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The Landlord-Tenant Act is a statute in Pennsylvania that provides tenants some protections, such as how landlords handle and return
security deposit, whether and how they can limit your right to invite guests into your unit, whether they can require you to utilize a certain vendor for services, or what they are required to do with the personal property you leave behind upon moving out.
A few other statutes provide tenants with limited protections, such as a federal law that provides the right for active-duty military members to terminate a lease upon deployment. Notably, Pennsylvania does not have a statute that protects victims of domestic violence or other crimes who need to leave their rental units for their own safety.
The rules governing security deposit are very specific and govern everything from how much the landlord can charge (maximum of two months’ rent during the first year of occupancy, and maximum of one month’s rent for anytime over one year of occupancy), to where they have to keep it (your deposit must be placed in an escrow account or the landlord must post a guarantee bond for the amount of the deposit. If you have lived somewhere for more than two years and your deposit was more than $100, your landlord must put your deposit in a bank account which earns interest), to when the deposit must be returned (within 30 days after the lease ends, as long as you’ve provided a written forwarding address, the landlord must return the deposit, less any damages or other money you owe the landlord, with an itemized, written list of any damages withheld).
You have the right to invite friends or guests to your apartment or home, but your landlord may place reasonable limits on overnight or long-term guests. Fire and building code regulations also limit the number of people allowed in your dwelling at once.
Landlords may not restrict your right to choose which vendor you hire to provide services. For example, a lease can provide that you must have the carpets steam-cleaned before you move out but cannot require that you only utilize the landlord’s steam-cleaning company.
If you leave personal property behind after your lease ends and you move out, there are specific procedures the landlord must follow, including storing the items and providing you with 10-days’ notice to pick up the items or request that they be stored at your expense.