Pennsylvania Residential Lease Agreement

What a Pennsylvania residential lease agreement is for

Pennsylvania's Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 still governs most residential rentals in the state, and its deposit rules are more detailed than many landlords realise. A landlord may hold up to two months' rent in the first year, but only one month's rent from the start of the second year. Deposits over $100 held more than two years must go into escrow and earn interest for the tenant. And a landlord who does not send a written list of damages within 30 days loses the right to keep any of the deposit. Notices to quit have fixed minimum periods, abandoned property has its own procedure, and leases must be written in plain language.

Philadelphia adds its own layer. A landlord needs a rental license before signing a lease, must give the tenant a Certificate of Rental Suitability and the city's handbook, lead certification for older buildings, and bed bug information, and under the Safe Healthy Homes Act needs good cause to end or not renew any tenancy. This template is a full Pennsylvania lease with all of the state rules built in and a Philadelphia rider for city properties.

When to use it

Use it to rent a house, rowhome, apartment, twin or condo anywhere in Pennsylvania, from Pittsburgh and Harrisburg to Allentown and Philadelphia, on a fixed term that continues month to month. For a Philadelphia property, complete and attach the rider. Pittsburgh and some other cities have their own registration or inspection rules; check them before renting.

It is not for public housing or Section 8 project-based units with program leases, or for mobile home lots, which have a separate Manufactured Home Community Rights Act.

What's inside

The full list of sections and fields in this template, in the order they appear.

1. Parties, premises and term

   • Landlord and agent
   • Tenants and occupants
   • Premises
   • Term and month-to-month continuation

2. Rent

   • Monthly rent
   • Payment and receipts
   • Reasonable late fee

3. Security deposit

   • Two months in year one
   • One month from year two
   • Escrow and interest after two years
   • 30-day return with written list of damages
   • Forwarding address
   • Deductions

4. Utilities, use and repairs

   • Utility responsibilities
   • Utility Service Tenants Rights Act
   • Occupancy and subletting
   • Pets
   • Smoking
   • Warranty of habitability
   • Tenant duties
   • Detectors
   • Entry
   • Insurance

5. Default and notices

   • 10-day non-payment notice
   • 15 or 30-day notice to quit
   • No self-help
   • Property left behind
   • Early termination rights
   • Retaliation
   • Attorney's fees
   • Move-out

6. Schedules A to C

   • Move-in condition report
   • Lead disclosure
   • Philadelphia rider with license
   • certificate
   • lead
   • bed bug and good cause terms

7. Landlord's Checklist

   • 8 checks before handing over the keys

Preview pages

How to fill in the lease

1. Enter the parties and premises.
2. Set the term. Fixed term with month-to-month continuation and the notice needed to end it.
3. Set rent and a reasonable late fee.
4. Take the deposit. No more than two months' rent; diarize the year-two reduction and, if held longer, escrow and interest after two years.
5. Assign utilities.
6. Choose pet and smoking terms.
7. Complete the condition report and, for pre-1978 homes, the lead disclosure.
8. For Philadelphia, complete the rider and attach the license number, certificate, handbook, lead certification and bed bug disclosure.
9. Sign and give each tenant a copy.

Example: the year-two deposit step-down in Pittsburgh

A fictional landlord, Allegheny Row Rentals LLC, leases a rowhouse in Pittsburgh to Sam Okafor for 12 months from September 1, 2026 at $1,500 a month, renewing for a second year.

Deposit: $3,000 (two months) at signing. Second year: from September 1, 2027, the landlord may hold no more than $1,500 (or one month of any increased rent), so it refunds $1,500 to Sam. Third year: the deposit has been held more than two years by September 1, 2028, so it must be in an escrow account; from then on Sam receives the interest each year, less 1%. Move-out: if Sam leaves on August 31, 2029 and gives a forwarding address, the landlord must send the refund and a written list of any damages by September 30, 2029.

Pennsylvania rules to know

• Deposit limits (68 P.S. section 250.511a). Two months' rent in year one; one month from year two.
• Escrow and interest (section 250.511b). For deposits over $100 held more than two years.
• Return (section 250.512). Thirty days, with a written list of damages; forfeiture and double damages for failures.
• Notices to quit (section 250.501). 10 days for non-payment; 15 or 30 days otherwise, by lease length.
• Property left behind (section 250.505-A). Written notice and a holding period before disposal.
• Plain language. Residential leases must meet the Plain Language Consumer Contract Act.
• Philadelphia. Rental license, Certificate of Rental Suitability, handbook, lead certification, bed bug disclosure, good cause under the Safe Healthy Homes Act, and eviction diversion.

Mistakes Pennsylvania landlords make

The deposit rules catch Pennsylvania landlords most often: keeping two months' rent into the second year, never moving a long-held deposit into escrow, or sending a list of damages after 30 days and losing the right to deduct anything. Others serve a 10-day notice where 15 or 30 days was required, or throw out a tenant's belongings without the notice the Act requires. In Philadelphia, a lease signed without a rental license, a Certificate of Rental Suitability or lead certification can block rent collection and eviction, and a non-renewal without good cause now runs into the Safe Healthy Homes Act. This lease and its rider are built to prevent each of these.