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

No more than two months' rent in the first year of the tenancy and one month's rent in any later year. The cap comes from 68 P.S. 250.511a, and the lease repeats it in the deposit clause.

How much notice does a Pennsylvania landlord give before entering?

Pennsylvania statute sets no notice period before the landlord enters, so this lease uses at least 24 hours' notice at a reasonable time, and no notice in an emergency.

What does a Pennsylvania landlord have to disclose with the lease?

Only the federal lead paint disclosure for a building built before 1978. The Pennsylvania statutes this lease follows add no disclosure of their own, so the checklist is one line long.

Which Pennsylvania statutes does this lease cite?

68 P.S. 250.511a, 68 P.S. 250.511b, 68 P.S. 250.512 and 68 P.S. 250.501, read on October 23, 2026. They print in the document footer so a reader can check each clause against the statute in a minute.

Should a lawyer look at this Pennsylvania lease before I use it?

It is a general form, not legal advice, and it does not claim to comply with any law. The clauses state what the Pennsylvania statute requires and name the statute. A lawyer who works with Pennsylvania landlords can tell you whether the form fits your property, your city and the terms you want to add, which is worth the hour before signing a lease for a large rent or a long term.

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Pennsylvania Residential Lease Agreement

A plain-language lease for a house or apartment in Pennsylvania. The deposit and notice clauses follow Pennsylvania statute, cited in the document. Download the blank PDF or e-sign it online; electronic signatures are recognized under the federal ESIGN Act and state UETA laws.

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Different state?

Page one of the Pennsylvania Residential Lease Agreement — Page 1 of the PDF. Tinted boxes are the placed fields, one color per role.

Pennsylvania rules in this lease

Security deposit cap: No more than two months' rent in the first year of the tenancy and one month's rent in any later year
Deposit return: Within 30 days after the tenancy ends and the Tenant gives a forwarding address, the Landlord returns the deposit with a written list of any deductions for unpaid rent and damage beyond ordinary wear. A Landlord who sends no list within 30 days gives up the right to keep any of it for damage.
Where the deposit is kept: A deposit over $100 held into the third year of the tenancy is kept in an escrow account at a Pennsylvania bank, and the Tenant is told the bank's name and address and the amount. Interest earned in and after the third year goes to the Tenant, less a 1% administrative fee.
Ending a month-to-month tenancy: Either party ends a month-to-month tenancy with at least 15 days' written notice, or 30 days when the original term was longer than a year.
Landlord entry: No notice period in the statute; the lease uses 24 hours
Disclosures: 1 items, listed below with the section that requires each one
Local rules: Philadelphia requires a lead-safe or lead-free certificate for a pre-1978 rental before it is leased. Check the city rules before signing.
Statutes: 68 P.S. 250.511a, 68 P.S. 250.511b, 68 P.S. 250.512, 68 P.S. 250.501. Read the Pennsylvania statute
Rules read on: 2026-10-23

A general form, not legal advice, and not a claim that it complies with any law. Rules change and vary by city. Check the statute cited here, or ask a lawyer, before you rely on it.

What is different in Pennsylvania

Pick Pennsylvania and two parts of this lease change: the security deposit clause and the notice clause for a month-to-month tenancy, each rewritten from the Pennsylvania statute. The rest of the document reads the same in every state.

Start with the deposit. Pennsylvania caps it at two months' rent in the first year of the tenancy and one month's rent in any later year, and the statute also says where the money sits while the tenant lives there. The return rule, quoted in full below, says when and how the deposit comes back, and takes the right to keep any of it away from a landlord who misses the deadline, turns on the tenant's forwarding address and leaves ordinary wear out of the deductions.

Ending a month-to-month tenancy works the same from both sides in Pennsylvania. Either party ends a month-to-month tenancy with at least 15 days' written notice, or 30 days when the original term was longer than a year.

On entry the Pennsylvania statute is silent, so the lease fills the gap with at least 24 hours' notice at a reasonable time and no notice in an emergency, and the footer says the statute set no period.

There is no Pennsylvania disclosure to initial beyond the federal lead paint item for a building built before 1978, so the checklist at the end of the lease is one line long.

