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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia Landlord-Tenant Laws

Security deposit limits, eviction notices, rent control, and more for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

How we research these summaries

Every rule on this page is drawn from state statutes and municipal codes and summarized with AI assistance. Each one cites the statute it's based on and links to a published text of that law so you can read it firsthand. Where a page says a city or county has no local rule on a topic, that means none was found for the topics covered here — not that none exists. Local governments also regulate rental housing in ways these pages don't track, including registration, licensing, inspections and habitability standards. These summaries may be incomplete or out of date, laws change often, and every property and tenancy has specifics a summary can't capture — so treat this as a starting point for your own research, not as legal advice, and check with the local jurisdiction and a qualified attorney before acting on your particular situation.

What to Know in Philadelphia

Sources last checked July 2026

Philadelphia requires a landlord to complete the city's Eviction Diversion Program before any eviction may lawfully proceed: enrollment and at least 30 days of good-faith participation come first, waived only where there is an imminent threat of harm. The city also sets its own rent-increase notice — 60 days for a tenancy of a year or more, 30 days for anything shorter — a genuinely local rule, since Pennsylvania sets no statewide minimum. Philadelphia has no rent control; like the rest of the state, it was never delegated authority to regulate rent.

  • Philadelphia requires a landlord to go through the city's Eviction Diversion Program before an eviction may proceed: no landlord has a lawful basis to evict unless they have...
  • Pennsylvania's notice-to-quit periods apply in Philadelphia: 15 days where the lease is for one year or less or for an indeterminate time, and 30 days where the lease runs...
  • No rent control — no statutory cap on rent increases
  • Philadelphia requires written notice before a rent increase takes effect: at least 60 days where the residential tenancy is one year or more, and at least 30 days where it is...
  • Philadelphia does not set its own ceiling on the size of a security deposit — Pennsylvania's limits apply, which is two months' rent in the first year of a tenancy and one month...
5 rules summarized · Each linked to the law it cites

Philadelphia Local Rules

Eviction Notice Requirements

What are the eviction notice requirements in Philadelphia?

Philadelphia requires a landlord to go through the city's Eviction Diversion Program before an eviction may proceed: no landlord has a lawful basis to evict unless they have enrolled, given the tenant written notice of their diversion rights, and participated in good faith for no less than 30 days (§ 9-811(2)). The requirement is waived where there is an imminent threat of harm, including physical harm or harassment. Non-compliance can be raised by the tenant as a defence, can be a basis for the court to dismiss the case on its own motion, and may not be waived by agreement. Philadelphia separately conditions a landlord's ability to file and to collect rent on holding a current rental licence and Certificate of Rental Suitability.

Philadelphia Code § 9-811
Move-Out & Lease Termination Notice

What is the move-out notice requirement in Philadelphia?

Pennsylvania's notice-to-quit periods apply in Philadelphia: 15 days where the lease is for one year or less or for an indeterminate time, and 30 days where the lease runs longer than a year. Philadelphia adds a good-cause requirement when a landlord declines to renew a lease of less than one year, and notice of that must be given on the same schedule as a rent increase — which for a tenancy under a year is 30 days, not the 60 that applies to longer tenancies. One ground carries its own longer period: where the non-renewal is for renovation work, the ordinance requires 60 days' notice before the premises must be vacated.

Philadelphia Code § 9-804(12); 68 P.S. § 250.501
Rent Control / Rent Increase Caps

Is there rent control in Philadelphia?

Philadelphia has no rent control and no cap on the size of a rent increase. The reason is worth stating precisely, because it is often described wrongly: there is no Pennsylvania statute prohibiting local rent control. Pennsylvania is a Dillon's Rule state, meaning a municipality may exercise only those powers the General Assembly has expressly delegated to it, and no delegation covering rent regulation exists. Philadelphia therefore lacks the authority to enact rent control rather than being forbidden from doing so. What the city does regulate is the notice required before an increase — 60 days for a tenancy of a year or more, 30 days below that.

Pennsylvania home-rule framework (no rent-regulation delegation)
Rent Increase Notice Periods

How much notice is required for rent increases in Philadelphia?

Philadelphia requires written notice before a rent increase takes effect: at least 60 days where the residential tenancy is one year or more, and at least 30 days where it is less than one year. The notice must state the amount of the increase, the date it takes effect and the new payment amount, and it must be delivered by hand or by first class mail with proof of mailing. Pennsylvania sets no statewide minimum notice for a rent increase, so this is a genuinely local requirement rather than a restatement of state law.

Philadelphia Code § 9-804(11)(a)
Security Deposit Limits

What is the security deposit limit in Philadelphia?

Philadelphia does not set its own ceiling on the size of a security deposit — Pennsylvania's limits apply, which is two months' rent in the first year of a tenancy and one month from the second year onwards. What Philadelphia adds is a payment right: where a first-year deposit exceeds one month's rent, the tenant may choose to pay one month as a lump sum and the remainder in three equal payments beginning the month after the tenancy starts, rather than all at once. That instalment right took effect on December 2, 2025. It does not apply to an owner or agent responsible for two or fewer rental units, counted across commonly controlled entities.

Philadelphia Code § 9-804(4); 68 P.S. § 250.511a

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