Sources checked:
Quick answer. Pennsylvania: deposit capped at 2 months of rent; deposit returned within 30 days; 10-day notice for unpaid rent; $12,000 small claims limit. 20 of 23 items are confirmed on official pages; 3 are marked not confirmed, with the page to check.
Key numbers
- Deposit limit
- 2 months' rent
- Deposit back within
- 30 days
- Month-to-month notice (landlord)
- Lease of 1 year or less, or no set term: 15 days; Lease over 1 year: 30 days
- Unpaid rent notice
- 10 days
- Entry notice
- See the rule
- Time to answer or appear
- At the hearing
- Judgment to writ
- 10 to 120 days
- Writ to lockout
- 11 days
- Small claims limit
- $12,000
Security deposit (6 of 6 confirmed)
Law read: Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, sections 511.1 to 512.
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ConfirmedDeposit limit
No more than two months' rent in the first year; no more than one month's rent from the second year on; no increase with rent after five years (511.1).
Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly: Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, section 512, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedReturn deadline
Within 30 days after the lease ends or the premises are surrendered and accepted, whichever is first: a written list of damages with the balance (512).
Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly: Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, section 512, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedItemized list of deductions
A written list of any damages, with payment of the balance (512(a)). The tenant gives a new address in writing (512(e)).
Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly: Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, section 512, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedInterest on the deposit
For deposits over $100, from the second anniversary of the deposit: interest to the tenant each year, less 1% a year the landlord may keep (511.2).
Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly: Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, section 512, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedWhere the deposit is held
Over $100: in an escrow account at a regulated institution, with written notice of its name and address, or a bond instead (511.2, 511.3).
Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly: Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, section 512, checked November 2026
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ConfirmedPenalty the law states
Double the amount by which the deposit exceeds actual damages; missing the list forfeits the right to withhold (512(b)-(c)).
Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly: Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, section 512, checked November 2026
More: Security deposit rules by state · Deposit return deadline calculator
Notice periods (6 of 6 confirmed)
What the official text says about each notice. Cities and counties can add their own notice, just-cause or rent rules. Check local rules too.
| Notice | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ending month-to-month (landlord) | Notice to quit: the tenant removes within 15 days of service for a lease of one year or less or for an indeterminate time; 30 days for a lease of more than one year. Served in person, left at the main building, or posted on the premises. | Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly: Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, Section 501 (Notice to quit), checked November 2026 (68 P.S. 250.501(b), (f)) |
| Ending month-to-month (tenant) | The Attorney General's guide says a month-to-month lease renews unless either side gives at least 15 days' notice before the current month ends. | Source: Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General: Consumer Guide to Tenant and Landlord Rights (version 1.1, June 13, 2022), checked November 2026 (68 P.S. 250.501(b)) |
| Rent increase notice | No notice period stated. The guide says lease terms such as rent can't change until the lease is renewed unless both sides agree in writing. | Source: Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General: Consumer Guide to Tenant and Landlord Rights (version 1.1, June 13, 2022), checked November 2026 |
| Unpaid rent notice | Notice to quit for nonpayment: the tenant removes within 10 days of service (mobile home parks differ). | Source: Pennsylvania General Assembly: Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, Section 501 (Notice to quit), checked November 2026 (68 P.S. 250.501(b)) |
| Entry notice | The tenant must give reasonable access for maintenance, repairs or showing the unit; the guide states no notice period. | Source: Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General: Consumer Guide to Tenant and Landlord Rights (version 1.1, June 13, 2022), checked November 2026 |
| Late fee limits | No numeric cap stated. The guide says late fees should not be excessive and should bear a reasonable relation to the landlord's cost. | Source: Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General: Consumer Guide to Tenant and Landlord Rights (version 1.1, June 13, 2022), checked November 2026 |
More: Notice periods by state · Notice date calculator
Eviction case, in order (7 of 10 confirmed)
- Notice before filing The written notice comes first; its length is in the notice table above.
Unpaid rent: Notice to quit for nonpayment: the tenant removes within 10 days of service (mobile home parks differ).
- Filing the case Where the case goes and what it costs to start.
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ConfirmedCourt
A magisterial district judge (MDJ) hears the case and issues the order for possession; Philadelphia has its own court.
the sheriff of, or any certified constable in, the county in which the office of the MDJ is situated.
Source: Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency: Constable Field Reference Guide, Civil Law (Rules 501-519), checked November 2026
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Not confirmedFiling fee
Not confirmed — check Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency: Constable Field Reference Guide, Civil Law (Rules 501-519). Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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- The tenant's answer or appearance
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ConfirmedTime to answer or appear
The tenant answers by appearing at the hearing; a cross-complaint can be filed before it.
IF YOU DO NOT APPEAR AT THE HEARING, a judgment for possession and costs
Source: Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency: Constable Field Reference Guide, Civil Law (Rules 501-519), checked November 2026
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- Hearing or trial
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ConfirmedHearing after filing
The hearing is set 7 to 15 days after the complaint is filed.
not less than seven (7) or more than fifteen (15) days from the date the complaint is filed.
Source: Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency: Constable Field Reference Guide, Civil Law (Rules 501-519), checked November 2026
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- Judgment and the writ The order that lets the officer act.
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ConfirmedJudgment to writ
The landlord can request the order for possession after the 10th day (and within 120 days) after judgment.
after the 10th day but within 120 days following the date of the entry of the judgment.
Source: Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency: Constable Field Reference Guide, Civil Law (Rules 501-519), checked November 2026
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- Lockout Carried out by an officer, not by either side.
