the tenant interest on a security deposit. Deposits over $100 must be escrowed; interest (less a 1 % fee) is paid after the second year. The deposit itself must be returned within 30 days of the end of the tenancy. This is 68 P.S. § 250.511a–250.512.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in Pennsylvania?

In Pennsylvania, a landlord has 30 days after the tenancy ends to return the security deposit, together with an itemised statement of any deductions. Pennsylvania also requires interest to be paid on the deposit: Deposits over $100 must be escrowed; interest (less a 1 % fee) is paid after the second year. This is 68 P.S. § 250.511a–250.512.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Pennsylvania?

In Pennsylvania, a security deposit is capped at 2 months of rent. Two months' rent in the first year, one month thereafter. This is 68 P.S. § 250.511a–250.512.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

Notice periods in Pennsylvania

How many days does a tenant get to pay late rent in Pennsylvania?

In Pennsylvania, a landlord must give 10 days written notice to vacate before filing a nonpayment eviction. It is a notice to leave rather than a demand to pay. This is 68 P.S. § 250.501.

No state statute sets a rent-increase notice period — the lease governs; Philadelphia requires 30 days (60 for tenancies over a year). No statute sets an entry-notice period. Late rent: 10-day notice to quit, which a lease may waive.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

How much notice must a landlord give to end a tenancy in Pennsylvania?

In Pennsylvania, a landlord must give 30 days written notice to end a tenancy or decline to renew it. This is 68 P.S. § 250.501.

No state statute sets a rent-increase notice period — the lease governs; Philadelphia requires 30 days (60 for tenancies over a year). No statute sets an entry-notice period. Late rent: 10-day notice to quit, which a lease may waive.

Full answer and the checkable figures.

Evictions in Pennsylvania

Can a landlord change the locks to force a tenant out in Pennsylvania?

No. Only a constable or sheriff executing an order for possession may remove a tenant. A landlord lockout is a conversion and a trespass. In Pennsylvania a tenant may be removed only through the court process, which is set by 68 P.S. §§ 250.501, 250.502, 250.503; Pa. R.C.P.M.D.J. 501–521.

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

Full answer and the checkable figures.

How long does a tenant have to respond to an eviction case in Pennsylvania?

In Pennsylvania, the time a tenant has to respond to an eviction case is governed by 68 P.S. §§ 250.501, 250.502, 250.503; Pa. R.C.P.M.D.J. 501–521. A hearing is scheduled 7 to 15 days after the complaint is filed. There is no separate written answer.

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

Full answer and the checkable figures.

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.

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

Full answer and the checkable figures.

Contractor sales tax in Pennsylvania

Do contractors charge sales tax in Pennsylvania?

In Pennsylvania a contractor is treated as the CONSUMER of the materials they build into real property. That means the contractor pays sales tax when they buy the materials, and does not add sales tax to the customer's invoice for that work — the tax is already inside the price. Pennsylvania also has county, city or special-district rates on top of the state rate, so the rate depends on where the job site is, not where the contractor is based. Source: 61 Pa. Code §31.5; 72 P.S. §7201(k)(14) (construction contractors are the ultimate consumers of materials; building maintenance and cleaning services are separately taxable).

Pennsylvania taxes building maintenance and building cleaning as enumerated services while treating construction — repair included — as consumption by the contractor. Local rates exist only in Philadelphia (2%) and Allegheny County (1%).

Full answer and the checkable figures.

Sources

  • 61 Pa. Code §31.5; 72 P.S. §7201(k)(14) (construction contractors are the ultimate consumers of materials; building maintenance and cleaning services are separately taxable).
  • 68 P.S. § 250.501
  • 68 P.S. § 250.511a–250.512
  • 68 P.S. §§ 250.501, 250.502, 250.503; Pa. R.C.P.M.D.J. 501–521

This is a summary of a published statute, not legal advice. Rules change, local ordinances can add to them, and the terms of a specific lease may differ. Check the citation and speak to a lawyer before acting.

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.

This is a summary of a state’s published guidance, not tax or legal advice. Rates and rules change, local jurisdictions add their own, and the treatment of a specific job depends on the contract and the work. Check the citation and speak to a CPA or a state tax adviser before relying on it.

How Seayora uses these rules

Security deposits. Seayora computes the deadline this rule sets from the tenancy’s own dates, shows it on the deposit statement, and reminds the landlord before it falls due — so the answer above is not reference material sitting beside the product, it is the rule the product enforces.

Notice periods. Seayora computes the notice this rule requires from the tenancy’s own dates — for a renewal offer, a rent increase or a served notice — and will not serve one that is short unless the owner records a reason. The answer above is the rule the product enforces.

Evictions. 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.

Contractor sales tax. Seayora resolves this rule on every invoice a contractor raises — per line, from the job site’s own address — and prints the rate, the jurisdiction and this citation on the document itself, so the estimate a customer accepts is the invoice they are billed. Where the rule is more nuanced than a single answer, Seayora refuses to guess a total rather than quoting a confident wrong one.

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