Landlord Atlas

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Rent Control (none; just-cause ordinance only)

Verified September 16, 2026 Updated November 2, 2026 All Pennsylvania topics →

Philadelphia has no rent control: no Philadelphia law limits the amount of rent or the size of a rent increase, and Pennsylvania sets no statewide limit.

Cited to Philadelphia Code 9-804 (unfair rental practices: code violation freeze, retaliation, security deposits, rent increase notice, good cause required) and 25 more sources · Verified September 16, 2026

Pennsylvania also has no law saying whether its cities may adopt rent control, so Philadelphia has simply never enacted one. What Philadelphia does require is a reason to end a tenancy. Since November 1, 2026 a landlord has needed good cause to take any action to end a tenancy at the expiration of any lease, however long, and filing an eviction case or serving a notice of diversion rights counts as such an action; from January 22, 2019 until then the requirement reached only a lease of less than one year, including one that had become month to month. A rent increase needs 60 days' written notice for a tenancy of one year or more and 30 days for a shorter one. A landlord must take part in the City's eviction diversion program for at least 30 days before filing, may never use a lockout, and may not collect rent or recover possession at all without a rental license and a Certificate of Rental Suitability. Pages that call Philadelphia rent-controlled are wrong, and so are pages that say a Philadelphia landlord may end a tenancy for any reason at all.

What is in force

Philadelphia has no rent control or rent stabilization of its own. Nothing in The Philadelphia Code limits how much rent a landlord may charge or how much rent may go up, and Pennsylvania has no law that sets a statewide limit either. Pennsylvania also has no law that addresses whether its cities may adopt rent control, in either direction, so the plain fact is that Philadelphia has never enacted a rent limit, not that it is forbidden to. What Philadelphia does control is the reason a tenancy may end. Since November 1, 2026, Code Section 9-804(12) has required good cause before a landlord takes any action to end a tenancy at the expiration of any lease, however long, under an ordinance the Mayor signed on May 7, 2026; from January 22, 2019 until then, the requirement reached only a lease of less than one year, including a lease that had become month to month. Philadelphia also requires 60 days' written notice of a rent increase for a tenancy of one year or more and 30 days for a shorter tenancy, requires a landlord to take part in the City's eviction diversion program for at least 30 days before filing, and bars a landlord from collecting rent or recovering possession at all without a rental license. There is no vacancy provision, because there is no rent limit to lift: a landlord may set the rent for a new tenant at any amount.

What housing is covered

Since November 1, 2026, the good cause requirement reaches any residential premises in Philadelphia at the expiration of any lease, whatever its length, including a lease that has converted to month to month; before that date it reached only a lease of less than one year. It does not apply where the landlord alleges in the eviction complaint, and a court finds, that the tenant lives in a unit the landlord also occupies as a primary residence and has occupied since the tenancy began. Section 9-804 is also not violated when an owner whose property has a notice of violation ends an occupancy so the premises can be rehabilitated and the violation cured, where the Department of Licenses and Inspections certifies that the work requires the premises to be vacated, and a sale of the property does not release a new owner from the chapter. There is no construction date cutoff, no minimum number of units, and no exception for a single family home, a condominium or a corporate owner. The rent increase notice requirement does not apply to property under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, and applies to a lease executed or renewed after January 30, 2016. A rental license is not required for a unit occupied by the owner or a member of the owner's family, or for limited lodging licensed separately, and property owned and operated by the Philadelphia Housing Authority and its subsidiaries in compliance with federal maintenance standards is exempt from the license and its fees. The Certificate of Rental Suitability owed at the start of a tenancy is not required for a rental to a member of the owner's family. The screening law does not reach a unit owned, operated, subsidized or financed by a government program or governed by an affordability restriction, though a tenant based subsidy alone does not take a unit out of it. Free legal representation in eviction cases is limited to households at or below 200% of the federal poverty level living in one of ten ZIP codes the City has phased in so far.

