Rent Increases in Philadelphia: Your Rights and What to Do
Pennsylvania puts no limit on the size of a rent increase. Philadelphia law controls how and when your landlord can raise the rent. Here are the rules and the steps you can take.
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Pennsylvania has no rent control law. No law limits how much your landlord can raise your rent in Philadelphia. Other rules about timing and notice still protect you.
✓ Sources checked August 23, 2026
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Your landlord usually cannot raise the rent in the middle of your lease term. The rent can only change when your lease term ends, unless your lease says otherwise.
✓ Sources checked August 23, 2026
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Philadelphia law requires written notice before a rent increase. Your landlord must give you at least 60 days notice when your lease term is 1 year or more. They must give you at least 30 days notice when your lease term is less than 1 year.
✓ Sources checked August 23, 2026
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Philadelphia gives extra protection when your lease term is less than 1 year, including month to month. Your landlord cannot end that lease or refuse to renew it without good cause. Good cause means a specific reason from a list in Philadelphia law.
✓ Sources checked August 23, 2026
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One good cause reason is that you refuse a reasonable rent increase. Your landlord must first tell you about the increase and give you a chance to respond.
✓ Sources checked August 23, 2026
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To end or not renew a lease of less than 1 year, your landlord must send written notice at least 30 days ahead. The notice must state the good cause reasons. It must arrive by hand delivery or first class mail with proof of mailing. Without a proper notice, your lease renews automatically month to month.
✓ Sources checked August 23, 2026
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Your landlord cannot raise your rent while the property has an open code violation. This covers citations from Licenses and Inspections, the health department, or a utility company.
✓ Sources checked August 23, 2026
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Your landlord cannot raise your rent to punish you for using a legal right. This punishment is called retaliation. Protected rights include reporting code violations and joining a tenant organization.
✓ Sources checked August 23, 2026
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If an increase breaks these rules, send your landlord a letter. Say why the increase breaks your lease terms and that you will not pay the new amount. Keep a copy of the letter.
✓ Sources checked August 23, 2026
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You can always try to negotiate. Ask your landlord to keep the rent the same or to make the increase smaller. Landlords often want to avoid the cost of finding a new tenant.
✓ Sources checked August 23, 2026
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You can challenge a good cause notice with the Fair Housing Commission or in court. You must file your complaint within 15 business days of receiving the notice. You must also tell your landlord that you filed.
✓ Sources checked August 23, 2026
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The Fair Housing Commission takes complaints from Philadelphia residents who still live in the rental unit. File before your landlord starts an eviction case in Municipal Court. After that, the commission cannot accept your complaint.
✓ Sources checked August 23, 2026
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At the hearing, you and your landlord both present evidence to the commissioners. The commissioners decide if an unfair rental practice happened and issue an order. An order is a set of instructions for both sides. You have 30 days to appeal the order to the Court of Common Pleas.
✓ Sources checked August 23, 2026
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Only a court can make you move out over a rent dispute. Your landlord must first send a written notice to quit. A notice to quit is a letter that sets a move out date. Pennsylvania law requires at least 15 days at the end of a lease of 1 year or less. It requires 30 days for a longer lease. Your landlord may not change your locks or shut off your utilities.
✓ Sources checked August 23, 2026
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