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Pennsylvania room rental agreement
Written for Pennsylvania law, checked October 1, 2026 General information, not legal advice
Rentari offers a general room-rental agreement form, but it is not tailored to Pennsylvania or every local rule. Review the room, shared spaces, occupancy requirements, and applicable Pennsylvania and city rules before using a form. The state table below covers selected deposit and entry rules, not every room-rental requirement.
Pennsylvania rules that apply
- Security deposit limit
- 2 months
- of rent in the first year; 1 month from the second year
- 68 P.S. § 250.511a(a), (b)
- Entry notice
- No state rule
- the Landlord and Tenant Act sets none; set it in the lease
- Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951
Security deposit limit
During the first year of a lease you may not require a deposit of more than two months' rent. From the second year on, and during any renewal, the deposit may not be more than one month's rent.
More detail (3)
- Once a tenant has been in possession for five years or more, a rent increase cannot come with a required increase in the deposit. 68 P.S. § 250.511a(d)
- These limits apply only to residential rentals, and a tenant's agreement to waive them is void. 68 P.S. § 250.511a(e), (f)
- Instead of holding the deposit in escrow, you may guarantee its return, less the cost of necessary repairs and with interest, with a bond from a bonding company authorized in Pennsylvania. 68 P.S. § 250.511c See Deposit account and interest on the Pennsylvania page
The Pennsylvania lease states the deposit and repeats the two-month limit for the first year, the one-month limit from the second year and the five-year rule.
Landlord entry
Not set by statuteThe Landlord and Tenant Act sets no notice period or other conditions for entering an occupied home. Entry terms come from the lease, so write them in.
Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951
More detail (1)
- In a building of three or more households, the tenant may invite workers and suppliers of the tenant's choice, and social guests and family for a reasonable period of time, as long as the tenant keeps the tenant duties in the Act; the lease may not waive these rights or charge a fee for them. 68 P.S. § 250.504-A
The lease says Pennsylvania has no statewide entry notice period and, as a lease term, promises at least 24 hours' written notice (or the longer period you set) before non-emergency entry, plus Philadelphia's notice rules for homes in Philadelphia.