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Free Pennsylvania Security Deposit
Return Letter Template

Last reviewed August 2026

Written by LawLease Editorial

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Pennsylvania Security Deposit Return Letter

When a tenancy ends, a Pennsylvania landlord has a set time to return the deposit or send an itemized list of deductions. Here’s what Pennsylvania’s statute says.

Pennsylvania rules at a glance

Pennsylvania rules for a Security Deposit Return Letter
Return deadline30 days. A landlord has 30 days to provide a written list of damages and pay the balance; failing to provide the list forfeits the right to withhold anything at all.68 P.S. § 250.512
PenaltyFailing to pay the balance within 30 days makes the landlord liable for twice the amount by which the deposit exceeds actual damages.68 P.S. § 250.512(c)

Security deposits in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is one of the few states where the deposit cap changes as the tenancy ages. During the first year a landlord may hold up to two months’ rent. From the start of the second year the maximum drops to one month’s rent, and any excess must be returned. After the fifth year the deposit may not be increased at all, even if the rent has risen (68 P.S. § 250.511a).

  • Escrow is mandatory over $100 — Deposits above $100 must be held at a federally or state-regulated banking institution, and the tenant must be given written notice of that institution’s name and address. This is a statutory duty, not an optional courtesy.
  • Interest from year three — Once a deposit has been held past the second anniversary, the portion over $100 must sit in an interest-bearing escrow account. The landlord may keep 1% per annum as an administrative fee; the rest belongs to the tenant and is payable annually (§ 250.511b).
  • The list matters more than the money — A landlord has 30 days to provide a written list of damages. Failing to provide it forfeits the right to withhold anything at all — regardless of the unit’s condition (§ 250.512).
  • Double damages — Failing to pay the balance within 30 days makes the landlord liable for twice the amount by which the deposit exceeds actual damages (§ 250.512(c)).

Required disclosures

Pennsylvania requires far fewer lease disclosures than states like California or New Jersey — and importantly, its Real Estate Seller Disclosure Law applies to sales, not leases.

  • Escrow institution — Where the deposit exceeds $100, written notice of the bank holding it (§ 250.511a).
  • Carbon monoxide alarms — Required where the unit has an attached garage, a fossil-fuel-burning appliance, or a fireplace — not universally (Act 121 of 2013).
  • Lead paint — Federal Title X applies to pre-1978 housing. Pennsylvania adds no state-level equivalent outside Philadelphia.
  • No radon, mould or bedbug rule — Pennsylvania has no statewide residential-lease disclosure statute for any of these. Do not assume a sale-disclosure form transfers to a lease.

Clauses that do not work in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania has no single omnibus non-waiver provision, so each protection has to be checked on its own terms.

  • Habitability waivers — Void as against public policy under Pugh v. Holmes, 486 Pa. 272 (1979). This is case law, not statute — but it cannot be contracted around.
  • Rent Withholding Act workarounds — A lease cannot contract around a municipal certification that a unit is unfit for habitation (35 P.S. § 1700-1).
  • Deposits over the cap — Section 250.511a is not waivable by lease language purporting to authorise a larger deposit.
  • Withholding without the list — Retaining any part of the deposit without the 30-day written list forfeits the right to withhold at all.
  • Assistance-animal fees — No pet fee, deposit or breed restriction may apply to a verified assistance animal (PHRA, 43 P.S. § 955(h)).

Pennsylvania Security Deposit Return Letter FAQs

How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Pennsylvania?

Up to two months’ rent during the first year of the tenancy, then no more than one month’s rent from the start of the second year (68 P.S. § 250.511a). After five years the deposit cannot be increased at all, even if rent has gone up.

Does a Pennsylvania landlord have to pay interest on the deposit?

Yes, but only from the second anniversary onward. Once a deposit has been held that long, the portion above $100 must sit in an interest-bearing escrow account. The landlord may keep 1% per annum as an administrative fee and must pay the tenant the rest annually (§ 250.511b).

How long does a landlord have to return a deposit in Pennsylvania?

30 days from the end of the lease or from surrender and acceptance of the property, together with a written list of any damages claimed (§ 250.512). Failing to provide the list forfeits the right to withhold anything; failing to pay the balance exposes the landlord to double the excess.

More Pennsylvania landlord documents

Security Deposit Return Letter in other states

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