Housing & Tenant · Landlord Entry
Landlord Entry Notice in Pennsylvania
How much warning a landlord must give before entering your home in Pennsylvania, the hours entry is allowed, and what to do if they walk in unannounced, cited to the statute.
The rules and your rights in Pennsylvania
The notice, the allowed hours, the reasons a landlord may enter, and what to do about an unlawful entry.
Pennsylvania has no statute that sets how much notice a landlord must give before entering. That means your lease controls, and a city or county ordinance may add its own rule. Read your lease first, then check for a local ordinance where you live.
| Advance notice | No notice period set by state statute |
| Allowed entry hours | Set by your lease (reasonable times) |
| Reasons a landlord may enter | Landlords enter to make repairs, inspect the unit for upkeep, check on damage, or show the place to prospective tenants or buyers. A landlord should keep entry to reasonable times. |
| Emergency entry | In a real emergency, such as a fire, a burst pipe, or a gas leak, a landlord can enter right away without notice. Safety comes first. |
| Local ordinance | Philadelphia does not put a specific entry-notice hour count in its code either. The Philadelphia Code Chapter 9-800 (Landlord and Tenant) and the city Tenant Right to Know rules cover disclosures and other duties, but they do not set a 24-hour or 48-hour entry-notice minimum. Local property managers and the Philly Tenant Hotline treat 24 hours written notice as the reasonable standard, so it is practice, not a codified rule. Check your own lease and any newer city ordinance. |
| If the landlord enters unlawfully | Your main protection is the covenant of quiet enjoyment, which Pennsylvania reads into every residential lease, plus whatever access clause your lease contains. If a landlord keeps entering without warning, that can breach the lease and the covenant. Put your objection in writing, ask that all future entries come with advance written notice, and if it continues you may raise a quiet-enjoyment claim or, in Philadelphia, file with the Fair Housing Commission or in small claims court. |
| Statute | No state entry statute |
What you can do right now
Concrete, neutral steps if a landlord keeps entering your Pennsylvania home without proper notice. This is legal information, not legal advice.
- Read your lease access clause first
Pennsylvania has no state notice statute, so your lease is the rule. Find the section on landlord access or entry and note what notice, if any, it promises. If the lease is silent, quiet enjoyment still requires reasonable, not surprise, entry.
- Ask for a written notice term
Because there is no state minimum, you can negotiate one. Ask your landlord in writing to agree that non-emergency entries come with at least 24 hours advance written notice. Getting it in the lease or a signed addendum makes it enforceable.
- Document every improper entry
Keep a dated log of each unannounced entry: the date, time, who entered, and why. Save texts, emails, or notices. This record supports a lease-breach or quiet-enjoyment claim if the pattern continues.
- Raise quiet enjoyment and get help
Tell the landlord in writing that repeated unannounced entry breaches the covenant of quiet enjoyment. If it does not stop, contact a Pennsylvania tenant-rights group or legal aid, such as PALawHelp or your county legal services, for next steps.
If a landlord keeps entering without proper notice, you do not have to sort it out alone. This resource explains your rights and how to raise the issue.
→ PALawHelp housing resourcesThis is general legal information, not legal advice. Read your own lease and check for a local ordinance, since either can change what applies to your home.
What Pennsylvania renters get wrong
Pennsylvania is one of the states with no landlord entry-notice statute. The Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 governs most of the rental relationship, but it never sets a number of hours a landlord must give before coming in. That means the honest answer for a Pennsylvania renter is that no state law says 24 hours, or any figure. Two things fill the gap. First, your lease: if it promises advance notice, the landlord has to honor it, and if it is silent you can ask to add a notice term. Second, the covenant of quiet enjoyment, which Pennsylvania reads into every residential lease. It gives you the right to ordinary, undisturbed use of your home, so a landlord who walks in repeatedly without warning can be breaching it. Emergencies are the clear exception, where entry with no notice is allowed. Philadelphia has extra tenant rules but still does not codify an entry-notice hour count.
Common questions
How much notice does my landlord have to give before entering in Pennsylvania?
There is no state law that sets a notice period. Pennsylvania has no entry-notice statute, so the amount of notice comes from your lease. If your lease requires notice, the landlord must follow it. If your lease is silent, the covenant of quiet enjoyment still means entry should be at reasonable times, not by surprise.
Can my landlord enter without any notice at all?
For a genuine emergency, yes, a landlord can enter right away to deal with something like a fire, flood, or gas leak. Outside an emergency, repeated entry with no notice can breach your lease and the covenant of quiet enjoyment, even though no statute sets a fixed hour count.
Does Philadelphia require 24 hours notice before entry?
Philadelphia does not codify a specific entry-notice hour count. Chapter 9-800 of the Philadelphia Code and the city Tenant Right to Know rules cover disclosures and landlord duties, but they do not set a 24-hour or 48-hour minimum for entry. Local practice treats 24 hours written notice as reasonable, so it is a standard, not a codified rule. Check your lease and any current city ordinance.
What is the covenant of quiet enjoyment and how does it protect me?
It is a promise Pennsylvania reads into every residential lease that you get the ordinary, undisturbed use of your home. Because Pennsylvania has no entry-notice statute, this covenant is the main legal limit on landlord entry. A landlord who enters repeatedly without warning can be violating it, which can support a lease-breach claim.
What can I do if my landlord keeps entering without warning?
Object in writing and ask that all future entries come with advance written notice. Keep a dated log of each unannounced entry. If it continues, you can raise a quiet-enjoyment claim, and in Philadelphia you can file with the Fair Housing Commission or in small claims court. Pennsylvania tenant-rights groups or legal aid can help you decide.
Not legal advicePlainStatute provides plain-language summaries of public law for general information only. This is not legal advice. Statutes change; always confirm current requirements with the official source linked above before acting.