Housing · Ending a Lease
Notice to End a Month-to-Month Lease in Pennsylvania
How much notice it takes to end a month-to-month tenancy in Pennsylvania, whether the landlord must give more than the tenant, the local ordinances that require more, and how to serve it. Cited to the statute.
How the notice works in Pennsylvania
The notice period, the landlord-versus-tenant split, and the local overlays that can require more.
| How the notice works | What it means |
|---|---|
| Statutory default: 15 or 30 days | Under the Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, the notice to quit is 15 days for a lease of one year or less, which covers most month-to-month tenancies, and 30 days for a lease of more than one year. |
| The lease usually controls | Pennsylvania leases very commonly modify or waive the notice-to-quit requirement, so the lease terms usually govern in practice. Read the lease first. |
| Applies to both parties | The notice framework applies to terminating the periodic tenancy generally, for either side. |
| Overlays and exceptions | What it means |
|---|---|
| Lease waiver or a different period | Many written leases waive the statutory notice or set a different period, such as 30 or 60 days. That agreed term overrides the default. |
| For-cause is separate | Nonpayment and breach use the Act’s separate for-cause notice provisions, commonly 10 days for nonpayment, not this no-fault period. |
| Local ordinances (Philadelphia) | Philadelphia’s good-cause and notice rules add requirements beyond the state default. Confirm the current local rules. |
What you can do right now
Concrete, neutral steps to end a month-to-month tenancy in Pennsylvania. This is legal information, not legal advice.
- Read the lease before anything else
Pennsylvania leases routinely change or waive the notice-to-quit period. Whatever the lease says usually controls, so start there.
- If the lease is silent, use the statutory default
With no lease term, the default is 15 days for a tenancy of a year or less and 30 days for more than a year.
- Separate no-fault from for-cause
Ending a month-to-month tenancy with no fault is different from a for-cause notice for nonpayment or breach, which has its own timeline.
- Check Philadelphia rules if you are in the city
Philadelphia adds good-cause and notice requirements beyond the state default. Confirm the local rules before serving.
Serving the wrong notice period can void the termination and cost weeks. This resource can connect you with a tenant hotline or a licensed attorney who can confirm your dates.
→ Pennsylvania Bar Association — Find a LawyerThis is general legal information, not legal advice. The landlord-tenant split, just-cause rules, and local ordinances can change the answer, so confirm your notice with a tenant resource or a licensed attorney.
What Pennsylvania renters and landlords get wrong
Pennsylvania has a statutory default for ending a month-to-month tenancy, but the honest headline is that the lease usually decides. Under the Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, the notice to quit is 15 days for a lease of a year or less, which covers most month-to-month arrangements, and 30 days for a lease of more than a year. In practice, though, Pennsylvania leases very commonly modify or waive that requirement, so the number that actually governs is whatever the lease says, which might be no notice, 30 days, or 60. That is why the first step here is always to read the lease. Two other points keep people from getting it wrong: this no-fault termination notice is separate from the Act’s for-cause notices for nonpayment or breach, and Philadelphia layers its own good-cause and notice rules on top of the state default. So treat 15 days as the fallback when the lease is silent, not as a reliable rule, and check the lease and any local ordinance first.
Common questions
How much notice to end a month-to-month lease in Pennsylvania?
By default, 15 days for a tenancy of a year or less and 30 days for more than a year, under the Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951. But the lease very often changes or waives that period.
Can a Pennsylvania lease waive the notice-to-quit period?
Yes. Pennsylvania leases commonly waive the statutory notice or set a different period. When they do, the lease term controls over the 15-day default.
Is the Pennsylvania notice-to-quit the same as a for-cause notice?
No. Ending a month-to-month tenancy with no fault is separate from the Act’s for-cause notices for nonpayment or breach, which have their own, often shorter, timelines.
Does Philadelphia have different notice rules?
Yes. Philadelphia adds good-cause and notice requirements beyond the state default. If you rent in the city, confirm the local rules before relying on the 15-day figure.
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.