{"id":156,"date":"2026-10-02T22:17:20","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T22:17:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kevinmburkelaw.com\/home\/?page_id=156"},"modified":"2026-10-18T23:47:20","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T23:47:20","slug":"landlord-tenant","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/kevinmburkelaw.com\/home\/landlord-tenant\/","title":{"rendered":"Landlord-Tenant"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"ext-animate--on wp-block-paragraph\">Pennsylvania&#8217;s landlord-tenant law is mostly a set of deadlines, and the side that knows them usually wins. Kevin Burke Law represents both landlords and tenants in Northwestern Pennsylvania: landlords who need a tenant out or need to be paid, and tenants facing an eviction, a lockout, a withheld deposit or a home that is not being kept up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading ext-animate--on\">The eviction process, step by step<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ext-animate--on wp-block-paragraph\">Evictions of residential tenants in Pennsylvania follow the Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 and the rules of the magisterial district judges. The only lawful way to remove a tenant is a court judgment carried out by a constable or sheriff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ext-animate--on wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>1. The notice to quit.<\/strong> Unless the lease waives it, the landlord must first give the tenant written notice to leave:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list ext-animate--on\">\n<li class=\"ext-animate--on\">10 days when the reason is unpaid rent<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"ext-animate--on\">15 days for the end of a lease of a year or less, or a lease violation under such a lease<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"ext-animate--on\">30 days for a lease of more than a year<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ext-animate--on wp-block-paragraph\">Most written leases shorten or waive this notice, and the waiver is enforceable, so the lease is the first thing to read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ext-animate--on wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2. The complaint and hearing.<\/strong> After the notice period runs, the landlord files a complaint with the magisterial district judge. The hearing is set between 7 and 15 days after the complaint is filed. Both sides present their evidence: the lease, the notice, rent records, photos, and witnesses. The judge can award possession and a money judgment for unpaid rent and damages within the district judge&#8217;s limit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ext-animate--on wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>3. After the judgment.<\/strong> If the tenant loses, nothing happens for 10 days. During those 10 days the tenant can appeal to the Court of Common Pleas. After the 10th day, the landlord can ask the judge for an order for possession. The constable or sheriff serves the order, and the tenant has 10 more days to move. On or after the 11th day after service, the officer can remove the tenant. So from judgment to removal is normally at least three weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ext-animate--on wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>4. Paying to stay.<\/strong> If the only reason for the eviction was unpaid rent, the tenant can stop it at any point before the officer actually takes the property back by paying the rent in arrears and the court costs to the officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ext-animate--on wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>5. Appeal.<\/strong> A tenant who appeals a residential eviction has 10 days, and to stay in the property during the appeal must deposit with the court the lesser of three months&#8217; rent or the rent actually owed, then keep depositing each month&#8217;s rent as it comes due. A tenant with income below the poverty line can start with one-third of a month&#8217;s rent and pay the rest within 20 days. Money judgments can be appealed within 30 days. An appeal starts the case over in the Court of Common Pleas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading ext-animate--on\">What a landlord cannot do<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ext-animate--on wp-block-paragraph\">A landlord cannot change the locks, remove doors, shut off utilities, or put a tenant&#8217;s belongings on the curb to force the tenant out. A court-ordered eviction is the only legal way to remove a tenant in Pennsylvania. A landlord who does these things can be sued for the harm caused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading ext-animate--on\">Security deposits<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ext-animate--on wp-block-paragraph\">The Landlord and Tenant Act sets strict rules:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list ext-animate--on\">\n<li class=\"ext-animate--on\">During the first year of a lease the deposit cannot be more than two months&#8217; rent. From the second year on it cannot be more than one month&#8217;s rent. After a tenant has been in the property five years, a rent increase cannot be used to increase the deposit.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"ext-animate--on\">Deposits over $100 that are held more than two years have to be kept in an escrow account or bonded, and the tenant is entitled to the interest, less a 1 percent fee for the landlord.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"ext-animate--on\">Within 30 days after the lease ends, the landlord must return the deposit or send a written, itemized list of damages along with whatever is left. A landlord who misses the 30 days loses the right to keep any of the deposit, and can be made to pay the tenant double the amount wrongly withheld. The tenant has to give the landlord a forwarding address in writing to get this protection.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading ext-animate--on\">For landlords<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ext-animate--on wp-block-paragraph\">The same rules that protect tenants protect a landlord who follows them. A clear written lease that waives the notice to quit, a documented move-in inspection, prompt written notices, and an itemized deposit letter within 30 days win most cases. Pennsylvania also gives landlords one collection tool that other creditors do not have: a final judgment for unpaid residential rent can be collected by attaching up to 10 percent of the tenant&#8217;s net wages, after subtracting any security deposit the landlord kept. A judgment from the district judge can also be transferred to the Court of Common Pleas and becomes a lien on real estate the tenant owns in the county.