Security deposit return deadline in Pennsylvania
A Pennsylvania landlord has 30 days after the tenancy ends to return a security deposit or send a written list of what was kept.
- Deadline
- 30 days
- What the landlord must send
- Within 30 days the landlord must give a written list of damages with payment of the difference.
- If the landlord gets it wrong
- No list in 30 days forfeits the right to keep any of it; failing to pay the difference makes the landlord liable for double the amount owed.
- Deposit limit
- 2 months’ rent in the first year; 1 month’s rent after that
- Interest
- Deposits over $100 must be held in an escrow account, and § 511.2 requires interest on funds held more than 2 years.
A tenant who does not give a forwarding address in writing can lose the double-damages remedy.
The law
68 P.S. §§ 250.511a to 250.512 (Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, §§ 511.1 to 512). Read the statute.
Checked against the statute in October 2026. Laws change, so confirm the current rule before you rely on it.
What to do next
If the deadline has passed, or the landlord kept money without a proper list, put your request in writing. Ask for the deposit back by a specific date, and keep a copy. The free first letter in the Deposit Demand Letters kit does this for Pennsylvania, and the deadline calculator works out your exact date from your move-out day.
Other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- Washington, D.C.
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
General information about Pennsylvania law, not legal advice, and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Deposit Demand Letters is a self-help template kit from Kits For That.