is the most a landlord may charge for a security deposit in Pennsylvania. It must be returned within 30 days.
Maximum deposit2 months (year 1)
Return deadline30 days
Interest to tenantOnly after 2 years
Separate accountEscrow if over $100
ItemizationRequired within 30 days
PenaltyDouble damages + forfeiture
Statute68 P.S. §§250.511a
What your landlord can hold, and when it's due back
Enter your rent for the Pennsylvania maximum, plus the return-deadline clock.
Deposit calculator · Pennsylvania
$
Most a landlord can hold
2 months
Enter your monthly rent to see the dollar maximum.
30days
Return clock: 30 days
The deadline runs after the lease ends or the tenant surrenders the unit, whichever is first. Give your landlord a written forwarding address at move-out so the clock starts.
Estimate only, based on Pennsylvania's statutory cap. Your lease may set a lower deposit, and local ordinances can be stricter. Not legal advice.
The full rules, with the statute
Every requirement and where it comes from in the code.
Maximum deposit
2 months' rent in the first year of a lease; no more than 1 month's rent during the second year and after. After five years, the deposit can't be increased even if the rent rises.
Exceptions: First year: up to 2 months' rent. Year two onward: no more than 1 month's rent. After the fifth year of the tenancy, the deposit may not be raised even if rent goes up. A waiver of these limits is void.
Return deadline
Within 30 days after the lease ends or the tenant surrenders and the landlord accepts possession, whichever comes first, the landlord must return the deposit or provide a written list of damages. The tenant must give a new address in writing.
Interest to tenant
ConditionalOnly after the second anniversary of the deposit (from month 25 on). The landlord may keep 1% per year as an administrative fee; the rest of the interest is paid to the tenant annually.
Separate account
ConditionalDeposits over $100 must be held in an escrow account at a federally or Pennsylvania-regulated institution, and the landlord must tell the tenant the name and address of the institution, or post a bond instead.
Itemization
A written list of damages must be provided within 30 days. If the landlord fails to give the list, they forfeit the right to withhold any of the deposit and to sue the tenant for damages (§250.512(b)).
Penalties & recent changes
What happens if the landlord keeps your deposit wrongfully.
If the landlord withholds wrongfully
Pennsylvania splits the penalty into two separate tracks. Forfeiture (§250.512(b)): a landlord who fails to give a written list of damages within 30 days forfeits the right to withhold any of the deposit and to sue for damages. Double damages (§250.512(c)): a landlord who fails to return the money owed within 30 days is liable for twice the amount wrongfully withheld, and to avoid it the landlord carries the burden of proving actual damages. As Adamsky v. Picknick, 412 Pa. Super. 544 (1992), holds, sending a list on time does not save a landlord who cannot prove the damages behind the deductions.
What Pennsylvania renters get wrong
Pennsylvania's cap actually shrinks over time. In year one a landlord can hold two months' rent, but from the second year on the limit drops to a single month, and once you pass the five-year mark, the deposit can't be raised at all. The penalties run on two separate tracks: miss the 30-day written-list deadline and the landlord forfeits the right to keep anything (§250.512(b)); fail to refund what you're owed within 30 days and the landlord owes double the wrongfully withheld amount (§250.512(c)). And the burden of proving actual damages sits with the landlord, not the tenant, so a timely list won't rescue deductions the landlord can't back up (Adamsky v. Picknick).
Common questions
What is the maximum security deposit in Pennsylvania?
Up to two months' rent in the first year, then no more than one month's rent from the second year onward. After five years the deposit cannot be increased even if the rent goes up.
How long does a Pennsylvania landlord have to return a deposit?
30 days after the lease ends or you surrender the unit, whichever is first. Within that time the landlord must return the deposit or send a written list of damages. Give your new address in writing to start the clock.
When do I earn interest on my deposit in Pennsylvania?
Only after the deposit has been held for more than two years. From the 25th month on, interest is paid to you annually, minus a 1% administrative fee the landlord may keep.
Can I get double damages in Pennsylvania?
Yes. A landlord who fails to return what you are owed within 30 days is liable for double the amount wrongfully withheld (§250.512(c)), and the landlord, not you, must prove the actual damages behind any deductions. Separately, a landlord who never sends a written list within 30 days forfeits the right to keep any of the deposit at all (§250.512(b)). Sending a list on time does not by itself defeat a double-damages claim.
Cholilurrohman Every figure on this page is checked line-by-line against the current statute. Editorial standards →
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.
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