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ConfirmedWrit to lockout
The officer can remove the tenant on or after the 11th day after serving the order for possession.
If, on or after the eleventh (11th) day following the service of the order for possession, the defendant/tenant
Source: Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency: Constable Field Reference Guide, Civil Law (Rules 501-519), checked November 2026
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ConfirmedWho carries out the lockout
The order for possession goes to the sheriff or a certified constable for service and execution.
the sheriff of, or any certified constable in, the county in which the office of the MDJ is situated.
Source: Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency: Constable Field Reference Guide, Civil Law (Rules 501-519), checked November 2026
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- Along the way Paying to stop the case, counsel and diversion programs.
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ConfirmedPaying to stop the case
The tenant can satisfy the order for possession by paying the officer the rent actually in arrears plus costs before the landlord gets possession.
the defendant/tenant may satisfy the order for possession by paying to the executing officer the rent actually in arrears
Source: Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency: Constable Field Reference Guide, Civil Law (Rules 501-519), checked November 2026
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Not confirmedRight to counsel (statewide)
Not confirmed — check Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency: Constable Field Reference Guide, Civil Law (Rules 501-519). Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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Not confirmedDiversion or mediation (statewide)
Not confirmed — check Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency: Constable Field Reference Guide, Civil Law (Rules 501-519). Not confirmed on an official page we opened.
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Source is the state's constable training guide quoting the Rules of Civil Procedure for Magisterial District Judges; a pending rule change would extend the 120-day request window to 180 days.
Example: a case filed Monday, March 1, 2027
The earliest date of each stage the confirmed rules allow, from our eviction timeline estimator. Earliest under the statute; courts' calendars often take longer.
| Stage | Earliest date |
|---|---|
| Case filed | Monday, March 1, 2027 |
| Answer or appear | Monday, March 8, 2027 |
| Hearing or trial | Monday, March 8, 2027 |
| Judgment | Monday, March 8, 2027 |
| Writ or warrant of possession | Thursday, March 18, 2027 |
| Earliest lockout | Monday, March 29, 2027 |
More: Pennsylvania eviction process · Eviction timeline estimator
Deposit disputes: small claims
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ConfirmedSmall claims limit (for a deposit dispute)
$12,000: the most a small claims case can ask for.
42 Pa.C.S. 1515(a)(3): magisterial district judges hear civil claims where the sum demanded does not exceed $12,000, exclusive of interest and costs (assumpsit except real contracts involving title to real estate, trespass, and government fines/penalties; not claims against a Commonwealth party). A plaintiff may waive the excess to fit; the waiver is revoked if the defendant appeals. Philadelphia Municipal Court limits were not confirmed here.
Source: 42 Pa.C.S. Chapter 15 (Magisterial District Judges), section 1515, checked November 2026
More: Pennsylvania small claims court
Still to confirm
- Filing fee: check Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency: Constable Field Reference Guide, Civil Law (Rules 501-519)
- Right to counsel (statewide): check Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency: Constable Field Reference Guide, Civil Law (Rules 501-519)
- Diversion or mediation (statewide): check Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency: Constable Field Reference Guide, Civil Law (Rules 501-519)
Pennsylvania kit
Pennsylvania Landlord Compliance Kit
This page as a printable checklist with every source link and check date, a move-in and move-out deposit checklist with the Pennsylvania return deadline, a notice calendar, an eviction timeline sheet, and an Excel workbook with a tenant notice log, a deposit tracker that works out the return date, and a rent ledger.
Kits for any state: Security Deposit Kit for Landlords and Tenants ($15) · Landlord-Tenant Notice Organizer ($15) · Eviction Case File Organizer ($15)
General information, not legal advice. We are not lawyers, and MCC Solutions is not a law firm. The same rules apply whichever side of the lease you are on; this page describes them and doesn't take a side. Rules change, cities and counties can add their own, a lease can add terms, and the official source has the final word.
Common questions
How much can a security deposit be in Pennsylvania?
No more than two months' rent in the first year; no more than one month's rent from the second year on; no increase with rent after five years (511.1).
How long does a Pennsylvania landlord have to return a deposit?
Within 30 days after the lease ends or the premises are surrendered and accepted, whichever is first: a written list of damages with the balance (512). What goes with it: A written list of any damages, with payment of the balance (512(a)). The tenant gives a new address in writing (512(e)).
How much notice ends a month-to-month tenancy in Pennsylvania?
From the landlord: Notice to quit: the tenant removes within 15 days of service for a lease of one year or less or for an indeterminate time; 30 days for a lease of more than one year. Served in person, left at the main building, or posted on the premises. From the tenant: The Attorney General's guide says a month-to-month lease renews unless either side gives at least 15 days' notice before the current month ends.
What notice comes before an unpaid-rent case in Pennsylvania?
Notice to quit for nonpayment: the tenant removes within 10 days of service (mobile home parks differ).
How much notice before a landlord enters a rental in Pennsylvania?
The tenant must give reasonable access for maintenance, repairs or showing the unit; the guide states no notice period.
How long does an eviction case take in Pennsylvania?
Time to answer or appear: At the hearing. Hearing after filing: 7 to 15 days. Judgment to writ: 10 to 120 days. Writ to lockout: 11 days. These are the stated rules; the court's calendar often takes longer.
Can a Pennsylvania deposit dispute go to small claims court?
The small claims limit in our data: $12,000: the most a small claims case can ask for. The court's own page explains what kinds of cases it hears.
Related: Landlord rules by state · Kits for landlords