Eviction and termination rules

Since November 1, 2026, Philadelphia has required good cause before a landlord takes any action to terminate a tenancy at the expiration of any lease, whatever its length (Code Section 9-804(12)); from January 22, 2019 until then, the requirement reached only a lease of less than one year. An action to terminate includes issuing, serving or otherwise giving a tenant a notice to vacate, a notice of non-renewal, a notice to terminate the lease or a notice of diversion rights under Section 9-811, and starting, filing or pursuing an eviction case or any other legal action for a judgment for possession, except an ejectment action. The law lists habitual non-payment or habitual late payment of rent, breach of a material lease term, nuisance activity, substantial damage beyond normal wear and tear, refusing the landlord lawful access after written notice, refusing to sign an extension on materially the same terms, the owner or an immediate family member moving in, refusing a proposed rent increase or lease change where the landlord offered the option and the tenant had until 15 days before the lease expired to accept, taking the unit off the market for renovations with 60 days' notice, prompt return of the deposit and a right to come back at the market rate, cause for eviction under Section 501(a)(2) or (3) of the state Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, and a bona fide sale to a buyer who will live in the unit as a principal residence, which requires giving the tenant a copy of the fully executed, arm's-length agreement of sale naming the buyer, a signed statement from the buyer of an intent to move in within 90 days of closing and not to rent the unit, and at least 60 days' notice of non-renewal with those documents attached. The list is open ended, so a court or the Fair Housing Commission may accept another reason. The requirement does not apply where the landlord alleges in the eviction complaint, and a court finds, that the tenant lives in a unit the landlord also occupies as a primary residence and has occupied since the tenancy began. The landlord must state the basis for the cause in writing, with reasonable specificity, on the same schedule as a rent increase notice, which is 30 days for a tenancy of less than one year and 60 days for a tenancy of one year or more. If the landlord does not give that notice, the lease renews month to month unless the tenant chooses otherwise. A tenant may challenge the claimed cause in court or by complaint to the Fair Housing Commission within 15 business days of getting the notice, and no notice to vacate, non-renewal or termination takes effect while a challenge is pending before the Fair Housing Commission unless a court finds it was filed in bad faith. A landlord's account of the cause is presumed true if backed by time and date stamped video, time and date stamped photographs, or a police report with corroborating investigation. Separate limits also apply. While a notice of violation is outstanding against the property, a landlord may not end the lease except for non-payment, nuisance, waste or the tenant having caused the violation, may not re-let to someone else, and may not change the lease terms. A landlord may not refuse to lease to anyone, end a lease, change its terms or restrict access to common areas or amenities in retaliation for a violation being found; for starting or taking part in the investigation or enforcement of a violation, including filing a complaint; for a good faith communication with a government official or in a court proceeding about violations or other conditions at the premises; for joining or taking part in a lawful organization, including a tenant organization, association or union; for an incident of domestic violence or sexual assault in which the tenant was the victim; or for any other exercise of a legal right. Where the notice comes within a year of the latest triggering event the landlord must prove it was not retaliation. Since November 1, 2026 a landlord also may not act, or refuse to act, in a way that would lead a reasonable tenant to move out or give up a right (Code Section 9-816(3)), including entering for a non-emergency repair without 24 hours' notice, threatening a tenant or guest with physical harm, cutting housing services the lease or the law requires, reporting or threatening to report a tenant to a government body, including immigration authorities, to retaliate for protected activity or to push the tenant out, and disclosing a tenant's medical or health information. A tenant may take a violation of Section 9-804 to the Fair Housing Commission, where Section 9-807 sets the penalties, or raise it in court, and need not go to an agency first. In court the tenant may recover injunctive relief, compensatory damages including overpaid rent and emotional distress damages or, by election before judgment, $1,000 per violation, punitive damages up to three times the actual or statutory damages for a willful or wanton violation, attorney's fees and costs, and suspension or revocation of the rental license, during which rent may not be collected or increased; Section 9-816 carries the same court remedies, with punitive damages of three times. Each separate occurrence is a separate violation, but a continuing violation from the same underlying condition counts as one. The ordinance states two filing deadlines: Section 9-804 says claims under the chapter are governed by Pennsylvania's contract statute of limitations and may be filed after the lease ends and the tenant has moved out, while Section 9-816 says a claim under the chapter must be filed in court within two years of the violation. A landlord must enroll in the City's eviction diversion program, give the tenant notice of diversion rights, and take part in good faith for at least 30 days before there is any lawful basis to evict, unless eviction is necessary to stop or prevent an imminent threat of harm. Lockouts and every other form of self-help eviction are prohibited outright: only a Sheriff or a court appointed landlord and tenant officer may carry out a judgment for possession. A landlord without a valid rental license, without a required Certificate of Rental Suitability, who has not corrected unsafe, unfit or imminently dangerous violations within the time allowed, or whose license is suspended, may not recover possession or collect rent for the period of non-compliance, and in any eviction or rent case must attach the license, every required Certificate of Rental Suitability and every code violation issued for the unit or property during the tenancy. Since November 1, 2026 a landlord filing an eviction case must also give the tenant and the court a Certificate of Rental Suitability issued no more than 30 days before what the ordinance calls the date of enrollment, or may not file or obtain possession. A tenant who is a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault may end the lease early without penalty on 30 days' notice, asked for in writing within 90 days of the incident report, protection from abuse order or consent agreement, and may ask the landlord to split the lease so the abuser is removed and the victim stays.

