What are the security deposit rules in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania caps security deposits at two months' rent in the first year of a lease and one month's rent from the second year on, and after five years of tenancy the deposit can't be raised at all — with a 30-day deadline after lease end or surrender to deliver an itemized damage list and refund the balance.
Deposits over $100 go into an escrow account at a regulated bank with written notice to the tenant, and starting in year three the account must bear interest paid to the tenant annually (the landlord may keep a 1% administrative fee); a bond can substitute for escrow. Miss the 30-day list and you forfeit the right to withhold anything and to sue for the damage; withhold wrongly and you owe double the excess. Tenants must give a written forwarding address at move-out or the landlord is relieved of liability under the section. These deposit rules are residential-only and cannot be waived by contract.
Pennsylvania security deposits at a glance
| Maximum deposit | 2 months' rent — Two months' rent during the first year of a lease; one month's rent during the second and subsequent years (excess held from year one must be returned). After five years of possession, rent increases cannot trigger any increase in the deposit. Residential only; non-waivable. |
|---|---|
| Return deadline | 30 days |
| Deadline conditions | Within 30 days of termination of the lease or of surrender and acceptance of the premises, whichever occurs first, the landlord must deliver a written list of claimed damages together with payment of the difference between the deposit (plus any unpaid interest) and the actual damages. The landlord may still withhold for unpaid rent or other lease breaches. The tenant must provide a new address in writing at termination/surrender; failure relieves the landlord of liability under the section (but the lease can't waive the tenant's rights otherwise). |
| Itemization required | Yes |
| Itemization rules | A written list of any damages for which the landlord claims the tenant is liable, delivered within the 30-day window, accompanied by payment of the balance. A landlord who fails to provide the list forfeits all rights to withhold any portion of the deposit and to sue the tenant for damages to the premises. |
| Separate account required | Yes |
| Interest owed to tenant | Yes |
| Account & interest rules | Deposits over $100 must be held in escrow at an institution regulated by federal or Pennsylvania banking authorities, with written notice to the tenant of the institution's name and address and the deposit amount (68 P.S. 250.511b / Sec. 511.2). Interest obligations begin only after the second anniversary of the deposit: from year three, deposits over $100 sit in an interest-bearing escrow account and accrued interest is paid to the tenant annually on the lease anniversary, minus a 1% per annum administrative fee the landlord may keep. A guarantee bond may be posted in lieu of escrow (Sec. 511.3). |
| Pet deposits | No separate statutory category; any refundable pet deposit counts toward the 2-month/1-month escrow caps. |
| Non-refundable fees allowed | Not addressed by statute |
| Penalty for violation | Failure to provide the written damage list within 30 days forfeits all rights to withhold any portion of the deposit and to sue the tenant for damages (68 P.S. 250.512(b)). A landlord who fails to pay the required difference within 30 days is liable for double the amount by which the escrowed sums exceed actual damages (68 P.S. 250.512(c)). |
| Tenant forwarding-address duty | The tenant must provide the landlord with a new address in writing upon termination of the lease or surrender and acceptance; failure relieves the landlord from liability under 68 P.S. 250.512 (subsection (e)). |
Notes and caveats
Statute citations
- 68 P.S. 250.511a (Act Sec. 511.1) (a)-(f) Official source
- 68 P.S. 250.511b (Act Sec. 511.2) (a)-(c) Official source
- 68 P.S. 250.511c (Act Sec. 511.3) Official source
- 68 P.S. 250.512 (Act Sec. 512) (a)-(f) Official source
How this record was verified: Direct read of the Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 (P.L. 69, No. 20) text on the official PA General Assembly site (legis.state.pa.us HTM full text and section 512 page): Sections 511.1 (68 P.S. 250.511a), 511.2 (250.511b), 511.3 (250.511c), 512 (250.512), 501 (250.501). Absence of rent-increase, late-fee, and entry statutes verified against the full Act text and multiple concurring secondary sources.