City rules are the other thing to watch. Philadelphia requires a lead-safe or lead-free certificate for a pre-1978 rental before it is leased. Check the city rules before signing. The state clauses follow four sections of Pennsylvania law, read on October 23, 2026 and listed in the Statutes row above; the same citations print in the footer of the PDF.

Read the Pennsylvania clauses

The wording below is what prints in the PDF for Pennsylvania, word for word, under the headings Security deposit, Entry, Ending the lease and default, and Disclosures.

Security deposit

Within 30 days after the tenancy ends and the Tenant gives a forwarding address, the Landlord returns the deposit with a written list of any deductions for unpaid rent and damage beyond ordinary wear. A Landlord who sends no list within 30 days gives up the right to keep any of it for damage. The deposit may not exceed two months' rent in the first year of the tenancy and one month's rent in any later year. A deposit over $100 held into the third year of the tenancy is kept in an escrow account at a Pennsylvania bank, and the Tenant is told the bank's name and address and the amount. Interest earned in and after the third year goes to the Tenant, less a 1% administrative fee.

Entry

The Landlord may enter at reasonable times to inspect, repair or show the Premises after at least 24 hours' notice, and without notice in an emergency.

Ending the lease and default

Either party ends a month-to-month tenancy with at least 15 days' written notice, or 30 days when the original term was longer than a year. If rent is unpaid or a term is broken, the Landlord gives the written notice Pennsylvania law requires before ending the tenancy, and the Tenant is responsible for rent through the end of the term unless the Premises is re-rented sooner.

Disclosures the Landlord initials

Lead-based paint and hazards, for a building built before 1978, with the EPA pamphlet (42 U.S.C. 4852d)

Philadelphia requires a lead-safe or lead-free certificate for a pre-1978 rental before it is leased. Check the city rules before signing.

Footer of the PDF: Pennsylvania clauses follow 68 P.S. 250.511a, 68 P.S. 250.511b, 68 P.S. 250.512, 68 P.S. 250.501 as read on 2026-10-23.

Pennsylvania lease questions

How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Pennsylvania?: No more than two months' rent in the first year of the tenancy and one month's rent in any later year. The cap comes from 68 P.S. 250.511a, and the lease repeats it in the deposit clause.
When does the security deposit come back in Pennsylvania?: Within 30 days after the tenancy ends and the Tenant gives a forwarding address, the Landlord returns the deposit with a written list of any deductions for unpaid rent and damage beyond ordinary wear. A Landlord who sends no list within 30 days gives up the right to keep any of it for damage.
Where does a Pennsylvania landlord keep the deposit?: A deposit over $100 held into the third year of the tenancy is kept in an escrow account at a Pennsylvania bank, and the Tenant is told the bank's name and address and the amount. Interest earned in and after the third year goes to the Tenant, less a 1% administrative fee.
How much notice ends a month-to-month tenancy in Pennsylvania?: Either party ends a month-to-month tenancy with at least 15 days' written notice, or 30 days when the original term was longer than a year.
How much notice does a Pennsylvania landlord give before entering?: Pennsylvania statute sets no notice period before the landlord enters, so this lease uses at least 24 hours' notice at a reasonable time, and no notice in an emergency.
What does a Pennsylvania landlord have to disclose with the lease?: Only the federal lead paint disclosure for a building built before 1978. The Pennsylvania statutes this lease follows add no disclosure of their own, so the checklist is one line long.
Do any Pennsylvania cities or counties add rules of their own?: Philadelphia requires a lead-safe or lead-free certificate for a pre-1978 rental before it is leased. Check the city rules before signing.
Which Pennsylvania statutes does this lease cite?: 68 P.S. 250.511a, 68 P.S. 250.511b, 68 P.S. 250.512 and 68 P.S. 250.501, read on October 23, 2026. They print in the document footer so a reader can check each clause against the statute in a minute.
Should a lawyer look at this Pennsylvania lease before I use it?: It is a general form, not legal advice, and it does not claim to comply with any law. The clauses state what the Pennsylvania statute requires and name the statute. A lawyer who works with Pennsylvania landlords can tell you whether the form fits your property, your city and the terms you want to add, which is worth the hour before signing a lease for a large rent or a long term.

Who this is for. A Pennsylvania lease is one half of a landlord's paperwork; proving a notice was received is the other. Both are covered at free e-signatures for landlords.

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