Other requirements

Philadelphia regulates a great deal about renting other than the amount of rent. Every rental property must have a rental license from the Department of Licenses and Inspections, and no one may collect rent on a property that needs one unless a valid license has been issued and has not expired or been suspended (Code Section 9-3902). The license is renewed each year, is not transferable, and a new owner must get a new one within 10 business days of taking title. The application must name the owner, the managing agent with a street address rather than a post office box, and, where the owner is not a natural person or a publicly traded company, every individual holding more than a 49% equity interest or, if none does, the two largest interests. Since July 6, 2026 the application must carry a physical address for service, post office boxes and virtual addresses are not accepted, and an owner who lives outside Philadelphia must name a local agent with a monitored email address. Since November 1, 2026 an owner must give every tenant a copy of a new or renewed rental license within 7 days of receiving it, together with a restatement of the provision that bars rent and possession without one, either posted where all tenants can see it or delivered to each tenant personally or by certified mail, or by e-mail in a property of one or two units where the tenant has agreed in writing; must post or deliver a notice of license suspension, and the results of an appeal, within 7 days; and must post or deliver to the affected tenants a notice of violation finding a property or unit unsafe, unfit or imminently dangerous, or in violation of the Fire Code, no later than 24 hours before the correction deadline, unless the violation is corrected in time. At the start of every tenancy the owner must also give the tenant a Certificate of Rental Suitability issued within the previous 60 days, the owner's own attestation that the unit is fit and habitable, that fire protection and smoke detection equipment work and that the premises are free of unfit, unsafe or imminently dangerous conditions, a copy of the City of Philadelphia Partners in Good Housing Handbook, and a link to the "How to Register" page on the City Commissioners' website. Since November 1, 2026 a tenant may also ask for a Certificate at any point in the tenancy, no more than once in any 90 day period, and the owner must provide one issued within the previous 30 days within 10 days of the request or may not collect rent until it is provided. The Certificate is free, and the Department issues it only if every required license is held and no violation notices are outstanding, other than violations under an appeal the owner has reported. An owner who does not correct an unsafe, unfit or imminently dangerous violation within 30 days of the notice, or sooner if the Department directs, and has not timely appealed, is out of compliance. A tenant may sue the owner to enforce the licensing chapter and recover compensatory damages or $1,000 per violation, whichever is greater, a refund of rent collected while the owner was out of compliance, other relief including an injunction, and attorney's fees and costs; an owner is not treated as out of compliance while a City re-inspection is delayed after a timely repair, while a timely appeal of certain taxes, liens, fines or fees is pending, or during the 15 days after a license expires if it is renewed within that time. The Department is authorized to set up a Proactive Inspection Program to inspect all licensed residential rentals on a regular cycle by July 2030, where feasible, and must report to City Council on it and on code enforcement, first by December 31, 2027 and then each year by June 30. A rent increase needs 60 days' written notice for a tenancy of one year or more and 30 days for a shorter tenancy, stating the amount, the effective date and the new payment, delivered by hand or by first class mail with proof of mailing; for a tenancy of one year or more, a tenant who has had that notice and will not renew must say so within 30 days. Security deposits may not exceed the state ceiling of two months' rent in the first year and one month's rent after that, and where the first year deposit is more than one month's rent the tenant may choose to pay one month up front and the rest in three equal monthly payments, with the total unchanged; owners of two or fewer rental units are outside that installment right, counting units across all the entities they control. A tenant whose deposit is unlawfully kept may recover actual damages or, by election before judgment, one month's rent, plus attorney's fees and costs. A landlord may not accept any rent under a written lease before giving every party a fully executed copy. On screening, a landlord must publish uniform written screening criteria before taking applications and must give a rejected applicant a plain written statement of all the reasons within 3 business days, with copies of the third party documents used. A landlord may not automatically refuse someone solely for having an eviction record or a credit or screening score below a set number, must assess each application individually, and may not rely on an eviction case filed or a judgment entered four or more years earlier, a sealed record, a vacated or satisfied judgment, a case that did not end in judgment for the landlord, or most pandemic era cases. A rejected applicant may give notice within 48 hours that they dispute the decision and then has 7 business days to send evidence of an error or of mitigating circumstances, which the landlord must consider; if the unit is gone and the landlord owns five or more rental units in the city, the landlord must offer the next comparable unit. Breaking the screening law carries actual damages, punitive damages up to $2,000 per violation, and attorney's fees. Philadelphia also guarantees a free lawyer in eviction and subsidy termination cases to renters with household income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level who live in a covered ZIP code, currently 19121, 19124, 19131, 19132, 19134, 19139, 19141, 19144, 19153 and 19154, reached through the City's tenant hotline. A tenant may take any unfair rental practice to the Fair Housing Commission or raise it in court, and none of these protections may be signed away in a lease.

Notes and caveats

Changes since last full verification

The Verified date above (September 16, 2026) marks the last time every figure on this page was verified end-to-end against official sources. The changes below were published since then, each verified against the official source it names (what these dates mean).

Citations

This page records local law. Statewide laws — deposits, notice periods, late fees, entry, evictions — live on the Pennsylvania hub, and the state-level position on local rent regulation appears there with its own citations and verification date.