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading ext-animate--on\">How our office helps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ext-animate--on wp-block-paragraph\">We represent both landlords and tenants. Attorney Burke personally represents you at every court appearance and works with you through the end of your case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ext-animate--on wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>For landlords<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list ext-animate--on\">\n<li class=\"ext-animate--on\">Residential and commercial leases: drafting, reviewing and updating them, including the notice waiver, late fees, utilities and pet and smoking terms<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"ext-animate--on\">Notices to quit and eviction complaints, the hearing before the district judge, orders for possession, and appeals to the Court of Common Pleas<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"ext-animate--on\">Judgments for unpaid rent and damages, and collecting them, including wage attachment and liens<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"ext-animate--on\">Security deposit accounting and the 30-day itemized letter<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"ext-animate--on\">Mobile home park, farm and commercial tenancies<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ext-animate--on wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>For tenants<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list ext-animate--on\">\n<li class=\"ext-animate--on\">Defending evictions, including improper notice, retaliation, habitability defenses and payment to stop a nonpayment eviction<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"ext-animate--on\">Appeals and the deposits needed to stay in the home during an appeal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"ext-animate--on\">Illegal lockouts and utility shutoffs, and claims for the harm they cause<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"ext-animate--on\">Security deposit claims, including the double-damages penalty<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"ext-animate--on\">Reviewing a lease before you sign it<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ext-animate--on wp-block-paragraph\">Bring the lease, any notices either side has sent, your rent records, photos, and any letters or texts about the problem to your first appointment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ext-animate--on wp-block-paragraph\">We serve Crawford, Elk, Erie, Forest, Lawrence, McKean, Mercer, Potter, Venango and Warren counties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading ext-animate--on\">Common Questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ext-animate--on wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How much notice does a landlord have to give before filing for eviction?<\/strong><br>Ten days for unpaid rent, 15 days to end a lease of a year or less or for a lease violation under one, and 30 days for a lease longer than a year. If the lease says the tenant waives the notice, no notice is required before the landlord files. Read the lease first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ext-animate--on wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How long does an eviction take in Pennsylvania?<\/strong><br>After any required notice, the hearing is 7 to 15 days after the landlord files. After a judgment the tenant has 10 days before the landlord can request an order for possession, and then 10 more days after that order is served before the constable can remove the tenant. In a simple case that is roughly a month from filing to removal; an appeal adds months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ext-animate--on wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Can my landlord change the locks or shut off the utilities?<\/strong><br>No. Only a court judgment carried out by a constable or sheriff can remove a tenant. Lockouts, utility shutoffs and removing belongings are illegal, and the tenant can sue for the harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ext-animate--on wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>I lost at the hearing because I was behind on rent. Can I still stay?<\/strong><br>Yes, if the eviction was only for unpaid rent. At any time before the officer actually takes the property back, you can pay the rent in arrears plus the court costs to the officer and the eviction stops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ext-animate--on wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Can I appeal an eviction?<\/strong><br>Yes. A residential tenant has 10 days from the judgment to appeal to the Court of Common Pleas. To stay in the home during the appeal you must deposit the lesser of three months&#8217; rent or the rent you owe when you file, and then deposit each month&#8217;s rent as it comes due. If your income is below the poverty line, you can start with one-third of a month&#8217;s rent and pay the rest within 20 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ext-animate--on wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit, and when does it have to be returned?<\/strong><br>Up to two months&#8217; rent in the first year and one month&#8217;s rent after that. Within 30 days after the lease ends, the landlord must return the deposit or send an itemized list of damages with the balance. A landlord who misses the deadline loses the right to keep any of it and can owe double the amount wrongly withheld. Give the landlord your new address in writing when you move out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ext-animate--on wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>I am a landlord. My tenant left owing rent and damaged the unit. How do I collect?<\/strong><br>File with the magisterial district judge for the rent and damages, apply the deposit against what is owed and send the itemized letter within 30 days, and then collect on the judgment. Unlike most creditors in Pennsylvania, a landlord with a final residential rent judgment can attach up to 10 percent of the former tenant&#8217;s net wages, and the judgment can be made a lien on real estate the tenant owns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ext-animate--on wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Does a lease have to be in writing?<\/strong><br>Not for a lease of three years or less; an oral lease is enforceable in Pennsylvania. A written lease is still far better for both sides, because it sets the rent, the term, who pays utilities, and whether the notice to quit is waived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ext-animate--on wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Can my landlord raise the rent or refuse to renew my lease?<\/strong><br>Pennsylvania has no rent control, so a landlord can raise the rent when the lease allows it or when the lease term ends, and does not need a reason to decline to renew. The landlord still has to give the notice to quit that the law or the lease requires, and cannot retaliate in ways that violate fair housing laws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading ext-animate--on\">Call for a consultation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ext-animate--on wp-block-paragraph\">Call 814-807-0972 or use the contact form. The consultation fee is $50. Eviction deadlines run in days, so call as soon as you receive a notice or a complaint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ext-animate--on wp-block-paragraph\"><em>This page is general information as of 2026, not legal advice about your situation.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pennsylvania&#8217;s landlord-tenant law is mostly a set of deadlines, and the side that knows them usually wins. Kevin Burke Law represents both landlords and tenants in Northwestern Pennsylvania: landlords who need a tenant out or need to be paid, and tenants facing an eviction, a lockout, a withheld deposit or a home that is not [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-with-title","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-156","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Landlord-Tenant Lawyer in Meadville, PA - Kevin M. Burke Law<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Evictions, lockouts, security deposits and repairs. Kevin M. 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