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

2 months' rent — That ceiling applies only in the first year of a lease. From the second year on, the cap drops to one month's rent, and any excess held from year one must be returned.

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

30 days. The 30 days run from termination of the lease or from surrender and acceptance of the premises, whichever occurs first. Within that window the landlord must deliver a written list of claimed damages together with payment of the balance.

What happens if a landlord does not return the deposit on time in Pennsylvania?

A landlord who misses the 30-day written damage list forfeits all rights to withhold any portion of the deposit and to sue the tenant for damages to the premises. Withholding wrongly costs double the excess.

Do landlords have to pay interest on security deposits in Pennsylvania?

Yes — Pennsylvania requires interest on the security deposit to be paid to the tenant. Interest obligations begin only after the second anniversary of the deposit. From year three, a deposit over $100 sits in an interest-bearing escrow account and the accrued interest is paid to the tenant annually on the lease anniversary, minus a 1% per annum administrative fee the landlord may keep.

What are the security deposit rules in Pennsylvania?

Verified July 8, 2026 All Pennsylvania topics →

Pennsylvania caps security deposits at two months' rent in the first year of a lease and one month's rent from the second year on, and after five years of tenancy the deposit can't be raised at all — with a 30-day deadline after lease end or surrender to deliver an itemized damage list and refund the balance.

Cited to 68 P.S. 250.511a (Act Sec. 511.1) (a)-(f) and 3 more Pennsylvania statutes · Verified July 8, 2026

Deposits over $100 go into an escrow account at a regulated bank with written notice to the tenant, and starting in year three the account must bear interest paid to the tenant annually (the landlord may keep a 1% administrative fee); a bond can substitute for escrow. Miss the 30-day list and you forfeit the right to withhold anything and to sue for the damage; withhold wrongly and you owe double the excess. Tenants must give a written forwarding address at move-out or the landlord is relieved of liability under the section. These deposit rules are residential-only and cannot be waived by contract.

Pennsylvania security deposits at a glance

Maximum deposit	2 months' rent — That ceiling applies only in the first year of a lease. From the second year on, the cap drops to one month's rent, and any excess held from year one must be returned. After five years of possession, rent increases cannot trigger any increase in the deposit. These limits are residential only and cannot be waived.
Return deadline	30 days
Deadline conditions	The 30 days run from termination of the lease or from surrender and acceptance of the premises, whichever occurs first. Within that window the landlord must deliver a written list of claimed damages together with payment of the balance. The balance is the difference between the deposit (plus any unpaid interest) and the actual damages. The landlord may still withhold for unpaid rent or other lease breaches. The tenant must provide a new address in writing at termination or surrender; failure relieves the landlord of liability under the section, but the lease cannot waive the tenant's rights otherwise.
Itemization required	Yes
Itemization rules	A written list of any damages for which the landlord claims the tenant is liable, delivered within the 30-day window, accompanied by payment of the balance. A landlord who fails to provide the list forfeits all rights to withhold any portion of the deposit and to sue the tenant for damages to the premises.
Separate account required	Yes
Interest owed to tenant	Yes
Account & interest rules	Interest obligations begin only after the second anniversary of the deposit. From year three, a deposit over $100 sits in an interest-bearing escrow account and the accrued interest is paid to the tenant annually on the lease anniversary, minus a 1% per annum administrative fee the landlord may keep. Deposits over $100 must be held in escrow at an institution regulated by federal or Pennsylvania banking authorities, with written notice to the tenant of the institution's name and address and the deposit amount (68 P.S. 250.511b / Sec. 511.2). A guarantee bond may be posted in lieu of escrow (Sec. 511.3).
Pet deposits	No separate statutory category; any refundable pet deposit counts toward the 2-month/1-month escrow caps.
Non-refundable fees allowed	Not addressed by statute
Penalty for violation	A landlord who misses the 30-day written damage list forfeits all rights to withhold any portion of the deposit and to sue the tenant for damages to the premises. Withholding wrongly costs double the excess. The forfeiture rule is 68 P.S. 250.512(b). Under 250.512(c), a landlord who fails to pay the required difference within 30 days is liable for double the amount by which the escrowed sums exceed actual damages.
Tenant forwarding-address duty	The tenant must provide the landlord with a new address in writing upon termination of the lease or surrender and acceptance; failure relieves the landlord from liability under 68 P.S. 250.512 (subsection (e)).

Cite this page: "Landlord Atlas, Pennsylvania Security Deposit Laws (verified July 8, 2026), landlordatlas.com/laws/security-deposits/pennsylvania/" — free to cite and quote with a link (how these records are verified). Every figure above is cited to the Pennsylvania statute in the citations section below.

Generate a Pennsylvania security-deposit return letter — free, no signup, built on the same verified Pennsylvania rules as this page.

Notes and caveats

Where these rules live — Pennsylvania's deposit rules are Article V of the Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951.
Two numbering systems for the same sections — The Act numbers these provisions Sections 511.1 through 512; the 68 P.S. 250.511a through 250.512 citations used here are the standard compiled form of the same text.
Why the citation links open the whole Act — Section-level deep links are limited on the official General Assembly site, so the citations point to the official full-act text, along with the dedicated Section 512 page.
The deposit rules cannot be waived — Non-waivability is written into the statute itself at 68 P.S. 250.511a(f).

Common questions: Pennsylvania security deposits

Each answer is the verified value from the table above, restated as a direct answer. Free to quote with a link to this page.

How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Pennsylvania?: 2 months' rent — That ceiling applies only in the first year of a lease. From the second year on, the cap drops to one month's rent, and any excess held from year one must be returned.
How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in Pennsylvania?: 30 days. The 30 days run from termination of the lease or from surrender and acceptance of the premises, whichever occurs first. Within that window the landlord must deliver a written list of claimed damages together with payment of the balance.
What happens if a landlord does not return the deposit on time in Pennsylvania?: A landlord who misses the 30-day written damage list forfeits all rights to withhold any portion of the deposit and to sue the tenant for damages to the premises. Withholding wrongly costs double the excess.
Do landlords have to pay interest on security deposits in Pennsylvania?: Yes — Pennsylvania requires interest on the security deposit to be paid to the tenant. Interest obligations begin only after the second anniversary of the deposit. From year three, a deposit over $100 sits in an interest-bearing escrow account and the accrued interest is paid to the tenant annually on the lease anniversary, minus a 1% per annum administrative fee the landlord may keep.
Can a landlord charge a non-refundable fee in Pennsylvania?: Not addressed by statute.

Statute citations

68 P.S. 250.511a (Act Sec. 511.1) (a)-(f) (verified 2026) Official source
68 P.S. 250.511b (Act Sec. 511.2) (a)-(c) (verified 2026) Official source
68 P.S. 250.511c (Act Sec. 511.3) (verified 2026) Official source
68 P.S. 250.512 (Act Sec. 512) (a)-(f) (verified 2026) Official source

How this record was verified: Direct read of the Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 (P.L. 69, No. 20) text on the official PA General Assembly site (legis.state.pa.us HTM full text and section 512 page): Sections 511.1 (68 P.S. 250.511a), 511.2 (250.511b), 511.3 (250.511c), 512 (250.512), 501 (250.501). Absence of rent-increase, late-fee, and entry statutes verified against the full Act text and multiple concurring secondary sources.